My 2010 Testament

All too soon this year is coming to a close. 2010 no doubt has been a great year for most of us and thus there is no better way to begin this note than to first say a very big thank you to God Almighty whose grace has sustained us up to this moment.

I know most of us at the beginning of the year made resolutions and did set targets for ourselves. Some of it we might have achieved or maybe even all of it. Whatever the case, God has brought us this far.

2010 has been an exceptional year for me and my family. God did so much and He is still doing even more.

The year has been filled with the good times, the not too good times and of course the bad times too. There were times when it was though, hard and dry.

Some people had it better than others but overall, nobody had it worst off (at least none that I know of) we’ve all somehow PREVAILED.

To those that wedded this year congratulations. Do have a blissful marriage and let the kids start coming in…

To those hoping to get married the next year, keep praying and believing God. I know He can and will do it for you.

To those who found love this year, stick and stay with it because love is hard to find but true love is one of a kind.

To anyone that graduated this year; congratulations. I pray and hope you land your dream job in no distance time.

To those who got admission this year, make sure you take time to study very hard as no amount of knowledge no matter how small is ever wasted.

To those who tried to get admission but somehow couldn’t get it, don’t lose hope and don’t be too bitter. Your break will surely come perhaps this coming year.

To anyone that lost a loved one, I know it’s not a pleasant experience but don’t grieve for long. God knows best.

To anyone that got saved this year, wow! It is the best thing that can happen to you so hold on to God and bet you; you won’t regret it.

To anyone I might have hurt or wronged; from the depth of my heart, I apologize… since I can’t take back what I must have done, I can only say I will do better next time.

To anyone I promised to be there for and wasn’t, I apologize. I have too many wives and kids too.

To anyone I gave my word and didn’t live up to it, I say I’m sorry. To anyone I let down when they needed me the most, I apologize. To anyone I promised to call and did not, apologizes.

To anyone that affected my life this year and made me a better person, thank you, God bless you endlessly.

To the woman in my life; mom, I love you endlessly. Thanks for being a pillar in my life and for always believing in me. God bless you.

To any new friend I made this year, thanks for the gift of friendship and again it was really nice meeting you.

To my friends on Face Book, My Space, hi5, Urban Chat, Buddie, Yahoo Pulse, Badoo and all those following me Twitter and Blogger, thanks for staying true to friendship. I hope I haven’t been a bad friend though…

Thanks for liking my status, thanks for writing on my wall, thanks for viewing my pictures, thanks for the live chats, thanks for the messages, thanks for following my twits amongst other things.

In this yuletide season, show love to someone and also show your loved ones how much they mean to you… Go out, have fun but not too much fun. If you must DO IT please PROTECT YOURSELF.

If you must drink, don’t drive and if you must drive don’t drink. In whatever you do, make sure you stay safe.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. God bless us all and may He keep us all till 2011 and beyond…
CIAO…

Be Yourself

In our human society and today's competitive world, one can never be good enough, right? Wrong!

Everyone is as good as they want to be. The more you believe in it, the better you will keep getting. You cannot be happy with yourself, if you keep wondering whether or not you're good enough. However, we shouldn’t stop working towards self improvement.

Our biggest problem is often our minds. Most times we are too concerned about what others think of us.

The thing is, people will always think whatever it is they want to think about you so let whomever think whatever… If you allow, people will wrap you up and tie you to a corner.

The life you have is all you have. You have to take charge of it and make it count. You cannot live for everybody so it is better you start living for you. Nobody is absolutely useless or insignificant; everybody is significant.

We are most times given the thought that we aren’t “good looking enough”, “intelligent enough”, “articulate or smart enough” and too top it up, “good enough”.

We sometimes find ourselves imitating some other person(s) just to impress somebody in order for us to enjoy certain favors from them. We go out of our way to accept certain things that we aren’t comfortable with just so that we can be accepted by certain class of people and the society at large.

Truth is, we cannot succeed in life by living another person’s life. We’re not them. We shouldn’t sabotage our destiny through fake pretences. God in His wisdom created us unique from everyone else. We must not live as a cheap imitation.

Here is the twist! In life, not everyone will like you, want you, understand you, appreciate you, share in your vision or lend a helping hand when you need it the most.

A lot of ladies go as far as toning their skins just so they can look attractive. Even guys these days do it. Who said we aren’t attractive the way we are?

Dark skin, white skin or red skin; everyone is beautiful or handsome because God makes no mistakes. It is up to the other individual(s) and the society at large to accept us the way we are but first, we must appreciate ourselves or nobody will appreciate us.

If certain people cannot handle you being yourself, then they should as well look elsewhere for companionship.

Be original! Imitation ruins originality. Being you creates uniqueness in your personality.

Try everyday to be the best person you can be, that way you won’t be mad at yourself if some other person(s) can’t deal with you being you.

No one ever said life was going to be easy, but with the right attitude, hard work and dedication, you can turn your world upside down and start living the kind of life you thought was only possible in your wildest dreams.

There is only one BARACK OBAMA, one BILL GATE, one NELSON MANDELA, one KOFI ANNAN, one ROMAN ABRAHMOVICH, one MIKE ADENUGA JNR one WOLE SOYINKA, one ME and of course only one YOU so be the best YOU.

Be original, be, authentic, be you…

Just sharing my thought…

What's wrong with being Black

The late Dr Kwame Nkrumah made this profound statement; “The black man is capable of managing his own affairs”.

53years on after his profound statement, I dare ask; does the statement still hold water? Is the black man really capable of managing his own affairs?

Poverty in the midst of abundance is a paradox that characterizes Africa. Africa is a continent blessed with abundant human and natural resourses yet her citizens suffer from wide spread poverty, low economic output due to corruption, inefficiency, inflation, unemployment erratic power supply, poor infrastructure, unrealistic policies etc.

Africa is one continent that is said to be growing ever poorer. About 95 percent of the world's "one-dollar poor" live in Africa, and in many countries they make up the vast majority of the population.

Africa imports almost about everything; Butter from Ireland, Milk from Holland, Shoes from Italy, Vegetable oil from Malaysia, Rice from Thailand to even ordinary toothpicks from China.

Though there isn’t any African country still under colonization; is there any truly independent African country?

