The case of the Dead & The Undead

Nothing I dare say is more final than death….it is so finishing, so ending I can’t begin to comprehend.

When I look at the Dead and Undead, I wonder who is happier.

The Undead cry, wail and mourn the dead, the pains of death lies with the Undead, only the Undead know for sure the power of death. Only the Undead know how final death is, only the Undead live with the guilt of not saying nice things, or being caring only the Undead often don’t get the chance to say goodbye.

For the Dead, the hustling is over, no more sins, no more earthly pains, no mosquito bites, they don’t have to worry about NEPA! Or all the things that the Undead deal with which the Undead call stress and pain.

The victory in death lies with the Dead, the Undead is crippled by fear of the unknown, but the Dead has found freedom. Now the Dead knows for sure, if there is a heaven, a hell or just a void. The one who knows has more power, the Undead will never know what the Dead knows.

Listening to folk tales as told by my father, I see everyday that ” isi elune uno aya eku ife ofu” (this is my dialect lol..) literally it means “the head that doesn’t get home cannot say what they saw”.

On this note, do not speak ill of the dead, be thankful for life.

Yesterday was Feb 14, some of us who didn’t get presents would be hurting, but being alive is the biggest present, at least you have to first be alive to get a present.

Death is so final, its scary how quickly everything ends.

Potpourri of random maybe sensible something-2

Every time i hear about a wedding or see people getting married, in some cases I am happy for them and other times I wonder what the hurry is, I wonder why they are wasting everybody’s time.

I have seen people depreciate from what they were as single people,less awareness about things happening around them in some cases it’s like they became lights hidden behind bushels or they just caved in and died a social death.

They would say how happy and better off they are and same time how lucky you are and still hound you about being unmarried.

Maybe I have very high standards or I am highly non-committal or not everyone will be married after all , okay that’s what most unmarried people say when they are not saying they are waiting for Mr/Mrs Right.

Definition of a good marriage or someone who married well is relative. People have a picture in their head of what kind of lives they want or need to live.

I am quite certain that your happiness, destiny or failure; what they become has a direct bearing on your associations. A person no matter how willed or free willed interacts with his environment and often times reflects that environment.

I am unmarried so this may well be cast as a thoughtless piece from one without experience but this is what I know and think.

For a person to marry well, you should look at your personality, spiritual standing, social standing, life goals and interests before choosing a mate. The kind of kids and home you want to have is also to be considered.

Men I agree are visual beings, hence it’s not uncommon to see a man you consider to be of great worth falling slave to petty fascination of a beautiful woman. As women we grow up often thinking that the concept ” hard to get” or being snobbish will bring men to our feet, well at a certain age yes but as men grow older and attain certain standards that becomes repulsive. Also, men grow up thinking a lady is wooed only by gifts or pestering, women as they grow also find it repulsive.

To marry well is not just about money, class or physical compatibility. Even the least educated or exposed sometimes marry well, as women these days we seldom get to learn all the skills our mothers had, because the kind of education we get these days are of a seemingly low standard, women in the days of old learnt as a skill how to mend, polish homes, sing, some learnt poetry, tapestry and even the art of lovemaking and massages, how to walk and dress as a lady.

If we still had all these combined with western education, imagine what the world will be.

Some of us marry still as children, we haven’t quite formed or come to know the huge responsibility that comes from attaching our souls or destiny to another, in some cases we become a burden to the ones we love unable to follow them on the path destiny and fate has carved and not able to fulfill our own destinies. We feel guilty sometimes for chasing our own dreams.

Sometimes you find an educated, goal oriented and successful woman with a struggling barrister yet to define his path no to talk of finding it or some man with a mashed brain in the name of being a hustler trying to make it, you find the man who has found his own path trapped by a pretty nonsensical woman, these people unable to support each other on the path of their destinies.

To marry well is not about who you married its about what your life becomes with that person in the equation. Are you able to find your spiritual balance, is the energy or aura right with the two of you in combination, what social success or physical or mental growth is achieved.

Half of the problems in the world are as a result of people not marrying well or right or being with the wrong mate giving rise to half nurtured human beings with misplaced values, anger, low or poorly managed self esteems and lost or jaded humanity.

