Children's Day Special

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Kids all over this country were celebrated today as they marked this year’s Children’s Day. In the spirit of this day, I decided to do a post totally channeled towards kids and I have this young man standing in the gap for all his like!


Such innocence…I don’t know about y’all but I’m thinking this child already knows, this early in life, that one has to get down on his/her knees to conquer the world. Only God knows what he’s talking to Him about but if I could read his mind, I’m sure he’s saying:
  • Dear Lord, first of all, I’ll really like to thank You for letting me be born into this awesome family…to the awesomest parents. My daddy dotes on me; my mummy smothers me with so much love, I feel like a prince. She’s ever scampering around at my every whimper, even though she ignores me sometimes but I guess I understand…I can be really trying sometimes. I do appreciate that my mummy rarely sleeps at night because of me. I wish I could do something about it but I know I can’t, at least for now. For some reason, I’m always hungry at odd hours of the night and I love being cuddled while I eat, infact till I sleep off; it’s not my fault, dear Lord; you coupled me that way. But please, continue to give her the strength and grace to take care of my daddy and I. She’s a superwoman!!
  • Dear Lord, please bless my cousins Chets and Zi {I like their names, by the way. Their mummy must know what’s up} as they celebrate children’s day. I’ve never met them but I’ve seen pictures of them. They are really cute….I’m sure we will have loads of fun together when they visit or I visit.
  • Speaking of visiting, dear Lord, I don’t know how I feel about this Naija {I got the spelling right, yes? Swaaag!} trip Mum’s got scheduled for September. She’s super excited about it because she’s going to see her sisters she hasn’t seen in a long while plus she wants to offload me to her sister’s helps…she thinks I don’t know this! Anyways, I have serious reservations: I overheard Mummy say the heat is unbearable, that mosquitoes bite {what are mosquitoes by the way?} and then there’s that thing that makes noise when there’s no light…what’s the name now?? Arrrghhh…I can’t remember but You know what I’m talking about, Lord. My worst fear though is: What would I eat? I know Mummy is at her wits end when it comes to my feeding and I’ve heard her sister tell her to get me custard since there is no pap in my country. My fear is that once I enter Nigeria, Mummy might succumb to pressure and feed me that. I don’t want ooooooo! But Lord, you know best. You know what would be good for me and what wouldn’t. If pap will make me strong like my daddy, please just make me to like its taste. That’s all I ask in Jesus’ name, amen!
  • Thank you Lord for all You have done for me and my Mommy and my Daddy. I am very grateful because my life is really sweet. Please continue to bless them for me.
  • Also bless my Aunty Hazel for me. If not for anything, I’m on her blog {I learn quick}. Not many people have had this honour.
  • And because I want to show her how much I appreciate that honour, I will add one more prayer point to the rest: Aunty Mercedes {she’s Aunty Hazel’s friend} asked that You please send her a truckload of 1000 Naira notes. She didn’t give me her address but You know everything Lord. I know You can locate her wherever she is and direct that truck to her. Thank You.
  • Phew, I’m tired. And I’m hungry too. God, I have to go now. Until I come to you again, please bless all the children in the whole wide world….and their mommies and daddies too. Amen. Now, its time for my organic baby spaghetti chicken stew! Where’s Mummy? Let me set her a-scampering again! Bye God!
  • *now wailing*
David Kanye N {My Nephew}
If only I could be a child again! *le sigh* God bless all our kids, every single one of them in Jesus’ Name, Amen!

What's In Your Bag Meme

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So, ThirdWorldProfashional tagged me in a meme: Take a picture of your bag and its contents. This promises to be an interesting post because half the time, I have no idea what odds and bits I log around. I’m no pack rat but I get really lazy sometimes when it comes to decongesting my bag. So here goes:

The Rules are pretty simple:
1. Take a picture of your bag.
2. Take a picture of the contents of the bag.
3. Explain.
4. Tag as many bloggers as you’ll love to see the contents of their bags too.

