Extreme Make Over Home Edition

Hello everyone happy belated christmas and a wonderful new year in advance. Saying welcome to our new members: Steve Hawley, Lloyd 1948 & Covnitkepr1...Thank you for becoming a part of secretlilies...

Now back to the topic of the day.. Extreme Make Over Home Edition

I spent the whole of christmas and the better part of boxing day watching this show on BBC lifestyle channel. They had the special edition so they showed a lot of the works they had done...Now for those of you who don't know what this show is about...Its a reality television series hosted by Ty Pennington, where they renovate homes for the less fortunate families who have been affected by one disaster, illness or the other....

I spent my christmas like I said, tucked beside my hubby, crying, laughing and thanking God for the good, life changing gifts Ty and his group gave numerous families, and believe me it was the most gratifying thing to do.... Some of them got (i.e. in addition to the renovation of their houses) new cars, trucks, scholarship for their children university/college tuition, family vacations abroad, health care, mortgage paid, and especially beautifully furnished, designed homes fit for kings and queens....

Lesson learnt:

there is one thing to make money but if you ask me it's so gratifying if you can use your money to make a difference around you.... Meeting people at the points of their needs should be our goals as we all cross over into the new year....

I love Ty Pennington not for anything but for the fact that he is associated with a program that gives hope to the hopeless....

If I am asked which celebrity will I like to meet, without hesitation I will say Ty Pennington and his crew for they will be remembered for the good they have brought into the homes of families who thought all hope was lost......

Once again I wish you merry christmas and a happy new year.

Notez Bien:

"the hour has come to write down our goals and what we want to achieve in the new year. I urge you to think it through thoroughly before you write it down...

For me my number one goal is to touch the lives of people around me........ What about you?

A Story Worth Sharing

Somebody put this on facebook and I thought I should share this with you...In her own words...

Alabi Anastasia:

My boss told us today how his friend (though a tough choice) gave a widow all the money he had (#16,000 i.e. $105 for school fees and feeding, the widow cried and thanked him. He felt good inside but scared and broke but he trusted God. That same evening a friend visited him and gave him a million naira cheque (i.e. $6700) just 2 "HOLD BODY".......

When I read this I screamed..whoa....Really how can God be this miraculous. Will it have been easy for me to do what this man did? Would I have been able to trust God wholeheartedly? Would I have given the widow or would I have held on to the 16k, especially during this christmas period.....

This is the season of giving, no matter how little make sure you give to touch someone's heart...

Notez Bien: " Please help me I am stuck....What christmas present can I buy for my mother in law...something inexpensive and lovely....Please help....

JUICY INFO

Info from Copyblogger by Julien Smith

DONALD TRUMP's Top 3 Tips For Dominating Your Niche.....

We know his name. We know his brand. We even know his hair. But do we know how he does it?

If Donald Trump has created a building in your city, you know it. You not only know he has one but you know exactly where it is. Maybe you even know how much it cost. You might even know about buildings he's developed in other cities. Are there any other real estate developers you can say that about? Why do we know so much about The Donald?

This happened to me when I was in Chicago last year. I looked out the window and BAM...there he is again. Trump International Hotel Chicago. So what are the methods that The Donald uses, the stuff that can help us find a larger audience, write a better blog, build a better business? turns out there're simple, effective, and unforgettable.

Trump Tip #1: Be everywhere

Are you posting only on your website? Are you only writing but not doing videos? Are your ads appearing only where everyone else's (including your competitors) are? Then you are missing out on a lot of what you can do to build audience, visibility and profile. People need to see your face. They need to feel your energy. They need to see your hair everywhere you go. If you are only giving your audience a part of who you are, and only in a certain location, that's like being a guru on the top of a mountain in Bhutan. If no one can find you, you're not likely to get a lot of disciples. how about, instead, you participate everywhere you are allowed to? You use every medium to which you' re allowed access?

Trump Tip #2: Don't pay cash

Donald may be rich but do you really think he pays cash-weather to develop real estate or to access new audiences? Most people misunderstand how business works and think that, in many cases, they're unable to do something that is within their reach.

When trump writes a book with Robert Kiyosaki of do you think it is because they were like "High five! lets write a book together, just for kicks!"

Uh, no.

Top level players do project like these to get access to each other's audiences. Everything is strategic. Everything is one for leverage. And leverage is just another word for" I didn't pay cash to play".

Same thing when he does Trump University and The Apprentice. All of these are audience plays. Trump doesn't pay cash, ever. he trades chips with people who can benefit him.

You can work the same angles. Don't try to get your audience or your customers by buying them. Instead, play the game. Use chips. Think strategically on how you can use leverage to gain access to something you otherwise couldn't.