What then is it to marry well? I dare say, when it comes to money an educated hard working person can get that. A man aside having money should be refined, intelligent, cultured, sexually aware and confident in himself and the woman who wants to mate him should be an equal match in that segment. No mate should be a meal ticket or trophy to one another.

As a woman, it’s not about semi or outright nudity, it’s not about being a virgin or how many men you have being with, it’s in the grace with which we carry ourself, knowing when to be outwardly and when to be quiet and give those shy delicate smiles. A woman wearing expensive designer outfit without grace or decorum is as much of a turn off as the one in the poorly assembled cheap clothes.

Some women are strong and a match for most men, but if she has lost the woman in her, that milk and ability to nurture, be tender and gentle then she may just well enlist in the army.

One thing of note I am still learning, as I advise myself everyday is this, no matter how distinguished a union, if there is no love at the core of it, it is a failure. Love is not enough to get married but it is a must have and a non negotiable requirement.

Love is not as we see it on TV and you cry, there are factors that make you come to love someone, love may not be present at the very beginning but must be at the core and at the point when you take stock.
This is the not the love you fall into, it’s the love you grow in and nurture, that love that makes you wake up beside that man or woman and smile to yourself, the love that tugs at your heart after all the times you hate them for getting it wrong and you walk up to them, fix their hair or tie with that kiss on the forehead and the locking of the eyes you are reminded of how your life is genuinely worth living with them in it.

Potpourri of random maybe sensible something- 1

Long yawn;

Long stretch;

Pretend yoga, I think I am still sleeping

Quick bath, take a long time to decide what to wear….get in the lift and down to the restaurant for a pretend meal. I am not hungry but I have in the last 10 days psyched myself into eating a compulsory breakfast which I must say is one of my greatest achievement in the last 2 weeks aside going on a water slide going through a dark tunnel where I am most certain I died for 30seconds.

In that tunnel I discovered a scary side of me but that’s not the story for today. Well, do I actually have a story?

So the waitress walks up to me(she is Filipino), with an awesome smile and almost non existent English summons courage to ask me me which part of the world i have come from. She doesn’t know Nigeria by the way so I convince her I am from somewhere in Africa, she tells me I looked “nice” then she asks “madam, what is your good name?” I spell out my name and tell her what my name means.
She has just met an African for the first time and a Nigerian for the first time.

So, I am about to crawl under the sheets and a friend somewhere across the world is having lunch…sometimes in life we get tired of our old phone, car, clothes and whatever earthly treasures we may well fancy. Those things are the dreams and ambitions of someone somewhere across the world or just next door.

You may well ask whats the sense in this?

Life is in phases.

We may want all the things our neighbors have, there is that one thing we are meant to have that our neighbors may not have or ever have.

As bad as it gets, someone somewhere wants to be where you are now and that’s what they live and pray for.

Enjoy your morning and be thankful for it, it is afternoon and scorching sun somewhere….

Opportunity, Time and Choice

Life oftentimes is about opportunity, timing and choice.

Sometimes we are not ready for the things that come our way so we loose out on a lot of goodness and beauty. The truth is if we had chosen we may have made the best out of it.

Its like a job opening for a position you don’t have the entire requirement for, that there is an opportunity but the time isnt right but here is the catch choice ultimately is the defining factor. If you choose to go for the interview its a 50-50 chance you get the job and there is a 80-20 chance you will be enriched and even open doors to more out of life.

Sometimes what we need is a nudge, someone or something to push us even when we are not quite ready, because you know there is a never a right time for anything, time is what you make it.

Today is all we ever really have we don’t have tommorrow and yesterday is lost, we live in today so what you dont do or say today is as gone as yesterday. Everything we encounter depending on what side of the fence you are on is an opportunity for something to happen that can change your life forever it may be for the best or you may as well be on your way to hell in a hand basket.

Its like relationships, people mostly dont value anything or anyone that finds them, they value what or who they find largely i will say in this part of the world we are just used to stress,so if you dont hustle it dont mean nothing. Well, here is how i see it, believe it or not, being found is a huge opportunity and yields the most result if well harnessed nothing like being chosen by destiny.