The Bag

                             

My vintage Ted Lapidus leather bag. I adore this bag and though its not as big as I woulda preferred it, I just love its defined structure, adjustable straps, gold tone hardware and the TL embossed design throughout the exterior of the bag.

The Contents

1. Mac studio fix powder, Mac “Style Demon” mineralized blush, Mac dazzle lash: Since I discovered Mac years ago, my face has never been the same. Because I leave for work in the wee hours of the morning and rarely wear my face at home, I always always carry my make-up bags, yes bags, with me. These trio = game face on!!!!

2. Lipsticks: Until a friend gifted me this red lipstick from Clarins, I never thought I could ever pull off the red lips look. I was pleasantly surprised…I loooove!!! I also love the ajibo look of Sonya “Sheer Bliss” pink lipstick from Forever Living Products with a coat of In Colour Squeeze‘n’Shine lipgloss in either clear or honey lau.

3. Colour Care Eyeliner and Mac powder brush and blush applicator: Essentials I cannot do without!

4. Atmosphere wallet: Houses my cash and all my cards: debit cards, health insurance cards, call cards echetaram echetaram! Really like this particular wallet because of its cute patent leather design.

5. Olive Hair Serum/Polisher: I honestly don’t know what difference this product makes when I apply it to my weave but ‘they’ say it makes a difference. Anyways, since I have a weave on at the moment, its in my bag.

6. Chequebook I never go anywhere without my cheque book. I guess it gives me that added comfort, knowing that if I ever run outta cash and that boutique or that shop does not has a POS terminal, I can always consummate my transaction with a cheque leaf. And of course, there’s always the post-dated cheque delight to buying!

7. Measuring tape: Once, I wanted to make a cane basket for my kids’ toys. The first try didn’t fit the corner I had marked for it. I busted out this tape…next try was a perfect fit. I guess after that day, the tape became a permanent fixture in my bag….plus its so cute. And my slipper-shaped manicure set: Every girl should have one handy.

8. Vera Wang by Vera Wang: Used to be my favourite perfume at some point until my pregnancy hormones put me off it. I carry it around with me for those days I forget to perf up at home.

9. Dental Floss: I have a dental floss in my bag not because I’m anal about dental care; its just tidier and more effective than the alternative…toothpicks.

10. Safety pins: If you’ve ever been fat, you’ll understand why these particular items are in my carry-all. After my last child, I refused to adjust to my ballooned weight….I refused to dress my new size. And so, on days I pour myself inside one of my undersized clothes, these little minions hold shit together for me . Goodnews tho, my old clothes fit now…to some extent…so I hardly ever use them pins. But you never know….

11. Tampons: I’m a regular girl scout. The monthly visitor can NEVER catch me unawares. Nevers!

12. My $15 Nicole Ritchie wanna-be oversized sunglasses by OC Shades—I loooove this shades and more so because it was a cheap-ass buy. This sunglass is my idea of looking fab under budget. It can rival the best of them.

13. Blackberry: Need I say more? My last post will intimate you to the fact that I am {well, used to be….i’d like to believe that} addicted to my crackberry!! Addicted!!!

14. Camera pouchrepping my pentax camera: You never know when you need to capture an i-witness scenario on cam. Since I started blogging, my camera is always with me….taking pictures is my new hobby.

So now, I’m so supposed to tag other bloggers:
Jaycee of Lightherlamp
_Sirius_ of A Little Light Is All We Need
Sisi_Yemmie of GISTDOTCOM
YankieNaijaBabe of YNC Lounge
Honeydame of Musings…Illusions…Delusions
Cherrywine of CherryChatter
Damie of Stylishevafter
Olori of Olori's Palace


And, I'm tagging @sphinx640, @poshbug and @orchbaby...just because i can. Leggoo!!!

What God Has Joined Together...

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…..Let no technology put asunder! Yes, technology has become a serious contender in this business of asunder!
When the electronic mailing system was intoduced years ago, we thought life couldn't be any easier. Communication, hitherto, had involved penning letters to pals across the world or ringing friends on the tabletop telephones {if your folks could afford them}. The convenience of e-mails was second to none and those who couldnt afford a PC, needn't worry as cyber cafes sprouted in every nook and cranny of the country! This was a few years back.