I hear civilization began in Africa yet today, we are the least civilized set of people? History has it that writing began in ancient Egypt yet African has the highest percentage of uneducated people.

How come we pay so much to get education yet when we graduate, we have to practically struggle to land a job… seriously, how long are grads expected to litter the street before they get something to do – 2years?

We claim divorce is not part of our culture here but sincerely, how many of our parent marriage last long? They may live together yeah; but do they stay married? We even have leaders that promote polygamy (Jacob Zuma).

Getting access to a little capital from the bank to start up something is almost impossible. All you hear is “do you have COLLATERAL?”

Meanwhile, the “Lebanese” come here with nothing, get all the loans they need and make themselves rich in our countries. They manage the biggest shopping malls, event centers, night clubs etc.

African Union (AU) advocates for a united Africa yet is it difficult traveling freely within the continent because African is no where near been united.

I know it’s not so rosy at other places (Continents) but believe you me that it isn’t as hard as it is here either.

Should one make mention of traveling out to Europe or America, all you would hear is “DON’T TRAVEL… “It not easy out there” there are plenty of opportunities here. Opportunities where? If there were opportunities here, how come our leaders have almost all their family abroad?

Our education system is in disarray yet it is left unattended to. Our leaders and the elite in the society send their wards abroad to the best schools.

A 2 bedroom apartment sells for $30,000 so the common man cannot afford it… you go to rent an apartment and all you hear is “pay 2years in advance”…

Its get harder everyday; transportation cost are ridiculous and food is expensive (have you tried buying tomatoes lately?). How can someone even afford basic survival? O motherland…



2010 marked history for Africa as the World Cup for the first time was held on African soil. We all said “ke nako” meaning, Was it really Africa's time? Where have we been all this while? Apart from South Africa, how many other African Countries can host such a magnificent World Cup?

There is no such thing as Africa’s time. African is always doing catching ups…

The only area where Africa tops others is in Poverty, HIV/AIDS, Highest Mortality rate, Malaria death rate, Corruption, and what have you.

Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo in his book “What is wrong with being black” asked these questions and more:

*What is responsible for these 2,000 years of “Black backwardness”?

*Why do we seem to fail even where we are in the majority?

*What is responsible for Africa being the richest continent and yet inhabited by the poorest people?

*Is there a conspiracy to keep Blacks at the bottom?

*Why do Black nations constitute the biggest borrower nations?

*If Blacks are not cursed, is their land cursed?

*What is the future of the Black person?

*If there is a future, what is the key to that future?

*When will the Black man’s day of manifestation come?

So with all these issues that plague Africa, I want to ask; has neither Africa nor Africans a hope?


Comments please….

Learn from others mistakes

In my last note “Failure is necessary” I said that it doesn’t matter how fatal your failure, never give up because you can start all over from there.


“Learn from others mistakes” is a sequence to “Failure is necessary”

Eleanor Roosevelt said “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself”.

The message here is “nobody can live long enough to make all the mistakes by their selves”.

Being perfect is almost an impossible fact thus it is very prudent that we learn from others mistakes and experiences in order to be very efficient in life.

I believe some ugly happenings on life’s highway can be avoided if we learn from the lessons others have learned along the way.

Almost everybody in life can point to a mistake they made and the lessons they learned from them. The benefits we derive from interacting with others is not only to learn only what they they’ve done right, but also what they’ve done wrong.

Truth is, it is way cheaper to learn from others mistakes than making them yourself.

It is not about who made the mistake but the lessons they (you) can learn from it. Many at times we look back at the roads we’ve taken; the opportunities we had but didn’t take and then we say “if I had known”.

Learning from others mistakes can be in the line of “Business, Career, Relationship, Love, Life itself etc”.

The purpose of learning from other mistakes is to make sure that we as much as possible prevent similar mistakes from occurring.

Don’t try and make all your own mistakes before you learn from them. For all you know, yours may be too dreadful to even learn anything from.

Some very dreadful mistakes end up taking lives and what if yours is one of such?

Be wise… learn from the mistakes of other.

Just sharing my thoughts….

Failure is necessary

Mistakes are no mistakes unless someone makes them. Mistakes might be clumsy but what’s the fuss about it because we all make them.

Show me a man apart from Christ who lived and never erred… man isn’t perfect and so also is life. Mistakes are part of life process.

Don’t let your mistakes define you. Yeah! Some mistakes might be really big and bring upon you overbearing consequences but you don’t have to stay in the mud.

Get up, clean up and move on. All is not lost because you made a silly mistake just learn from it. Don’t give up on you dreams; give it you best shot.

Here is the thing… We live in a human society where failure is more or less a taboo. We have been given the thought that we have no excuse whatsoever to fail. If you fail, you are branded failure. Your name changes automatically. You walk around and people call you failure instead of you name.

Well, failure of course isn’t a pleasant thing and nobody wants it but truth is, we all fail at a point in time because we don’t have our way all the time.

Being human as we are, we shouldn’t be afraid to fail. Should we? I know this is such a big message to some of us. Especially, those of us with plenty of pride…

I learnt this the hard way. All the while I was growing up, I failed a whole lot and each time I failed, pride always had the best of me. I denied, I lied and I hid it. But guess what, it didn’t help me one bit. It only made me miserable.

It is just the grace of God and some very special people that help me get up again each time.

Truth is, almost every one of us started from failure –We have all met a point in our life when we failed miserably. And then we realize, we can start from that miserable failure!

So when we fail, it is entirely up to us to decide whether we are going to stay down, or going to get up. We are supposed to shake failure off and move on. You can’t stay in that pit forever.

No matter how fatal your failure, never give up because you can start all over from there.

Just sharing my thought…

It takes Understanding

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding. - Proverbs 4:7

Understanding is one word but very complex. Whether complex or not, it is a prerequisite in every aspect of life.

For when we understand ourselves and the things we do, life will be much easier. Don’t you agree? Understanding whether complex or not, is achievable.

Understanding is seeing exactly what is intended and acting accordingly. Understanding is in levels and isn’t cheap thus achieving it is a process.

Understanding mostly is a function of your standing- how exposed one are, educational level, background, belief(s) amongst other things.

