CHINUA ACHEBE'S "THERE WAS A COUNTRY"

I know all of us are still in a celebration mood, including me. I had actually thought that I will be off writing and blogging till next year but like bees drawn to the honey comb so is a writer drawn to writing.
Anyways one of my Christmas presents from my darling Temi was Chinua Achebe's new novel "There Was A Country". Now people who know me, know that even though I am an avid reader its only recently I started reading a lot of novels by Nigerian authors, even though I read "CHIKE AND THE RIVER, THINGS FALL APART", I still wasn't an avid reader of Achebe's works.

I don't know if I can say this of a renowned author, but I will anyway: as a writer Achebe has greatly improved. This is how I see his writing now: it's as though he writes for a wider audience. It's as though he writes for the readers in China as well as readers in America at the same time. He can take an Ibo proverb and describe it using America/British terms. I am greatly impressed as I hope that this novel becomes a bestseller topping a lot of the big authors in writing history. I have also learnt that Chinmamanda Adiche writes a lot like Achebe.. Very Impressive.

Although I am not through with the book I am learning a lot about Nigerian history and the events that took place before I was born. It saddens me to think that history has been removed from all our secondary schools. I think that history should be compulsory in all secondary schools in Nigeria up until A'  levels, instead of maths or English. Oh well that's a topic for another day.

I also think that all the minor ethnic groups in Nigeria should start developing works of fiction laced with our rich history and culture granting our Nigerian/African all over the world the opportunity to know about African folklore's, myths, history, culture like they do about the Greek mythology.

Before I go I will leave you with some excerpts of the book that I have found very intriguing:

Page 93:

"I received my scholarship to study medicine at Ibadan. I wanted to be in the arts but felt the pressure to choose medicine instead. After a year of work I changed to English, history and theology, but by so doing I lost the bursary and was left with the prospect of paying tuition"

(Now for me this is determination. It is sad that parents still pressure their children to study courses they don't really have a flare for. Someone asked this question on face book: if you had the opportunity to be 18 again what will you do all over, a lot of people talked about following their dreams and not studying what daddy or mummy wanted them to study).

Page 95:

"After graduation I did not have to worry about where I would go next. The system was so well organized that as we left university most of us were instantly absorbed into the civil service, academia, business or industry. We trusted-I did, anyway-the country and its rulers to provide this preparatory education and then a job to serve my nation. I was not disappointed".

(hmmm this cannot be said about the Nigeria of today as it is so difficult getting a job right out of university. What happened? And how can this be fixed? Topic for another day)


Anyways as I read along or maybe in any of my post I will try and post little excerpts from his book.
I must go now as I have to still be in the celebration mode, not with a laptop on top of my laps and jamming away.

Merry Christmas folks and a Happy new year. 

A Note From A Parent

My promise to my children as long as I live I am your parent first, your friend second. I will stalk you, flip out on you, lecture you, drive you insane, be your worst nightmare and hunt you down like a blood hound, when needed because I LOVE YOU!!!!! When you understand that I will know you are a responsible adult. You will NEVER find someone who loves, prays, cares and worries about you more than I do! If you don't hate me once in your life- I am not dong my job properly.



I saw this letter from a parent and I thought I should share it. Really food for thought for me...


RIP to the kids that died...its so pathetic....

Everybody is talking about guns laws and all, but for me I think it starts from the beginning. Once you become a parent you have to give it your all, like the note says till they understand, then you know they are adults. I don't subscribe to the African mentality of having a lot of children. its not worth it!!!!!

Anyways Merry Christmas everybody, I hope we all enjoy the holidays and thank God for just keeping us alive.

Ciao.