Laptops, mobile web and {relatively} affordable internet data plan later, the world become a really close-knit community. Then, the smartphone Blackberry hit the scene and social life as we know it has never been the same.


A few months ago, I was watching this episode of House, where this lady was dying {but of course} and needed emergency surgery. Her consent was needed to perform the surgery but she was tarrying in giving it because she wanted to sample the opinion of her online friends first before she makes her decision. I remember thinking, “How foolish can a girl be”, considering that her husband, the person whose opinion is supposed to matter the most, was sitting right by her side, begging her to consent to the surgery, begging her to live for him and she was busy tweeting, blogging, face-booking, my-spacing, you-tubing her predicament! I also remembered thinking, “This could only happen in the make-believe world of television”. How wrong I was. I am an example of how wrong I was!

Technology, for all purposes and intents, is meant to ease processes. Since the emergence of these smartphones and tablets on the social scene, communicating amongst friends and lovers has become super simplified. With the social networking apps on those phones, it feels like you have the whole world on the palm of your hands, literally!

I met my Kenyan baby sister @JeriMasala on Twitter…awesome chic…and today, I’m waiting anxiously for the birth of her Precious Cargo in a few days time! Technology gave me this…

I used to log novels and magazines around with me all the time to guard against boredom and brain atrophy. These days, I simply log on to blogs like GISTDOTCOM, ThirdWorldProfashional, Stella’s Addiction, LightHerLamp, ForStyleSake, Bella Naija and Linda Ikeji for my daily fix of quality edutainment. Technology gave me that….

When my kid sister @Labelleace and my hoodfriends @Poshbug and @Eseosaaa left Naija, I thought that was it! Mundane chit-chats would now have to be over the phone and even then, it’ld be hurried convos seeing as the calling party will be watching the airtime being consumed. Yahoo and google chats are even loooon things. With BBM, I got to keep up with Poshbug….heck, I knew when her fiancé proposed to Eseosa; saw the ring sef as though it happened right next to me! When just chatting over messengers is not enough, I get to see my sis face to face as we talk courtesy of Facetime by iPhone. Technology afforded me that….

From the comforts of the restroom, I can easily make a purchase from anywhere in the world. Recently, I acquired this pair of shoes whilst browsing The Shoe Store on Facebook, at a bargain price and with little or no hassles. Technology made that possible.....





Not to forget being able to reach a wider audience should advertising be your area of interest. Technology has done us a wealth of good!!

Now, allow me to introduce y'all to the concept simply known as Tarnishing A Blessing....when someone tries to take undue advantage of a kind act/gesture.
"It's either my crackberry or my marriage! I choose my man.....PING ME NOT!" This, was my blackberry messenger status update a few months back! I kid not! Its really either my BB or my man! The attention i accord that little piece of technology is currently bordering on obsession...it left addiction a long time ago!!! Suddenly, it seems like i spend all my time trying to communicate with my online friends, some of whom i've never met and might never meet rather than communicate with my best half who's been subtly seeking my attention! I called that woman in that House episode foolish but hey, the joke is on me! Somehow, i have morphed into her and while her story is make-believe, mine is a glaring reality! The joke is seriously on me.

So to my baby, today: I pledge/promise to give you 100% 75% attention whenever we are hanging together, indoors or outdoors. The other 25% i will give my online friends and even that, only when you are off to the loo. You'll never question my attention royalty ever again. I am so sorry for everything! You know I love you toooo much! *wink*

So, i'm going to stop here...just heard himself {forgive me Daks..plus its in small letter sef} come in! But till i blog again, if you are not following this blog, better press your hand on the follow button right now! If you are on twitter, and i'm not following you and most importantly, you are not following me, look for
@Zitera...lets do the follow-follow dance! And i promise, that 25% cannot be anything but quality attention!
God bless my online friends today!
Toodles....xxx