Understanding is achieved in many ways but I think the basic medium by which its achieved is via studying, personal experience, others experience, exposure, mentorship, divine revelation etc.

It takes understanding to know that it is the Grace of God that sustains us and not our fat salaries, neither allowances nor bonuses. It takes understanding to serve God totally with all sincerity.

It takes understanding for a girl to know that she doesn’t need any man to exploit her for little favors when she can be catered for by her father.

It takes understanding for some men to know that they don’t need other women when they already have a wife. And also that with a little investment, their wives can be turned into the dream woman they so desire.

It takes understanding to know that doing the right thing wouldn’t take anything from you rather; it will make you a better person.

It takes understanding to know that we all don’t get the same chances/opportunities at life and as such, must take advantage of the ones we get.

It takes understanding to know that you can never reap where you have not sown.
It takes understanding to know that your case is not peculiar to you; there is someone out there who has it worst off than you. So we must be thankful for whatever we get.

Of course no body can understand everything but every body can understand bits and pieces about many things. The importance of understanding cannot be over emphasized so get wisdom and with all thy getting; get understanding.

Just sharing my thoughts…

TWENTY ELEVEN, TWENTY CHANGE

Nigeria without a doubt is a great country with good citizens and of course the most populous black country in the world. Nigeria over the years has had it share of everything from the good, the bad, to the ugly.

Rich in abundant natural resources, man-power and the rest, Nigeria is plight with lot of issues like Corruption, Cyber crime, and recently, Terrorism has been added to the blacklist.

This note is purely my thoughts. I apologize if any part of it appears vague or misleading.

Corruption has become a brand commonly associated with Nigeria. There is tension and unrest in the Niger Delta peninsular. The North is plight with religious violence almost every year. Rulers have come and gone yet still none of them have been able to find an antidote to this menace.

Quality education has eluded Nigerians especially quality tertiary education for the youth. With over 36 states owned universities not to mention the polytechnics, colleges of education and the private ones, it is almost impossible for some youth to get tertiary education.

Why? There is the frustrating and hindering factor JAMB and POST JAMB and even then, when one manages to scale through these two huddles, there is the compulsory lecturer’s strike. A course for four (4) years ends up taking six (6) years.

Government officials and the elite in the society send their wards abroad for quality education whiles our educational sector is left unattended to.

Our education system is in shambles and I believe the system needs total reform and my candid opinion about JAMB and POST JAMB is that it should be scrapped.

Bad road is killing so many innocent Nigerians. Highway robbery, bank robbery, kidnapping is rampant. Maternal mortality is on the high.

Clean water is inaccessible, constant electricity is more or less a dream meanwhile, we produce tons of gas that can be used to power PHCN’s so called hydro electric plants.

Nigeria is the sixth largest producer of oil in the world yet we are the only oil producing country that experiences fuel scarcity.
We pay our taxes yet still, we still have to protect ourselves because security is absent.

Outside Nigeria, it’s quite alarming how almost everything bad is associated with Nigerians. It’s even more hurting when you find out that in an act of crime, a Nigerian or two are directly or indirectly involved.

Of course every country has it share of problems but that of Nigeria have become like a cancer that is eating us up slowly…

Perhaps you don’t know; ask around. You go somewhere, you are asked where from you, you say Nigeria and you are given a funny look. Now how does that feel?

It’s almost impossible travelling freely on a Nigerian passport without getting a stir or two.

Kind courtesy “Abdul the terrorist”, many Nigerians when they arrive at foreign airports are stripped and searched whiles nationals of other countries just walk pass by.

Some Nigerians have lost faith and hope in the country so much so that they are switching nationalities and acquiring foreign passports.

Let’s not blame them so much because lets face it; who would like to be called a citizen of a country where doctors strike, teachers strike, public servants strike; one with bad roads, kidnapping issues, religious and ethnic violence, highway robbery and what have you.

I can go on an on but that wouldn’t solve a thing.

Nigeria is what it is today kind courtesy our bad leaders. They are the genesis of this whole menace.

I dare say we have all failed when it comes to choosing a leader. We’ve all in the past sold our votes for money and at times fear.

Don’t you think Nigerians deserve better from these so called leaders?
With the impending 2011 elections, lets us all vote; and vote only for the right candidate.

I know some people will say that there is no need voting because election in Nigeria is more or less not credible. Well, that is a very good point but I have no doubt in my heart that this time, our election will be a credible one.

Corrupt leaders will be disappointed come 2011 because only deserving candidates will emerge winners.

I believe in Nigeria and I believe that Nigeria can and will get better and it only begins with you. Yes you!



Nigeria is 50 years. What better gift can we give this country than change…? Change yourself, change your vote and change Nigeria. Don’t sell your franchise; don’t sell your conscience for money or favor. VOTE RIGHT.

If you are not a registered voter, go register when the registration starts and when its time to vote, do well and exercise you franchise wisely.

Voting is a civil social responsibility we owe this country. Choosing a right leader devoid of fear and favor should be the only thing on our minds because it’s our prerogative.

It is said that “think not what your country will do for you but what you will do for your country”. I guess what we can give this country in our capacity is to choose for her a good leader who will in turn give us all we deserve.

A leader that knows corruption kills, and is ready to kill corruption. One who believes in youth empowerment… One who understands that stable electricity is keen for economic growth and development. Someone who knows that education is very vital and paramount for human and societal advancement and development.

Let’s vote only for the right person so that we can take our place on the world map as a truly great nation. Our image has been dent so much already.

It time to recreate, rebuild and re-brand Nigeria and of course there is no better time than now; now that we are 50years. Let’s not say we can’t for we all know we can and we most definitely will.

We have no excuse whatsoever to be where we find ourselves because we have all it takes to be great. Abundant natural resource, manpower and what have you. All we need is a leader to lead us aright.

Don’t wait for somebody or some other time for change. Change will not come unless you effect it. Effect change by voting right. Vote the rulers out and vote the leaders in.

It’s time to change the situation. Nigerians deserve better. Twenty eleven, twenty change Nigeria.

Not to forget, lets all go on our kneels and pray for NIGERIA and also the impending elections. For it’s about time CHANGE came into our beloved country. CHANGE WE NEED…

CHANGE WE MUST GET.