Bucketlist ideas before the 30th or maybe 40th

Birthdays are special simply because its the one day you celebrate yourself, a day you get attention just because, and you become a year older an age you only get to be once. So as another birthday draws close,i am thinking of all the fun and not so fun things i have done, so here i made a list of my fun achievements and yet to achieve…..in highlight are all my achievements

Have fun….you can make yours too or use mine, i won’t sue

  1. Killed a mosquito,cockroach, rat,snake & scorpion-except a snake,but have beaten a dead one
  2. Swam in a river or pool-well i was being taught
  3. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
  4. Climbed a rock-shere hills, olumo rock, Usuma dam rock & one in front of my secondary school
  5. Gone on a test drive in an Aston martin or any exotic car
  6. Visited ancient sites
  7. Visited sites of any of the world wonders
  8.  Held an octopus
  9. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
  10. Visited Paris,Vegas & India
  11. Gone on a boat cruise
  12. Traveled by sea
  13. Gone sky diving
  14. Said “I love you” and meant it
  15. Sold at a fair
  16. Hugged a tree
  17. Been on a trampoline
  18. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
  19. Been in a cave
  20. Gone to a huge sports game
  21. Picked or squashed a bee-hive-got stung in the process
  22. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
  23. Seen & been out in a hailstorm
  24. Slept outside  under the stars
  25. Had a baby
  26. Changed a baby’s diaper
  27. Walked a tightrope
  28. Saw a shooting star and made a wish
  29. Gotten drunk on champagne or palm wine
  30. Counted the stars-never turns out right
  31. Sang at a karaoke
  32. Given more than you can afford to charity
  33. Spied on someone
  34. Eavesdropped on teenagers or kids
  35. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the wrong time
  36. Poured food or water or drinks on someone
  37. Gambled
  38. Asked out a stranger
  39. Had a pillow fight
  40. Held a new born whether human or animal
  41. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
  42. Kissed a stranger
  43. Had a one night-stand with a stranger
  44. Kissed on the first date
  45. Seen an eclipse of any sort
  46. Spoken in an usual accent for a whole day
  47. Made a complete fool of yourself
  48. Arrested by police or being in prison
  49. Ridden a roller coaster
  50. Played any sport and won
  51. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
  52. Made out with a partner because someone was watching
  53. Honestly felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
  54. Crashed your computer
  55. Caused an accident
  56. Visited all the states in an entire country whether your s or another-almost done with mine,Nigeria
  57. Taken care of the sick
  58. Taken care of a drunk
  59. Feigned sickness so you don’t go to work or to get attention
  60. Had really cool and amazing friends
  61. Crashed a party
  62. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
  63. Stolen sweet or something from a tray of a street hawker or kiosk
  64. Watched waves at sea or beach
  65. Backpacked to anywhere
  66. Gone on a stroll at night on a beach
  67. Gone on a road trip across countries
  68. Caused a scene for no reason
  69. Sat on a fast moving car
  70. Been heartbroken longer than you were in love or the life span of the relationship
  71. Milked a cow
  72.  Helped a goat or dog deliver their new born
  73. Stayed indoors for one whole week without stepping outside your own door
  74. Lounged in bed all day without even a shower, had all your meals brought to you in bed
  75. Played football or any sport with a celebrity in that field
  76. Kissed in the rain
  77. Started a business
  78. Bought a house
  79. Played in the mud or rain
  80. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
  81. Taken a martial arts class
  82. Taken a salsa or dance class
  83. Gotten married
  84. Gone without food for longer than 3 days
  85. Starred in a movie- short film on HIV & stigma(10mins)
  86. Gotten divorced
  87. Baked a cake
  88. Received a state or any award
  89. Ridden in a trolley at a mall
  90. Being on television as an expert on something
  91. Being in the news
  92. Have a photo of you in the papers or magazine
  93. Gotten a tattoo
  94. Received or given flowers
  95. Surprised anyone and they were pleasantly surprised
  96. Had a surprise party
  97. Performed on stage
  98. Recorded a song or had your voice recorded
  99. Being on radio
  100. Eaten a wild animal or any animal you are scared off
  101. Raised children
  102. Being in a combat zone or in a cross fire
  103. Spoken more than one language fluently
  104. Followed your favorite band/musician on tour
  105. Being backstage at a concert
  106. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
  107. Walked on a bridge
  108. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking with the windows open
  109. Made out in a moving car
  110. Gone on a power bike ride
  111. Had plastic surgery
  112. Held someone while they were dying
  113. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
  114. Broken someone’s heart
  115. Wrote articles for a serious publication
  116. Lost or gained 30kg
  117. Being a hero
  118. Won money on a TV game show
  119.  Had a piercing not your ear
  120. Broken a bone
  121. Fired a rifle or any gun
  122. Ridden a horse
  123. Slept for 30 hours in 2days
  124. Had major surgery
  125. Visited all the continents
  126. Had a pet
  127. Taken a boat or vehicle trip that lasted more than 2 days
  128. Read an entire book upside now
  129. Have a painting of yourself
  130. Skipped a reunion or a family meeting
  131. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
  132. Save someone’s life
  133. Donated blood
  134. Dyed your hair
  135. Shaved your hair, completely bald
  136. Been a DJ
  137. Spent a whole day without talking
  138. Camp out in your backyard or a friend’s for a weekend
  139. Attend or host a slumber party
  140. Kiss under water
  141. Visit whether a temple whether you believe in it or not
  142. Attend a fellowship of a religion other than yours just to know
  143. Go on a date with a favorite celebrity
  144. Pay the fees of an orphan
  145. Help out at a hospice for a week
  146. Prank call someone for a whole day
  147. Welcome a loved one at the airport and embarrass them with affection
  148. Sleep on the floor of your room cuddled for a week
  149. Forgive someone sincerely and do something nice for them
  150. Give yourself a flamboyant treat and make a video of it