Trump Tip# 3: Exceed Expectations

When I walked into the Trump International Beach Resort in Miami, I was skeptical. What I believed I'd see and what I actually experienced where vastly different. I was shocked by how polite the staff were. I was stunned by the fact that I actually wanted to spend time there. But most of all I was shocked by the smell.

Yes, the smell

The air in the Trump International had a light, fragrant, airy perfume. It was amazing. Can you shock people? Not with rudeness or vulgarity (necessarily), but with your over-the-top-attitude, your expertise, your commitment to doing something great, or your extravagance? You may not have the ability (or desire) to shock with Trump-like excess. But you can also shock with your appreciation for the little things- the details.

Be Like The Donald?

You may not take the Donald seriously. The hair does make it difficult. Or you may think you could never translate what he's done to your own business. It certainly isn't easy.

But it does have a formula and this is it:

You have to try..

I hope you learn a lot from this article as I have learnt...

Happy Weekend..

Ciao

Shopping Tips

Hello everyone...saying welcome to my good friend Chile, thank you for becoming a member of the secretlilie's family.

I know everyone is saying thank God is friday, the weekend is soooo near and it's going to be a lovely one, especially for me...

Well I will like to leave some shopping tips for people who stay in Lagos.... cheap, affordable tips...

For the people who stay on the Island, we know that drinking water is like a luxury cos of the terrain. We either have to buy pure water, bottle water or the Cway water and the dispenser. This can be additional cost, and we don't need it this christmas period...I am sure you know what I mean.

Anyways I went to shoprite, in the Palms, lekki, for some quick shopping and I decided to go to the water section...lo and behold I saw La voltic bottle water for #57 instead of #100... You can imagine my joy...I quickly packed as many as I could for who knows...So please if you are going that way hurry up to the water stand and pick up la voltic..

I just heard another new departmental store has opened in lekki. I hear it is awesome and affordable. It is called Ebano.... What I really love about this store is that it is an indigenous departmental store. If it's as cheap as they say, I will be a patriotic Nigerian and stick to them...

Lastly before I leave my friend just started her water business and it is good...look out for the swagga water..It is really pure....

Men!!!!!! I must say that Nigerians are really making things happen, and fantastic if you ask me...

Like I said it's friday and we can't all wait for the weekend to begin... Enjoy your weekend and do something gratifying to your soul...loll.....

Take care of yourself and Ciao....

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A friend sent this to me and I will like to share it with you:

Interesting quote from the movie "why did I get married?" In most cases especially in relationships, you will only get 80% of what you need and you will hardly get the other 20% that you WANT in your relationship.

There is always another person (man or woman) that you will meet that will offer you the other 20% which is lacking your relationship that you WANT. And believe me, 20% looks really good when you are not getting it at all in your current relationship. But the problem is that you will always be tempted to leave that good 80% that you know you have, thinking you will get something better with the other 20% that you WANT. But as reality has proven, in most cases you will end up having the 20% that you WANT and losing the 80% that you already NEED and that you already had.

Be careful in deciding what you WANT and NEED in your life. Adultery happens when you start looking for what you don't have. "Wow this girl in my office is a real looker. But it's not her Wynona Rider that got to me. I'm crazy about her cos she is also understanding, intelligent, tender-so many things that my spouse is not".

Somewhere along the way you will find a woman or man who will be more charming or sensitive. More alluring. More thoughtful. Richer. Have greater sex appeal. And you will find a man or a woman who will need you and pursue you and go loco of you more than your spouse every did.

Because no wife or husband is perfect. Because a spouse will only give 80% of what you are looking for. So adultery takes place when the wife or the husband is looking for the other 20%.

Let's say your wife is melancholic (sad) by nature.

You may find yourself drawn to the pretty clerk who has a cherry laugh no matter what she says: "I broke my arm yesterday..hahahahaha...."

Or because your wife is a homebody in slippers and pajamas smelling of garlic and fish oil you may fall for a fresh smelling sales representative that visits your office in a sharp black blazer, high heels and a red pencil cut skirt.

Or because your husband is the quiet type, your heart may skip a beat when you meet an old college flame who has the makings of a talk show host.

But wait that's only 20% of what you don't have. Don't throw away 80% that you already have! That's not all. Add to your spouse 80% the 100% that represents all the years you have been with each other. The storms you have weathered together. The unforgettable moments of sadness and joy as a couple. The many adjustments you have made to love each other. The wealth of memories that you have accumulated as lovers.

Adultery happens when you start looking for what you don't have. But faithfulness happens when you start thanking God for what you already have. But I'm not just talking about marriage.