Please vote right. GOD bless NIGERIA, GOD bless US all.

Nigeria wa o ni baje oo!

“Born Nigerian, Born Great!!!”

Balancing Your Relationship

You, Me and we

Having a "balanced relationship" is basically making time and space for "you, me and we."

One thing I’ve notice in a lot of relationships is the lack of a balance in it. What do I mean by this? When two people come together there are now three parts to a system; "you," "me," and "we."
Let’s understand this clearly. There are two different individuals who come together to form the third individual (relationship) all these three people are distinct one from the other.

Two people in love aside their relationship, essentially live separate life’s with different friends, few mutual decisions and little time spent together hence the need for a balance.

I believe two people in love should not try to spend all of their free time together because it will not help individual growth or the growth of their relationship. Successful couples are those that balance their separate lives with their life together.
Spending time together is important but how much time should two people spend together? In the beginning of every relationship, it is difficult for two lovers to stay away from each other and even if they did, they will use every method of communication (text messages, phone calls, e-mails, etc) to be close.
Not seeing your better half for two days may seem like torture. There are some people who think that they should spend every minute of the day together with their partners, because they think it will enrich their relationship. Do you agree?

Quality over quantity I believe is a good relationship advice. If a couple spends one day having a great time, the memories should last them another day or so, until they are free to meet again. Spending too much time together will not help; it can even make two people miss each other more.

Contrary to what many of us believe, spending too much time together hampers individuality and makes one narrow-minded. In short, spending too much time together will spoil you!
Concentrate on having a healthy relationship in which both of you can grow as individuals.

Follow your dreams. Don’t give them up. Don’t allow your relationship to stunt your growth, mentally and emotionally. A relationship may not last forever. So at the end of the day, your dream is the one thing you own completely.
Personally, I have very little experience with relationships but that notwithstanding, I hope my note was worthwhile…

Just sharing my thoughts…

Divine is ONE!!!

It was a fairly cool Sunday afternoon at Ajah and environs. Nobody could tell whether or not the rain was going to pour considering Lagos’s unpredictable weather condition.

Though the weather wasn’t so friendly, it was good enough for a party and that was exactly what we had. My niece turn one year old a week today, but we picked today to have a little party for her.





Divine and mom


About 3:00pm and the event center was almost filled. Friends and well wishers were everywhere; for a 1 year old party, I didn’t envisage it to be this huge.

It wasn’t the greatest of parties but overall, it was a fairly good party but of course, there were little hitches here and there.

It offered me an opportunity to me met with, reconnect and do catching ups with a couple old friends and to meet new people too…

To all friends and well wishers, thank you so much for taking time out to come celebrate with us. It wouldn’t have been this good without you. Thanks again for your presents. We appreciate.

Special thanks to Hon. Lola Adeyeye aka big mummy…

We sincerely apologize for any unplanned event that must have unfolded. We can only say we will do better next time.

A very big thank you to my wonderful friends who assisted with the organization. I couldn’t have possibly done it alone.

Thanks y’all. Take care, stay safe and see you next year when DIVINE turns TWO…
Do have a Divine week.

Sample of the Invitation card.


Birthday pictures coming soon….

Can Men and Women just be Friends?

This question I believe is an ageless one. If you ask ten different people for their opinion on the subject you will likely get ten different answers and reasons for why they believe what they believe. My opinion – it depends on the people involved.

I think there are some people who can form friendships with the opposite sex and have it remain a friendship and nothing more. They are aware of their own personal boundaries and have the ability to enforce these boundaries at will. Most importantly, they are also able to distinguish the difference between friendship and a romantic relationship, which may be the key to their success.

There are others, however, who are not able to form successful friendships with the opposite sex. They may be too easily tempted by kindness and flirtation, or they may not be able to easily distinguish the difference between a friendship and a romantic relationship.
Some may even have difficulty either setting boundaries or enforcing them. Regardless of the reason, some people simply should not form friendships with the opposite sex because it just doesn’t work for them. Regardless of which category you fall into, it is important to understand that given the nature of the male/female relationship there are always risks associated with forming these friendships.

Forming friendships with the opposite sex can become particularly complicated because no matter how genuine a friend may seem, one can never be truly sure about their intention.
It’s true that not everybody would take advantage of our vulnerability intentionally. The truth, however, is that you never really know what is going on in someone else’s mind and so you can never really be sure of their true intent.
I don’t intent to evoke fear, or to advise you not to trust anybody of the opposite sex. My intention is to simply illustrate how the male/female friendship is extremely complex.

Everybody is different. Some people can form successful friendships with members of the opposite sex, while others are better off staying clear of them.
If you insist on forming friendships with the opposite sex, you need to set some ground rules and make sure that your relationship with this friend is clearly defined in your minds before you pursue it. If this sounds like too much work, please play it safe and simply don’t turn to your girl/guy for friendship.

My Best Friend

We couldn't thank God more for giving us friends. When the whole world seems to have lost faith in us, it is only our friends who are able to see the goodness in us.

When everyone around is finding faults in us it only our best friend that we find standing by our side. They seem to have the right word at the right time and even when we don't say a word they seem to understand our feelings.

Besides being pillars of support, friends go a long way in influencing us in the becoming the person we are.

I value true friendship and in this post, I write about my best friend.

As far as girls go, she is my best friend. She is not the most caring person in this world, but when I am in tears, she’ll do whatever it takes to make me smile. She is not the world’s greatest listener, but whenever I want to vent my frustrations, she listens to me. We do not always agree with each others point of view and have our share of arguments and quarrel, but after we fight, she often comes and tries to patch things up without any further arguments about who said what… She is not a very articulate speaker yet, when it comes to my faults, she somehow manages to pick out the right words to make me realize my mistakes without hurting me…when I do silly things, she yells at me and we even fight yet I find her outside my door within fifteen minutes.



Well I could just go on and on…the point is - she is not the greatest human being on the earth, I know she is not perfect but to me she seems like perfection.
With that said, here is a brief story about our friendship.

I got to know her at a very tinder age. Public schools at a time had gone on a nation wide strike and my dad wouldn’t allow me stay home so he enrolled me at my kid brother’s school –a private school (PED).