The enemy next door…

So i have being following the Abia state university rape story, i have read people’s opinion especially men.

Rape is  hurtful, heart breaking, dehumanizing, words fail me in the description of the act. Most people rather not share their experiences, but if you ever cared to listen, observe or ask you will find that most of your favorite women have being victims.

Rape is unexplainable for the victim if it was committed by a friend or loved one because often times the victim on the day of the incident would have visited or invited the rapist innocently.

Rapists usually are not hard faced men, they are often nice and ordinary. Some are charmers, talkative, engaging and fun men they are hardly misfits, lonely, mentally ill or loafers, they are also gainfully employed. Serial rapists are however predatory, stalkers and cold, they make calculated attempts to build relationships with their prey. Rapist adopt different strategies in executing their well thought out plan.

When a woman is raped, she is blamed but i tell you no one should blame the woman especially in the time frame of the actual act. Half the time rapists claim to have being insulted or seduced, rape is not an act based on impulse, it is a well thought act, women really do not incite men to rape them, rape is the sole responsibility of the rapist. There is no right way to respond to a rape situation. Honestly i would advice that women stay calm and follow their instincts. Some rapist are either power assertive, they are retaliating for some reasons based on their anger, some want to reassure themselves or are excited by the pain you go through. Power assertive rapists are more aggressive and very physical so fighting him will only weaken you, crying or begging won’t work here to escape you must be serious and put in a good deal of fight .

A retaliatory rapist looks for an opportunity to rape and has no specific victim, they generally hate women and want to punish them for some reason, he will batter you into submission and fighting will only anger him, he may not kill you but the beating could be fatal so if you can’t harm him, submit. It is safer not cajole, plead, threaten or speak. Rapists who seek to reassure themselves have no confidence and can’t face women. They often fantasize, masturbate, peep, stalk and preselect their victims. They are often friends, colleagues, neighbors and relatives. Screaming, crying, praying, talking and any form of distraction may work here, violence of any sort or level will infuriate him.

These last set of rapists are the worst kinds, rapists excited by the pain are often anger driven, they are sadists. His crime is premeditated, he is the charming and intelligent kind. He would take photographs, make videos, collect items to keep a memory of you, he will keep a diary and may kill you to hide his acts. He will often gag or tie up his victims, he may resort to gang rape so he can watch the pain you go through. There is no escaping this man, you have to match wits, trick or con him him into anything that may help you escape .

Taking self defense classes or buying pepper spray may help but the truth is it will take a really tough skinned woman to withstand the pain that will be inflicted by a power assertive rapist, according to research information two-thirds of rape cases are by this category of rapist.