The World Of Animation

Hello everyone. How are you? I hope you are all very well.
Anyways I just had a few minutes and decided to use the time. I have always been fascinated by animations and cartoons ever since I could remember. Always watched the Disney fairy tales like Cinderella, Tangled, Aladdin, Lion King, more recently Pixar's animation: Cars, Toy Story etc.  If I am asked today what are my favorite past times: apart from reading and traveling, I would say watching cartoons or animation, that is not to say that I don't also enjoy good movies, this I do. In fact I can't wait to see "Looper" and "Les Miserables".

But have you wondered why Africa doesn't have a good animation or cartoon company, one that depicts the rich African culture and lifestyle? I know when I was growing up, I read a lot of blue eyed princesses and watched a lot of green eyed mermaid stories and the likes. It never occurred to me that there could be fairytales that had princesses with brown eyes and dark skin/ebony or kinky/nappy hair. It never occurred to me that I could have dolls that were dark skinned with yarn braids instead of the long caucasian straight hair barbies. Now I am older I know better. I know I can get novels where the heroes look like Idris Elba or the heroine looks a lot like Haley Berry instead of Jessica Simpson. (If you know what I mean). Thanks to authors like Myne Whitman, Kiru Taye, Lara Daniels etc you can now read about dashing men who are actually tall dark and handsome.

But what about the animations and cartoons that our children watch? '
Do we have enough to let them know that Africans are here to stay. That it's not all about slavery, corruption, wars, poverty etc but also about love, fun, adventures, superheroes.

What about exploring our rich legends? After all the Greeks have been doing this for ages. In fact I am so in love with Chris Hemsworth, the star in THOR. (P.S. Please don't tell Temi this...LOL). Thor is the Greek god of thunder. If I am correct I know the Yorubas also has a god of thunder in their legends.

Okay we will say there is a lot of voodoo or juju in the African theme, but can't it be portrayed without the incantations, libations and human sacrifice?

Well I think it is time Africa stands up and start telling their story.

In an interview Kiru Taye said she wants to be an author who will tell the world a different story about Africa.

Yes we still struggle with poverty, corruption, wars, slavery, discrimination, women inequality, etc but we also fall in love and live in love. We also have superheroes and heroines, we also have beautiful myths and legends, beautiful fashion sense/statement and culture. We also have men of valor and integrity.
I have hope that one day we will get there.


I hope you all have a lovely day as today is the 12/12/12/ day, and this is also my brother's birthday as well. I love him so much as we are very close. Wishing him the best things in life.

Take care of yourselves I've got to go, as my time is up.

N/B: Google: Sporedust media/ A Nigerian animation company.

Ciao.

Happy New Month

I would have titled this post sites and sounds of Jamaica but I am not sure I will be able to upload the pictures. Anyways I will just try, and see what happens.

A little about Jamaica: it's very dear to my heart as it is a small island of about 3 million people, as you all know I come from a very small island, in Rivers state called Bonny. We aren't up to 3 million but its not so small. It's just the right size and very good for tourism.
Jamaica makes a lot of revenue from tourism. I wonder why we can't do that in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, even Lagos state is surrounded by water as well. hmmm very sad.
Sometimes I wish the oil will dry up so that we all go back to life without oil. I know this for a fact :the day Nigeria starts feeding itself as a country, Nigeria's development will sky rocket. Enough of all the sad talk lets move one to brighter things...

I wonder what it will be like on top of that mountain..Scary

I hope you can see the building on the hills..wish i can live there.

Alright I was able to upload the pix. I basically took the scenery.
Jamaica is a very hilly country and living on top of the mountains is like living in Beverly hills. It is even called Beverly hills

Can you imagine that Christmas is almost here? I am speechless as to how time flies. Well we just thank God for keeping us all through the year.

I want us to look back and tick of the things we have achieved so far this year. Please don't beat yourself if you feel you haven't achieved anything. Everything will fall into place in due time.

For me I have

1. grown better in my writing, even though I haven't published any books as I thought I would have....