There I saw this beautiful girl. Though I was very young, I remember vividly well the charming smile on her face and her sparkling blue eyes. I immediately took interest in her and today, she is my best friend.



She was so beautiful; everyone admired her and she was the obvious toast of the teachers and of cause I couldn’t be left out of the her list of admirers.
Though my school resumed and I had to leave hers I knew for sure we were going be friends someday somehow. Like they say “friends will be friends come what may”. Call it fate but I’d rather call it destiny.

I often saw her within the estate but then it was just hello! Hi! And all the greeting stuff. I actually wanted more than greeting but I knew it was only a matter of time before that happened.

After primary school, we found ourselves at the same secondary school KCVI and in second year, we sat in the same class very close to each other. We began to jell very well from then. I remember buying her lunch at times and giving her a lap ride home on two occasions.

At this point my dream friendship had been established and everything was looking good. But again at senior secondary level, she left for another school. That didn’t break us anyway but rather opened a new chapter in our friendship.
Her departure brought us even closer and took our friendship to whole new level.
Fate again took us to the same remedial classes. There again we most times sat on the same desk, learnt together and socialized more.

Then came SSCE registration… we went together to bar beach police barracks to see the process through with her mom’s friend. After that, we relaxed and talked a while at the beach and there after took our longest walk so far together. Aside going to bar beach, we went to other places too together.

At this point we had become really close both at our respective homes, in public and of causes at classes. It felt great.

Like any other thing in life, our friendship didn’t go un-noticed. Some folks never like the idea of us being friends nor understand why we hang out together. Unimaginable rumors went round but who cared? Friendship always prevailed. Yes we had a thing or two in-between but we were best off friends.

She gave me a new home and a new family. A wonderful family at that; great mom, awesome siblings and I’m loved dearly by them. Her mom became my second mom, mentoring me in many ways.

Sincerely speaking most people can’t envisage that our kind of friendship could exist between friends of the opposite sex! However we made it happen. Friendship is friendship irrespective of the sexes involved. Its only a matter of building it through its different phases.

She always tells me over and again that I’m her best friend. One reason behind this note is let her also know she is my best friend too even though I’ve never told her to her face.

Of cause our friendship wasn’t all rosy, it had it share of thorns as well. Basically we fought because I always wouldn’t talk about myself and she really wanted me to talk about myself.

However our ugliest incident happened in September of 2005. I blew a small issue out of proportion. I gave up my best friend and hurting her so much in the process. Typical of her, she tried to patch things up so friendship could continue but I blatantly refused.

It took me quite a very long time to really feel sorry for my deeds. And even then she didn’t give up on me. When I approached her, she accepted me back and everything returned to normalcy.

But just when we were back talking and doing catching ups, I travelled out of sight in pursuit of tertiary education. That however didn’t break us either. I guess we had probably gone through tougher test and distance wasn’t going to be a real test for us.

Each I return to Lagos from school, she was the first to know in fact, I visit her the same night I return.
Over the years, time and tides has managed to keep us away from each other but I dare to say that we’ve been through it all and absolutely nothing can break the bond of friendship we share.

Here is to her; Miss Oluwabunmi Ifedayo Adeyeye.
Miss you dear..

My Gratitude

Gratitude is one of the few things that when demonstrated have positive effect on our lives. This is true because we turn to attract more of the things we appreciate and are grateful for into our lives.

Let’s face it. We live in a society that is all about focusing on what we don’t have. TV commercials, magazines, movies all remind us that we can be wealthier, smarter and have more stuff. Well I don’t believe that it is bad to strive for more. Goals keep us moving forward – they give us a sense of purpose and direction.

I’m only suggesting that we take time every day to focus on what is good, what we have done right, what we love about whom we are and the people in our lives.

It is important that we cultivate an attitude of gratitude for everything good that exists in our lives. We can all find things to be grateful for. Now here is my gratitude;

Most of all, I’m eternally grateful to God for the precious gift of life and good health. I’m thankful for my parent and siblings, and all my relatives. I’m thankful for my friends, and colleagues; for my niece and cousins and for the joy I get been around them.

For every school I ever attended and the people that were part of my life there, I am thankful.

For the friends and co-workers I had at AVLSC Lekki, Netcodietsmann Nigeria Limited and Aid to Artisans Ghana.

For anyone I’ve ever considered a close friend. For the rough times I’ve had this year and in years past that have made me a stronger person. For any ex-girlfriend I’ve had that made me a better guy, I am thankful.

I’m grateful for the gift of family, friendship and love. For all this and for so much more, I’m eternally grateful.
The truth of the matter is, no matter how bad you have it or how rough things may be right now, there’s always someone who has it much worse. And by the grace of God it’ll get better.

Being Single

Many of us are given the thought that it’s okay to be in a relationship, it’s un-cool to be single and in fact you are missing-out if you are not hooked up. But is it really so? Well being in a relationship is a great. After all I’ve been a relationship before and I enjoyed it.

Being in a relationship is wonderful but there are times when we will be alone. Our partners might leave us or we might not have met that special one yet. And of course relationships often don’t always last a life time, it could go off when you least expect. And then you become single again.

Yes being single might seem boring and less interesting, but it has loads of advantages. Now, the reason why single people often become sad and lonely is that they usually only look at their disadvantages.

A single life is not a life of doom, sadness, despair or loneliness. Rather, it is important to appreciate the many advantages of being single.

Without a doubt, freedom is the most important merit of being single. You can go anywhere or decide on anything without being answerable to anyone. Being single allows you to be master of your life, rather than trying to be what you are not.
Guys don't have to worry about missing a Champions League match to watch Nolly-wood movie of the week with their partners, and vice versa for ladies. For some guys, being single helps them learn how to cook, clean and do laundry and more.

Being single help most people control their finance. Relationship besides time requires money, and a lot of it. Lol. When single, you are in full control of your expenses. You save a lot of money instead of spending it on costly dinners at the mall or on overpriced tube jean.

Also there are no worries about Valentine Day gifts, Christmas gifts, and birthday presents. Guys can save towards a future project. Ladies can also save to buy a piece of gold jewelry or a new dress. Being single allows one to save money, whereas being in a relationship could make one use up their life savings.