I'm talking about life,

about your jobs.

about your friends.

about your children.

about your lifestyle.

Are you like the economy airline passenger that perennially peeks through the door of the first class cabin, obsessed with what he is missing? they've got more leg room! Oh my their food is served in porcelain! Whoa their seats recline at an 80% angle and they've got personal videos!

I guarantee you'll be miserable for the entire trip! Don't live your life for that, forget about what the world says is first class. Do you know that there are many first class passengers who are miserable in first class because they are not riding in a private Lear jet?

The main message::::: If you start appreciating what you have right now, wherever you are you are first class 20/80 or 80/20. You determine your lot in life. Enjoy what you have cos you are blessed. Whatsoever you do in life think of the future benefit than the immediate satisfaction could be momentary but benefits is eternal.

YOU' RE ASKING FOR TROUBLE IF YOU START DESIRING WHAT YOUR NEIGHBOR HAS

True Friendship

Hello everyone and what's up?

Saying welcome to Melissa, P.E.T. Project and thank you Myne Whitman for your comments.

Recommended book: " A heart To Mend", by Myne Whitman. Will have a review of the book by next week. I just bought my copy yesterday and I am so looking forward to reading it.

Now back to the topic of today: True Friendship...

There are some friends that cross your path which you never expect, the bond you build with them usually very close and tight... I think friendship formed this way, is ordained by God..

I am saying thank you to my new friend who is also a blogger (you can check out her blog @ http://thediaryofadespreatenaijawoman.blogspot.com). Thank you for being a friend.

As I talk about friendship, I remember a dear friend of mine, in fact I often said she was my best friend, mon meilleur ami... The day I heard that she was involved in an accident I cried.

That day I thought to myself: so I will never see her again.

This friend was always there for me. We were seat mates in secondary school, we both had our futures planned together. She was a shoulder to cry on and I was shoulder to lean on. We had times where we laughed, cried, played, argued and just stayed friends....

I know this may sound weird, for I had a dream and I saw her in the dream. I asked her if she was in heaven and she said yes she was, immediately an overwhelming peace filled my heart.

It sounds very funny and I am a little bit embarrassed saying it, but I just feel it is time.

I feel maybe there is someone out there who has lost someone dear. It may not be a friend, maybe a mother or a father or a brother, or a sister, I know how you feel. For this friend of mine was like a sister to me. She was my sister from another mother.

Oh Fubby as we called her, I wish you are still here with me. It's been two years now and I have never said anything about this, I have bottled it up for so long, but I feel it is time to let it go.

I feel it is time to let the world know how it hurts to loose a friend and a sister.

I believe in that dream and I know that you are in heaven.

Adieu my friend

Adieu fubby

Adieu Tata

Until we meet again

Welcome To Lagos

Hello everybody:

saying thank you once again for your nice comments and advices, I feel better. Now I am ready to conquer the world, by His grace.

Today my gist is about this young Najia dude oh, who they call the Scavenger (Eric Oboh)... The young dude who was featured on the BBC documentary entitled " Welcome to Lagos"...which was aired on BBC2 in the United Kingdom (UK), on April 15.

Much as I do not like the way CNN and BBC often depict Africa, Nigeria as a poverty stricken place, where nothing good can be found and poverty as our watch word.. I learnt something from this documentary...

This dude the Scavenger who was born 1 December, 1980 in Ajekunle Lagos, Nigeria was featured in the documentary, like I said earlier a Scavenger who works and lives in a dumpsite, on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria.

Occupation: he collects recyclable materials and sells them. Whatever he gets from the sale he saves them. He uses it to buy studio time in order to produce a music album.

Since this documentary, he has become very famous. A lot of sites have been set up to help promote his music. So please check his facebook page, download his song from itunes.

He has also featured in articles about "Welcome To Lagos" in the Observer, The Independent & the London Metro...

I also heard this gist that he was in London recently singing for a crowd of about 5ooo......hmmm what do you think?

For me his story makes me realize that really my hubby was right. There are people out there who have worse problems than you have, and they still have hope. I know I don't have to live in the dumpsite......

Then again I am so impressed with this Scavenger's determination.

I now know for certain that anything can be achieved, how?...In different ways...But when goals are set and it is attacked judiciously, it will be achieved.

Conclusion: Nobody has an excuse not to succeed in this life

P.S: links to the Scavenger...BBC2 documentary...

Wikipedia...

Note: Please Nigeria is not all about crime, corruption, poverty, slums..etc...Nigeria has its good side too.....and besides every country has its good and bad......