A woman’s best bet is to size up, profile and understand the rapist and follow her instincts, many have escaped by talking, fighting or tricking the rapists. To say don’t do anything in a rape situation is absolute nonsense, follow your instincts and do exactly what it says if you survive the ordeal, you made the right choice.

No matter how beautiful your life gets after being raped, the truth is you will never forget until you have talked about it preferably to some one close where you can cry and have someone truly sympathize with you. We should all understand that rape is a life changing experience, many women still suffer post rape related syndrome which affects their responsiveness to men and relationships.

Rape is not unwanted sex but a violent crime, even married men rape their wives and men also get raped. A good number of men were violated before they turned 16 often by people they know. Rape doesn’t occur because of the way you dress, rapist explore vulnerability of the women, rape can happen to any woman, it has being estimated that 1 in every 8 women will be raped in their life time.

Your girlfriend, sister or colleagues may have being raped or in danger. If you ever find yourself in love with a victim or have them as friends, you should be supportive and understanding. They want to know you respect them, some women develop new phobias after being raped like fear of grabbing, some become promiscuous in a way to forget or feel normal and some are angry and self-destructive.

Rape is a violent crime and must be be stopped.




Streaming thoughts 2

So when your mama pops the “when are you getting married” question,your heart races in different directions. Smart move by your judgement is to be on the defensive or offensive, you come up with all sorts of stories on how God’s time is the best or how men/women are terrible or how you will marry when you feel like.

I don’t know why mothers or parents ask  this questions.*sigh*

A colleague once said to me “no one is taken until they are taken, so never say never” there is an equal mixture of lies and truths in the statement, everyone appears to be dating someone or in love or in something they have created.

So to get someone to be in something with you would translate into stealing them from who they are with, well human beings really don’t get stolen, do they? Human beings allow themselves get stolen or borrow themselves out to someone else other than who they are with.

Sometimes as a woman you may want to ask yourself what prompts a man in a relationship to ask you out, well men are hunters and i must admit the most interesting part of the relationship or (un/non)relationship is the chase. Usually for men there is a lot of energy at this phase of the hunt which of course settles into something more steady, secure and calm before interest wanes or love grows. The ‘hunter’ in a man doesn’t die, some may never chase afterwards but will stare, explore and flirt regardless, i am tempted to say men just like to win something.

The truth is almost any woman will fall for a good hunter, its just like hunting for game if you have skills you will always catch an animal for meat. When you meet him you are attracted, you feel a strong chemistry and attraction. He may honestly mean this and may feel this way about you and other times he might be a super flirt who knows how to lay his bait, then you become the other woman. Oftentimes, when you feel this kind of attraction you may be in for some great in feeling of love or some major drama the one that will rip your heart.

But as i always say , you never know until you try. Everything is about choices and i must add definitions, yes i am a believer in definitions, i would like to know what we are doing so we know what to expect. A friend once said to me, ‘women never see the big picture’ i have not seen the big picture but from what i gathered, he meant women should see beyond being a girlfriend because as the name implies maybe that’s all you will ever be to a man against planning a wedding in your head. okay i added a bit of mine there but that’s what i guessed his statement to mean.

Some people say, when you snatch someone’s partner expect that he will be snatched. Well, karma is a b***h but everything boils down to choices, definitions and decisions. Human beings have a special ability of seeing, hearing & feeling what they just want to and they build their dreams and assumptions on it.

You can’t hurry love and at such if ever you found yourself attracted to someone who is already entangled, it is safer not seduce or impose yourself on them, you just never know. Life is a learning experience, sometimes we may need to make the mistakes, take risks, act on impulse to see how it goes and even see how things work for us. Some of us do not really have a full understanding of what we are capable of until when faced with hard choices. It is safe to visualize and see things from all points of view, if you start of as the other man or woman you may eventually trade places with someone else, it is a 50-50 chance. It is of much advantage if relationships are not triangular and with drama. The best of every relationship is optimal on clean slates, closed chapters of previous relationships. I won’t fail to add that closed chapter is not what you say alone but how you act, who you are with at any given time and place deserves a 100% of you. You learn from mistakes by the way so do what you must, remember don’t regret whatever made you happy or smile, it was a gift at the time and above everything its the thought that counts.

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