Scrambled Post Numero Dos: The Pressure To Perform

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We were driving out of our compound, the hubby and I, on our way to a hangout one fateful day. That day wasn’t the first time we noticed it but it was the first time the hubby commented on/about it, “This couple live a really weird life!” and I totally concurred with that assessment. Why? If you said some ghosts reside in that flat, you might not be totally wrong…the flat is always as quiet as a tomb, the only sign of “life” being the cars parked in the car lot and the occasional swish of their living room blinds! And they are not old folks oo….those two would be in their mid-thirties max! I do remember saying, “If only they have kids!!”

Days later, I heard a bit of their story….and another story totally unrelated to theirs:

Story 1: In his former flat when he was still a struggling bachelor, things went from rosy {ok, maybe not rosy but life was great} to unbelievable hard luck. When he got married, everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief….believe it or not, there’s always the inexplicable showers of blessings that settle on couples after they are legally hooked up, from their wedding day sef…I kid you not. Even the Bible said, “He that finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor in the sight of God”.
And so after marriage, jobs knocked on their doors; contracts came from far and wide; life was good again. Then the Mrs became pregnant and their joy was complete. Notice I didn’t say the Mrs had a baby because that joy was truncated…she miscarried! With that unfortunate incidence, badluck finally located their address, took up residence with them and refused to leave them be. It came down to either they moved out or badluck takes a hike. Badluck refused to bulge...they moved!!!



Story 2: Chuks* hustled really early in life….at age 27, he was already a manager of some sort in his place of employment and he never forgets to mention that fact every opportunity he gets. Nice crib, tear-rubber Kia moto {with that igbo accent}, and then the girls….dude was living largesse.
Then....came the suspension, the demotion and finally the sack letter from work!!!


Two stories so unrelated and yet so similar. These lives however had some factor in common: they were both tenants in the same apartment complex at that time...they had the same landlady and rumor has it that she is as diabolical as they come!

This brings me to the issue I wanted to discuss today: Some evil that {wo}men do! 


Why would a landlady settle for mortgaging her tenants' good fortunes for her own selfish gains? You already OWN a house...several i reckon, the tenants still pay for the accomodation and its still okay with you to take away their unborn child, their jobs, their happiness??? *Sidebar: I'm not inclined to believe all these jazz stories i hear but hey, i didnt live the experiences....my neighbours did. As at today, that compound is uninhabited cos their gist have made the rounds and nobody wants to be Madam Landlord's next victim. My neighbour and his wife are still trying to pick up pieces of their lives; Chuks got gainfully employed 2 months after he moved out....
        
Growing up, i had this classmate with moneybags as parents. Their house was huuuuuuuge, especially so to my young eyes and they were always always chaffeur-driven to and from school. They had the best of everything. Somehow, this story filtered into school that their father sacrificed the mental health of their eldest sibling for the riches, reducing the poor boy to an imbecile. Whether there were any truth in that, yours truly cannot say but i've heard similar stories over time...too many i dare say...that it makes one wonder. I do know i kept a very safe distance from them after that story!


Stories of wealthy men without neither wives nor children abound, something to do with the dubious ways those monies were made. Tales of varying misfortunes that follow women that "know" such men in the biblical sense equally abound! All for what? Recognition, the i-have-arrived type? Greed?


Somehow, I Am Content With What I Have has become my mantra. It has to be. Rome was not built in a day...it took years of planning, years of careful execution of laid-down plans...no corners cut, years of hardwork and committment. If it were quickfixed, im sure it woulda come apart like a pack of cards eons ago!
The society should not pressure us into having what we obviously cannot afford, by any means necessary. I mean, do you have any idea how many kids have been pressured into stealing from their parents by an innocent enough tweet or status message that says, "Chilling in KFC...amazeballs"? If you reside in Lagos, the sightings of young unemployed girls mostly in their teens {some of them students, some of them from relatively humble backgrounds} with 24inch original brazilian/malaysian/peruvian weaves are pretty much common occurences. However, if you know how expensive those weaves are, you'll begin to understand the point im trying to communicate. Heck, some of us pay in three instalments for those weaves and we are gainfully employed! The pressure....