It is time for us Nigerians, Africans world wide to tell our own stories...

Ciao

Not Happy

Hmm what can I say folks, today I am sad. I am so sad and angry at the same time.

Writing has become a part of me that most at times when I feel this way, the only way I can let it out is by pouring my feelings out in any form of writing.

Today again like some days I asked God why? I felt so bad...I have been crying ever since...

My hubby always says when you think your situation is the worst you have only to look around you, you will see that there are millions of people who are in deeper shit than you are. (Please pardon my english, for I am sad and angry)..

Yes I know that there are people in worse situation than me, but will that help me. What consolation is that.

People only give you advise and tell you to have patience, hold on, your time will come, it is well blah blah blah blah...Sometimes I feel they talk like this because they don't know how it feels. Can they even trust themselves if they are in my situation? What will they do, I ask myself.

In fact today I was just snapping at everybody that came close to me. I am sure the cashier in the local store near my house must have thought me a viper for I snapped at her to be fast with my balance. Her smiling face and slow attitude got on my nerves..

Why should she smile? What was so good about the day?

I bought myself 3 sticks of ice cream and I took every thing. I am suppose to be watching my sugar intake, strictly doctors orders, but who really cares : doctors orders my foot...

I have snapped, cursed, begged and cried... but then I can choose..

I can choose to wallow in self pity or I can choose to stand up and conquer the world. For every time I read a success story, it usually comes with challenges, problems, obstacles that almost brought defeat at their door, but they still held on....

I have no where to go to, I just have to hold on.... I believe in God and I know he can do it, but men,,,, I must say that it isn't easy at all.

Some days I am happy...I wake up and I feel I can conquer the world. Some days I wake up and I am sad, weighed by all the challenges I have to face in this life.

I ask: when will this phase pass me by?

When will I see all the goods things in life...

Ahh I must confess that it isn't easy and sometimes I feel I can't do it anymore.

But I will still believe for I know that I will see the light at the end of the tunnel, some day. When it will come I do not know, but I pray that is doesn't tarry for long.

God help me and just keep me before I run mad..loll... I know that YOU will not let me and YOU ARE always going to be there for me.

What I am suppose to learn, please teach me, so that I can learn, for I can't wait for this phase to pass...

Hangover From Social Network

Hello guys...

Still on my journey to be the next best name and I have been thinking, in fact I couldn't sleep. When I finally slept I dreamt about social network...LOL. Oh please God help me...my head is still spinning and it will not stop until something powerful comes in...loll....

Well let me give you a little hint..I have started my third novel and I think this is very dear to me, for I can already feel my character's pain. Her name is Eva and she is an adorable young woman, trying to rise above her situation.

Will she do it?

Yes she will for I think and strongly believe that every man/woman fighting to change his/her situation eventually achieves their goal.

I hope you love my character like I do for I really love her. She has become a part of me and my very good friend.

So off again to think of something great...Oh boy before I forget: LET'S welcome the new member in the house...my good friend Bimbo, thank you for becoming a member of the family.

Wendal I love your comments, nice one and good info about the internet guy... See you later alligator.....

Note: someone just told me that the guy who invented the internet didn't get a patent or something like that? I really need to do a research about him and I will get back to you guys on this gist....

P.S. please patent your ideas, business plans, research, inventions, anything... for one never knows where the money or breakthrough will come from.

Have a lovely weekend, for I will.

Ciao.

Social Network

Hi everyone, I need to write this cos my head is on fire. I just saw this film Social Network, the story about how facebook started and how it became famous and I am like......are you kidding me, really.....what does Mark Elliot Zuckerberg have in his brain, that I do not have. How come he became billionaire, accidentally or unaccidentally, it doesn't matter now....loll..... because from what I saw this guy didn't even know what he was dealing with... Oh my God... Please someone help me before I loose it...loll....

I need to make money and I need to make it genuinely. I don't want the money our politicians and so called fathers of this nation have stolen, I want real genuine money. I want people to know me for generating wealth through the right source and helping people around me and communities.

Really the way I feel right now, is like I shouldn't sleep at all. In fact the more I sleep the more I waste time... Abi what do you think?

Men...... I know this thing for sure God made all men equally and has deposited in each of us talents, no matter the race or the color. So we just have to fish them out and use it, it doesn't matter what country you come from or what's your nationality. I know one thing: hard work, brings reward. It may take years but one day we will all reap what we sow..

For now I bid you farewell for I am going into my covers to think of my ideas, ideas that will bring me billions of dollars and make me famous...loll...

P.S: take care and please always think positively for anyone can be the next Mark Elliot Zuckerberg or even better.....

Ciao.