2. I have become a mother so that is a new job description added to my CV.  I have also learnt to appreciate the little pleasures of life: like merely sitting down to eat and savoring a perfectly good meal. I don't do that any more. I am always eating on the go, you never know when madam will be up demanding your attention with no questions asked..LOL.
3. I also have learnt to prioritize my time a lot more. I hardly waste it on just surfing the net, or gossiping I am on the go. Any little time I have I use it judiciously.
4. I still haven't started my business but I thank God for the ideas I have been writing down, cos it will become a reality soon.
5. My transition into a naturalista has become finally. I am not going back. So I have started researching and working on it. Men!!!!! I want my hair as long as the Jamaican Men's hair. You won't believe it they have longer hair than their women...Ironic right. I have started the regime of washing my hair, and conditioning bimonthly.
 Getting yarn braids soon, cos the styling of natural hair ain't easy, and I am running out of patience..

For all the other things I hope to have achieved this year and I haven't, I am not beating myself about it, cos I know I will achieve everything one day..


Enough about me, tell me what you have achieved so far. I will love to read about it.

P.S. "Myne whitman has started a new series on her blog...its very entertaining I think you should all check it out.

let me leave with this song, which i absolutely love.
Do have a wonderful weekend.

$800 A Month

Once again I am back.
What's cooking?
Will like to wish everyone in America a Happy Thanksgiving.
I think for the fact that we are alive and breathing, we should be thankful.
Okay so I meet this guy who is a cook for a diplomat in Jamaica, and he earns $800 a month( i.e. #128000, One hundred and twenty eight thousand Naira). Now the good thing about his job is that he doesn't get to spend the money in that he doesn't pay for accommodation, he doesn't pay for feeding and his family is back home in Nigeria.
Now my question is this what will I do if I had $800 to spend, and everything like feeding, electric bills, transportation, accommodation etc, is out of the equation? Will I save the money and after 4 years use it for a business or will I just be lounging like a big boy and become the village superhero?

For me I will do this:
Its a good thing his wife is working back home, so the wife will have to support the home for a while, since this is for our future. I will try to save at least $300, send $350 to $400 to my family back home every month, and deny myself frivolities for a while. Refrain from buying new clothes or shoes or whatever toys I will love to acquire.

Now if I save that constantly for a year I will have $3,600 i.e. #576,000 Naira in a year, now multiply that by 4 years ie  $14,400 ie #2,304,000, naira.

So let's say I include A.O.B, I save $13,000 instead of $14,400 in 4 years...
Can he not use that to do something?
I know one thing of my Ibo brothers will be able to flip that money over. In a matter of years they will be serious merchants, but they will also be willing to forgo a lot of the nice things in life in the beginning.

Somebody may say this is impossible but I ask you how many workers in Nigeria today, graduates and all can after paying their bills, have $800 to just do with as they please?

The sad thing is that as humans, when our income increases we quickly increase our wants and desires, we never really think of the future until it is too late. We want everyone to know that we have arrived. we want to wear the Gucci and the Prada when we haven't saved for the rainy day...

I won't say that it is bad to spoil oneself, in fact it is healthy for the system to be spoilt once in a while, but when it is constant it becomes a problem.

Now this cook doesn't like to eat in the house, he prefers eating out, forgetting that time waits for no man, 4years will soon be over and he may have nothing to show for it.hmm already spending...food takes a lot more money than we think.


Just my thoughts?
I will not shop at a high end supermarket when i haven't set my priorities right.
I will not have a blackberry phone when I am not even sure where my next meal will come.
I will not spend my time in the cyber cafe on face booking, when I know I can only use the Internet once in a while.
I will set my priorities straight and work towards achieving my goals...
These things will always be there.

Note to self: I think the problem with us Nigerians is that we bother more about what people will say. I have learnt that people will always talk, so just forget them and continue till you achieve you goal.


I leave you with this song, its a french song its by Celine Dion and Garou. Love, love love Garou's voice.. its a love song...since I am a romantic, I hope you will feel the vibe too...