Another important point to note is control over time. We live in a busy world where almost nobody seem to get enough time, yet still we are compelled to make time for our partners by any means necessary. Mean while, if you are single, you have time for yourself, friends, family, sport, build a career and more.

It is very important to note that not all relationships are positive ones. There are negative one as well. And this could cause one a lot of problems.
When single, you do not face the amount of stress that you would have in a negative relationship.
You don't have to tolerate annoying habits of others like nagging, etc.
You get to know who you really are when you are single. It can give you a better awareness about yourself.

This post is not to discourage relationships; rather it is to let singles out there know that there is no need to be worry or sad, because single people also do enjoy life. We should just look at the positive side of things.
So the next time you find yourself alone (single), don't panic; instead cheer up. Nothing is lost if you don't have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. In fact there is so much to gain being single!

Now smile and always remember that God is busy writing you the best love story ever. Peace.

Love Hurts

Love doesn't always feel good, like many people would like to believe.

In the early stages of a relationship, it is difficult to imagine that the one you have such strong feelings for could ever hurt you. It is also hard to imagine that you could ever cause the one you love pain, especially when everything is so new. The beginning is always sweet and nice, but sooner or later something happens, and one of you gets hurt.

Have you ever heard the phrase, "you always hurt the one you love?" It's so true isn't it? You may not mean to, but at some point, you may do something that will hurt your partner.
As a matter of fact, relationships sometimes end because of this fact.

Someone once said ‘The ultimate definition of love is not about feeling good but rather about doing good’. Personally I think love means to cherish, hold dear, and treasure. We do not hurt, harm, or cause pain to those we love; rather, we seek to relieve their suffering. It is not about wanting someone; it's about wanting that one to be happy.

Some people give up everything just to be with that one special person that means the world to them but at the end what do they get? Hurt!
I’m beginning to think LOVE means HURT in a way. Don’t you agree with me?

Because if love is so sweet, rosy and not achy then how come we hurt the ones we claim we love?

I’m not advocating for the end of love. But if this is what love is then what is it worth?
I need comments please…

World Cup finally Over

The 2010 World Cup was, as far as I’m concerned, was very good, especially compared to the 2002 and 2006 editions.

There was a bit of everything: great goals, weird goals, surprise packages, disappointing teams and major upsets…

In the end, just like in 2006, three European teams took the podium. And the best part is that they did it by playing attractive, offensive-minded football.

In this world cup, beautiful, attacking football triumphed over defensive-minded formations especially after Inter won the Champions League with a defensive style of football).

Spain added the World Cup title to the European Cup won in 2008 (equaling France’s achievement in 1998 and 2000)

Holland was second and Germany completed the podium, as South American favorites Brazil and Argentina failed to live up to expectations.

Paraguay, Spain in Quarterfinals

It was heartbreak for Japan and Portugal as they both went out of the FIFA World Cup 2010 Japan went out on penalties against Paraguay. In the other game, Spain beat Portugal to take the last slot in the quarterfinals.

Japan 0(3) Paraguay 0(5) (Penalties)
It was sheer heartbreak for Japan. Both teams were goalless at the end of full time and extra time too. The game went into penalties. Paraguay managed to make all their penalties count, while for Japan, Yūichi Komano's shot hit the crossbar, to send them crashing out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Japan didn't need to take their last penalty as the game was already over by then, and Paraguay won 5-3.

Spain 1 Portugal 0
As expected, when Cristiano Ronaldo excels, Portugal perform. Otherwise, they just are not able to live up to their number 3 FIFA world ranking. They played with negative tactics and seemed scared of their opponents. Spain, on the other hand, do not rely on just one player so badly. David Villa scored the all important goal in the 63rd minute to take his team into the quarterfinals.

Graduation thought!!!

Earlier today, I and over a thousand other students had our graduation ceremony and you have no idea how great it felt. Graduation for me is the second most memorable moment in a person's life (marriage being the first one).

Four years ago, I and many other came here in pursuit of tertiary education and today our effort was crowned with a glamorous ceremony.

With all the highs and lows, good times and not so good times, we’ve fought tirelessly to see through our various courses and today, we joined the elite league of graduates in the country and around the world…

I received loads of congratulatory cards, congratulatory messages, phone calls and gifts from relatives, friends and well wishers. And I must say that am very delighted and pleased with the praises showered by all and with the whole of my heart; I say a very big thank you.

I say a very special thank you to the women in my life. Mama, you are the reason I live. Had it not been for her prayers, love, advice, emotional as well as financial support; today wouldn’t have been a reality. Mama thank you so much for taking time off you busy schedule to come watch your son graduate. I love you endlessly.

To all my friends, course mates and other graduate colleagues, I say a big congratulation- The journey truly has been worthwhile. I must say that am happy and satisfied that we've succeeded in completing our various programmes but let’s also bear in mind that today we stepped into the real world proper.

All the while in school, I made many wonderful friends. Indeed I’m going to miss all the great times we had together. Lecture sections, group studies, group presentations, outings, soccer sections, petty quarrels amongst others things. You guys are the best.

There are plenty of challenges ahead of us in the real world and each one of them will only make us stronger and more determined people who can give more and more to others and the society at large.

Aside our academic successes, I believe our individual lives was also affected greatly and it is time to go into the world and give our best and all to see that our world becomes a much better place for all.

Indeed, we are going to face obstacles but the obstacles we will face must not hinder us from going forward rather; we should just try as much as we can to deal with any challenges that pop up and move on.

I admire you all for persevering and achieving your goal and I have no doubt that we will use our exceptional skills to succeed in life.

In the interim, all I have to say is that, may the good LORD see us all through our future endeavors…

Good luck…

Biggest Upsets of the FIFA World Cup 2010

With 2010 World Cup soccer nearing its close, it is of interest to note some of the major upsets that occurred during the FIFA Cup in South Africa.

As with any sports competition, World Cup soccer has provided its share of unexpected moments. Despite the expert predictions and analytic odds, human error or excellence, depending on how one looks at it, occurred and surprised the masses.

Switzerland and Spain in the 2010 World Cup

Early on in the World Cup competition, Spain met Switzerland in a game Spain was set to win. In fact, any sports expert asked, picked Spain to win, undoubtedly. At game play time, Spain had lost only one game in their last 48 while Switzerland had lost 15 or their previous 18 games.