Let me not even dabble into the subject of the Blackberry. If you live in this country, Lagos to be precise and you do not owe a BB, i have just one message for you,"Welcome to 2011. To be able to live in today's world, kindly make your way to Computer Village and purchase yourself one, new, used or otherwise. Its in your best interest! PING!" I say this because i seriously believe you've just been released from that cryogenic prison that held you hostage for so long! Otherwise, how come you do not have a BB? The pressure....


The iPad came out last year....the hype and the raves that followed after its launch were so freaking unbelieavable, i actually convinced myself there was need for one and so, i bought one. I will admit to feeling really good with myself after that purchase...levels. I was still trying to learn how to blog from that contraption when iPad2 hit the market! WTF?? Seriously, in less that four months, my purchase was outdated? The nerve of Apple. Somehow, i have convinced myself that there is absolutely no difference between both iPads and that is what i believe. If you have any contradicting opinions, i'll beg you to keep it to yourself....i am happy where i am right now.
But alas, the Blackberry Playbook is out. The truth, guys, is that i am still happy where i am. Unless that tablet or any other of its kind that might make an appearance in the nearest future can wake me up in the mornings with a cup of tea, take me through my exercise routines, feed the kids breakfast, bathe them and prep them for school, unless that tablet will cook my meals and do the kids homework, attend open days and take notes all by itself, unless that tablet is simply put MINI-ME, i am not shelling my hard earned money to buy nada...pressure be damned! Kilode?!


But hey, this is just my opinion....you are entitled to yours.


Been a while. Missed y'all!

Courage, Honour, Life Lessons

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The Blind Side

"Courage is a hard thing to figure.
You can have courage based on a dumb idea or from a mistake, but you’re not supposed to question adults, or your coach or your teacher or your parent, because they make the rules.
Maybe they know best, but then again maybe they don’t.
It all depends on who you are, where you come from.

That’s why courage it’s tricky.....
Should you always do what others tell you to do?
Sometimes you might not even know why you’re doing something.
I mean any fool can have courage.

But Honor, that’s the real reason for you either do something or you don’t.
It’s who you are and maybe who you want to be.
If you die trying for something important, then you have both honor and courage, and that’s pretty good.
You should hope for courage and try for honor.
And maybe even pray that the people telling you what to do have some, too".....Michael Oher

Leigh Anne Touhy played by Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side, is the kind of mother i want to be....a woman that gave the whole of herself to help a child that had no hope in the world!!! Selfless...

Who Hurt Her The Most?

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Flashback to two years ago, she was in her mid-twenties, so pretty and with such a bright promising future...she had graduated from the university the year before, had just concluded the compulsory national service year, had landed herself a really good job with an audit firm and to crown it all, she was getting married to the man of her dreams in the immediate future! Bright future, yes?!

*Sidebar: She really had a hard time getting her mother to approve of her choice of a husband.....he was from another state, another tribe even; she is the ada {first daughter} of the house and her father has been dead for years so the mother wanted a man from within their village! She nearly didnt marry the man sef: her mother's word is the law in their household. Added to that fact, they were really a close pair, a mother and daughter that could easily pass for twins.

Two years down the line {present day}, she's married. Work is great; Hubby is awesome regardless of the fact that there home is yet to be blessed with kids and Momma, she comes every once in a while to visit and for a woman who, initially, could not stand the man her daughter wanted to marry, it was nice to see how she and her daughter's hubby got along beautifully! Chic was content....aside of the absence of children, everything was chill in her life!

Until the day she walked in on her mother and her husband, under covers on her matrimonial bed....and they were not playing hide and seek!! Aluu!

Betrayed! But whose betrayal woulda hurt the most:

1. The man that promised to love, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others? Or

2. The woman that brought her into this world? Her very own mother????

Feel free to comment your opinion. Its a weird world we live in!!!