Janelle Monae

Good morning folks... hope we are all good. I for one I am happy as I celebrated my birthday two days ago..November 10th... 

Did I have a party? Nope.

Did I go out? Nope...

Did I get presents? My present from my husband is on the way. It has been ordered but it will take two weeks.. Can you imagine that?

 

I must say it was the most boring birthday I have ever had in my life, but you know what I loved every bit of it. Big ups to my family who even though they couldn't be with me, made sure they called to wish me a happy birthday.. Thumbs up to Temi, for my gift which will arrive in two weeks.lol, and making sure I heard his voice almost all through that day.. Thumbs up to Yosola who just laid there looking at me while I lamented about the boredom of that day. In all i am grateful to God for everything.

Now to the topic... usually I browse the Internet for something exciting to blog about, sometimes I am lucky sometimes I'm not. Anyways today I found this lovely musician Janelle Monae. I had never heard of her, nor her music, but I was impressed with what she had to say:

"When I started my music career, I was a maid. I used to clean houses. My mother was a proud janitor. My step father, who raised me like his own, worked at the post office and my father was a trash man. They all wore uniforms and that's why I stand here today, in my black and white, and I wear my uniform to honor them. 

This is a reminder that I have work to do. I have people to uplift. I have people to inspire. And today, I wear my uniform proudly as a cover girl. I didn't have to become perfect because I have learnt through out my journey that perfection is the enemy of greatness.

Embrace what makes you unique, even if it makes others uncomfortable". -Janelle Monae (courtesy Obvious Magazine). Interesting right?

N/B: Check out Obvious Magazine Its kinda cool....

Do listen to her song. I find it very different and unique.

Have a lovely day.

Ralph Lauren

Hi guys, I am digressing today from the motherhood journey... back to business.
I was browsing a few days ago and stumbled upon a huge donation by Ralph Lauren and I decided to look up the guy. I have always loved his brand but never read anything about him. Its a good thing I researched cos I liked what I found out about him...

Ralph Lifschitz born October 14, 1939, the youngest of 4 children, wanted to be a professional basketball player or an artist like his father. As a teenager Ralph changed his name to Lauren because he was teased in school since his last name had shit in it. In school Ralph was known for selling ties to his fellow classmates. When asked what he wanted to do in his Clinton year book he said he wanted to be a millionaire. He didn't attend fashion school, but he worked for Brook Brothers as a salesman. At age 26 Ralph designed a wide range of European-style neckties, and with a lot of determination, he eventually sold to Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale's.

In 1971 less than five years, he opened a Polo boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills making him the first American designer with a freestanding store. A hard worker the brand Polo grew into a very strong brand. Today his net worth $7.5billion dollars and he is the 122nd richest man in the world according to Forbes..

But you know everyone has his/her own obstacles to overcome, in 1986 Ralph was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent a surgery. His brush with death increased his determination to become bigger and stronger, and he has been able to that. Today the Polo brand is a very strong brand.

On June 11, 1997 Polo Ralph Lauren became a public company traded on the NewYork Stock Exchange under the symbol RL. By 2003, Polo has over 35 stores all over the United States.

Its amazing how someone can grow from grass to grace. what stood out for me was his ability to distinguish is style. At the time he started producing his ties, they weren't in vogue, people didn't wear ties like that, but he stuck with his designs and it paid off. Its funny even designer Calvin Klein said when he was a child in the Bronx, he would see Ralph and think, "who is this person? Who dresses like that?"

Note to self: when you have found what your hands can do, do it. Over look the obstacles on the way, at the end you will prevail.

Secondly always learn to give back to your community,  (if I didn't see the donation I may never have checked him out)

P.S. "Ralph is married and has three children. HIs daughter owns a candy store in New York.. (It is said to be one of the largest in the world). who knows I just might check it out some day.


Got to run. Do have a lovely day and thanks once again for your comments.

Ciao


ciao