Even though Spain, deemed the "pass masters" managed to possess, shoot, and corner the ball with the precision they are known for, the team was unable to put the ball in the net and score. The favorite to beat every team in Group H, Spain was unexpectedly defeated by the Swiss underdogs on Wednesday, June 16, 2010. This defeat may just be the biggest shock of the entire World Cup tournament.

France vs. Mexico and South Africa

After finishing their first game of the World Cup in a 0-0 draw with Uruguay, 2006 World Cup runners up, France needed to win against one of its next two opponents. With critics constantly pointing out Coach Raymond Domenech's unconventional way of using astrologists to choose lineups, the team may have been doomed from the start. In their second World Cup match against Mexico, France was dominated when players Javier Hernandez and Cuauhtémoc Blanco scored back to back goals bringing Mexico to a 2-0 victory.

With their star striker, Nicolas Anelka, sent home after a verbal altercation with Coach Domenech, France's next defeat would come at the hands of the Bafana Bafana of South Africa. While France was able to get one goal in, South Africa rose to a 2-1 victory, putting an abrupt end to France's chance at a 2010 World Cup championship.

2006 World Cup Champions - Italy

After winning the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the Italian team came into the 2010 soccer tournament as reigning champs. Ranked in the top ten teams with the potential to be World Cup winners by Fox Sports, Italy entered the tournament as leaders. Drawn in Group F along side Slovakia, New Zealand, and Paraguay, Italy was set to compete in the easiest group of the tournament.

Although they dominated parts of the second half of their first match of the World Cup against Paraguay, Italy still only managed to come up with draw at a score of 1-1. The second game for the Italians played out much the same way as New Zealand took an early lead in the first half to be tied up in the second for a final score of 1-1. In their final qualifying match against Slovakia, who were playing at the cup for the first time as a independent nation, Italy lost 3-2 and finished World Cup 2010 in South Africa with zero wins.

With all these upsets, it was undoubtedly the time for African teams to shine at her first World Cup. Seeing major big guns in association football fall, it would have been a thing of joy if other African teams capitalized. But be as it may, Only Ghana did now fly the flag of the whole continent.

As for the other African teams, "They didn't come to the party".

The black Stars of Africa!!!

Ghana continues to carry Africa's remaining World Cup hopes after booking a shock but deserved place into the quarter-finals with an extra time win over the United States, who had topped their group which also included England and Algeria.

Before the Black Stars, only two other African teams, Cameroon (1990) and Senegal (2002) had previously reached the last eight of the world's biggest football competition.

But despite overcoming the American, whom they have now beaten twice in as many World Cup meetings, Ghana's next opponents appear to be a team on a mission.

Uruguay stormed the quarterfinals after beating South Korea 2-1 in the first game of the second round on Saturday.

Contrary to Ghana, who are only playing in their second World Cup, Uruguay won the competition in 1930 and 1950. However, since then they had only reached the last 16 at Italia '90.

The South American country will face Ghana in the quarterfinal on Friday, the first time in 40 years Uruguay has reached that stage of the tournament and they will fancy their chances of reaching the last four.

Even as Uruguay fancies her chances against the West Africans, Ghana also is set to become the first African team to make it to the last four of the World Cup.

As an African, I say.... Go Ghana, go make Africa proud, Go make history!!!
African is rock solid behind you.

The Last African Team in the First African World Cup

One of the most appealing elements of South Africa hosting World Cup 2010 was the perceived advantage it offered to African teams. Cameroon reached the World Cup quarterfinals in 1990 and Senegal the same in 2002, and there was plenty of pre-tournament optimism that one of the six African teams could take advantage of the World Cup being on African soil and go one step further in 2010: The first African team in the World Cup semi-finals. Maybe even the first World Cup winner. Things haven’t quite gone as planned.

Five of the six African teams (South Africa, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Algeria) went out in the group stage. Cameroon with three straight defeats and Algeria without scoring a goal. Only Ghana progressed, finishing second in a competitive Group D. So whatever hopes the world has of seeing an African team break the semi-final barrier now rest on the shoulders of the Black Stars.

It’s maybe a little unfair to place all that expectation on the backs of Ghana. But right now World Cup 2010 is going to be remembered as a infrastructure success for South Africa, rather than a footballing success for African teams. Ghana are the only team in a position to change that, when they face the USA in the Round of 16.
I can only pray and hope the Black Stars come out tops!!!
GO GHANA, AFRICAN IS BEHIND YOU

Reflections on Yesterdays Matches

Well, I guess I should start with England vs Algeria. But luckily - due to a winning combination of drunkeness and boredom - I really can't remember anything about it. I think there was the occasional pass that actually reached another England player, but I might have dreamt that. I do remember a forward run, but that could have been Algeria. Let's move on from the paucity of England's performance to the paucity of the refereeing in the Germany v Serbia match.

Referee Alberto Undiano's decision to send off Miroslav Klose for clipping Dejan Stankovic's heel was an absolute shocker and, in effect, turned the game for Serbia.

That is without even mentioning the 7 additional yellow cards he handed out for a variety of offences, including - I'm pretty certain - tackling another player, looking slightly scary and playing in defence.

Seriously, if Undiano gets to referee another match at this World Cup Finals, it would be a scandal. Almost as much as a scandal as England's appalling performance against Algeria. But luckily, I've repressed most of my memories of that one.
The world cup is becoming more interesting day in day out.

Ghana in for the kill against wounded Australia

Next up for Ghana are an Australia side who suffered more than just wounded pride in their 4-0 defeat to Germany; the thrashing was a serious blow to Aussie hopes of qualifying.

The Black Stars know that if they beat the Socceroos in Rustenburg tomorrow then they will be through and Australia will almost certainly be eliminated. With all that in mind, the stakes couldn’t be higher in this Group D encounter between two sides who both reached the Second Round four years ago.

This time around, being drawn alongside a formidable looking German side in the group stage means that there is probably only room for one of these teams in the next round, with Ghana looking well placed to qualify after the opening set of fixtures. It is still all to play for though; were Germany and Ghana to win their next games then they would both to qualify, but were Serbia and Australia to take three points, they would blow the group wide open.

Ghana showed great quality in their 1-0 victory over Serbia, and play a similar system to the one which Germany employed to such effect against Australia in Durban on Sunday evening.

For impressive German trio Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller and Lukasz Podolski; read Andre Ayew, Prince Tagoe and Kwadwo Asamoah. The young Ghanaians may not have quite the same level of quality as the German three, but they are all highly promising players with their own box of tricks. They are also blessed with the pace to wreak havoc amongst an aged Australian backline that struggled so miserably against Germany.

In the form of forward Asamoah Gyan, Ghana also have a forward with the potential to cause real problems for Lucas Neill and Craig Moore in the heart of Australia’s defence. Moore and Neill coped reasonably well with Miroslav Klose for long stretches against the Germans, but the pace and movement of Gyan is another proposition entirely.

Not only did Gyan score Ghana’s winner in the opening game, he also hit the post twice and on another day could have had a hat trick. Ghana will be hoping for more of the same from their all-time top goal scorer in World Cup finals.

The Ghanaian back-line looked reasonably solid in their opening game, with centre back pairing John Mensah and Isaac Vorsah coping admirably with the varied threats posed by the Serbian attack. They will be hoping for a similarly solid performance this time around and veteran ‘keeper Richard Kingson would love to keep a second successive clean sheet.

Make no mistake though; Australia are far from dead and buried. Ghana may be favourites for this game, but the Aussies will give everything to regain their pride and hold onto a chance of qualification.

Unfortunately for them, they will have to do so without their best player. Midfielder Tim Cahill; suspended after a rather harsh red card against Germany, is the heartbeat of the Australian side as well as their most likely goal scorer and will be a huge miss here. He is as important to Australia as the absent Michael Essien is to Ghana, and it is a shame that each country’s top man will not be on the field when battle commences.

Australia do possess attacking threats besides Cahill though; Brett Emerton, Jason Culina and Richard Garcia showed glimpses of their ability against Germany. They are likely to be joined by giant forward Josh Kennedy in this game after Cahill’s suspension, although Kennedy is a less gifted version of Serbian front man Nikola Zigic who Ghana dealt with fairly comfortably. A more viable alternative to Kennedy may be precocious forward Harry Kewell, who has the potential to perform brilliantly or terribly on any given day.

Australia’s only enforced change will be due to Cahill’s suspension; whether or not they decide to make other changes to shake things up after their terrible opener remains to be seen. Ghana will likely keep the same starting XI as the team which beat Serbia last time around.

Overall, it is a clash of cultures in many ways; Ghana’s flair, youth and speed going up against Australia’s discipline, experience and strength. Who will come out on top remains to be seen, but with World Cup futures at stake, the motivation to perform could not be higher.

My appreciation!!!

Most of all, I'd like to thank God Almighty. The giver of life for bringing me this far.
Second to God, my amazing friends... Never ever have I felt so much love before.
Thanks to all those who made my day a memorable one. The e-mail, text messages, calls, gifts!
Woo! I was simply blown away... It was a blast...
Y'all are wonderful people and I'm glad to be part of your lives...
Stay easy!!! Next year is gonna be bigger.

Key Players Are Dropping Like Flies...And It Hasn't Even Started Yet

Well, the first match of the 2010 World Cup Finals is just under a week away, but already key players are dropping like flies.

Just to keep you all updated: Rio Ferdinand suffered an injury in a collision with Emile Heskey that will mean he misses the World Cup.

Nigeria's Jon Obi Mikel also misses out as his knee injury hasn't cleared up sufficiently for him to play any part.

Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba fractured his elbow in a friendly against Japan and is currently rated doubtful by manager Sven Goran Eriksson.

Italy's Andrea Pirlo suffered a calf strain and will definitely miss their opening match.

Also injured are USA striker Jozy Altidore, who has an ankle injury and Brazil 'keeper Julio Cesar who has back problems.

We haven't even played a match yet. God only knows what the injury list will look like then!
I only hope these injuries won't take the spake out of the world cup...

Got Jesus?

I must say I’m very glad I’m on blogger. I have always wanted a place where I could share my thought with the rest of the world.

Though I don’t have any follower yet, I know I will soon get one, two or even more.
Today I want to talk about Jesus.

How many of you know Jesus? I quite sure even if you don’t know Him personally, I guess you’ve heard about Him somehow.

Jesus is the best friend anyone can ever have. He is the only one that never leaves us even when we fail him totally and completely. He is the voice that whispers softly in our hearts when we feel no one cares about us.

He is the one that gives us strength to move on when it seem like the whole world have grumbled on us.

Most importantly, he is the only one that connects us with God the Father. He is the way, the truth and the life.

He is never far from us yet not all of us know him, let alone have him. I’m not trying to start up a church up here but I think it is a great honor that I take time and talk about the ONE that means the world to me. “Jesus”

Make it a point to get Jesus into you life and I bet you, you will be glad you did.
For those of us who already know and have Jesus; it is said that “what we do for ourselves dies when we are gone; but what we do for other remains as testimonies when we are gone”.

What are you doing for other that will serve as a testimony for you? Is it worth while? I believe the best thing that we can do anybody is to introduce them to Christ. Not only will it serve as testimonies when we are gone, but also it will cause excitement in Heaven.

God will endorse us. This post is to encourage us to win souls for Christ. Soul winning is very keen for Christian advancement.

God bless you. Go tell somebody about the love of God. Introduce them to God’s kingdom and reap the rewards therein.

Shalom, peace.

Welcome to “e-boogie testament"

Here, I share my thoughts and also some things that happen in my day-to-day life via writing.

I Write basically to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see, what I mean, what I want and what I fear.

I like to share my thought on pertinent issues that are often not talked about at times. I know some of my writings might mean little; appear vague or even seem misleading at times… yes! But the thing is, I’m not a professional writer.

I’m still very much in the learning process. Please point out my flaws and make contributions where necessary.

This is where you get to know me a whole lot more… you get to know what I’m doing, what I’m up to and catch me just having fun.

Feel free to visit my blog http://sureboy.blogspot.com for anything and everything I have written.
Hope you love it.

E-mail me if you enjoy any write up: emmasensation@yahoo.com

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Thanks