Yesterday was not one of my best days at work. I had a stressful day, and believe me I am not my best when I am stressed. Thing is, I got rolled on to a new project last week yah, and my team members and I have been trying to get relevant data and stuff. I had done this the whole day and I was getting worn out, then we go have this review meeting with my boss and he asked us to do some more groundwork. This was already 6.30p.m and my brain was already approaching hibernation mode. Anyhow, I managed to motivate myself to start round two of work, then the inevitable happened. My laptop crashed!
Ok actually what happened was that as I was working on my laptop the phone beside me rang. Usually I don’t pick up the phone cuz it’s a project phone and I hardly receive calls on that phone (seriously) but I picked the phone cuz it was close to me. In the process I knocked down a cup of water which splash on me and on my laptop. I completely forgot about the call and checked my dress, water all over. I didn’t even realize water had poured on my laptop till a colleague (Olusanjo) called my attention to it. Damn! I quickly carried the laptop and with the help of Olusanjo cleaned up the laptop and the table. Next thing my laptop screen went blue! Everyone or almost everyone knows blue is not a colour u want to see on your laptop screen. Men I wanted to run mad. I removed the battery; rather Olusanjo did cuz at this point I was getting frenetic. Later he replaced the battery and switched on the laptop. It appeared to be working and I was about to start smiling, when the blue screen appeared again…Grhhhhhhhhh at this point I just lost it…usually when I get to this point I shut down, I can’t function. Meanwhile, Bunmi, the person on the phone (it was an internal call) came to check what had happened. Am not sure what was going down then cuz I was in a dazed state, but I heard someone said I should just shut down the laptop and put it on when I get home. Other colleagues had joined in at this point and tried to cheer me up. Bunmi kept saying, “Don’t worry, it will be fine, trust me.”
Omo, I didn’t know when I started crying…I didn’t mean to cry but men the tears just came right out (not so surprising considering my tears glands are just on my eyelids). I guess with the accumulated stress of the day I just couldn’t help it. I wasn’t sobbing or wailing or anything like that, (please o)…but I was sniffing sha. Lol. Anyway, I left the project room and went to the ladies to calm down. Now at this point, I was pretty pretty upset at myself for taking that call. Didn’t make sense but hey I was upset (I can be very irrational sometimes). Why did I pick that call sef?!!! In the midst of all these, I remembered to say a quick prayer to God to please get my laptop working cuz men, I didn’t want to commence the following day with the IT guys trying to sort out my laptop.
Ok, ok, let me cut the long story cut, I got home, and I put on my laptop and it came on! No long story, it just came on!! I was really glad, though I nearly forgot to say "thank you" to Baba God…lol…
So I can conclude and say that the nerve-racking day ended well. Blue screen is not it o , unfortunately another colleague that sat beside me today got a blue screen (I think his laptop crashed as well or something). I hope it’s not a funky blue virus sha :~}
Addendum: Note to all laptop users- DO NOT LEAVE WATER, TEA, COFFEE, ETC BESIDE UR LAPTOP.
14 Nov 2006
10 Nov 2006
Someone's flying experience Post air crash
Still on flying and crashing (yah am still stupefied), someone sent this to me and I thot to share with y'all. Men, I don't blame this girl- prolly would have done worse:)) May God continue to protect us.
*******************************************************************************
I had cause to travel to Abuja a few days ago. I was accosted at the airport by a television crew who wanted to know how I felt traveling by air so soon after the ADC plane crash of October 29. "What can we do? Life must continue", I declared, matter of factly. And indeed life must go on, although I noticed that there were not too many passengers at the usually busy local wing of the Murtala Muhammad airport in Lagos.
But the drama that I experienced on the return leg of my trip was so memorable I cannot the resist the temptation to report it. I arrived at the Abuja airport very early on Friday morning, to beat the rush and see if I could get a seat on either an Aero Contractors flight or Virgin Nigeria. For now, these are the only two airlines which Nigerians prefer to patronise. But at the Aero contractor ticket counter, I was told that all the airline's early morning flights to Lagos had been fully booked. I ended up buying a Chachangi ticket. The plane was already boarding so I rushed off to the tarmac. Sitting next to me in the aircraft was a young lady who pestered me endlessly with her anxiety. First, she lamented not being able to get an Aero ticket. Then, she declared that her mother would nearly faint were she to be told that she travelled with another airline.
"Do you think this plane will get to Lagos safely?", she asked me.
"I don't see any reason why it shouldn't", I tried to reassure her.
"Ah", she sighed. "And I didn't tell anybody I was travelling o. I want my mum to see me in Lagos and be surprised."
I kept mute. I had nothing to say to this. Meanwhile, the door of the aircraft was being shut, preparatory to departure.
"They are locking the door", she told me. "Someone cannot go down again. Ah, what have I done to myself? I think I should have gone back home and travel later."
"Don't worry. We are in it already. Everything will be fine"
"But see" she said, sweeping the aircraft with her left hand. "There are not too many people on this flight. It's like other people are afraid too. This is an early morning flight on Friday, ordinarily it should be full of passengers. I just hope I have not made a mistake."
"Don't worry, take it easy. Everything will be fine."
"Anytime I can't get either Aero or Virgin, I will just go back home."
The plane was now moving onto the runway, and just as it lifted itself off the ground, it shook at the wings a bit.
"The plane is shaking. It is shaking", the lady said, her voice quivering.
"That is normal when an aircraft is taking off, It will soon stabilise once it gains altitude," I told her.
"See, other people are praying."
She placed her head on the seat in front of her and mumbled some words to the Almighty. I looked out of the window, and behold, just below us, on a burnt out patch of ground, almost at the end of the runway field, to the right of the aircraft was the tail of the ADC plane that crashed on October 29. I could see it very clearly. I drew the young lady's attention to it. She looked out too noting that the crash was really close to the airport, and judging from the position of the aircraft in which we were traveling, we were able to confirm that in fact the crashed ADC plane had not even gained altitude before it plunged into the earth below and exploded. If such an accident had occurred in a city like Lagos where houses surround the perimeter fence of the airport, the tragedy would have been worse. More people would have died. The plane was now airborne. The young lady was still fretting.
"Don't give yourself hypertension", I advised her.
"At least we have survived the take-off, it remains landing. I understand that these planes only crash when they are taking off or when they are landing," she observed.
"Well, well". I restrained myself from giving her examples of air crashes in which the aircraft developed a fault while airborne. She kept talking.
"And the planes tend to crash either on Saturdays or Sundays. Thank God today is Friday," she noted. I could see that the lady was trying so hard to reassure herself that she was safe. Just then, the cabin attendant said certain things and mentioned the name of the pilot. This proved to be a useful piece of information for her.
"The pilot is a white man", she said, sounding as if she had just resolved a puzzle. I couldn't immediately figure out what she was driving at.
"That is a white man's name" she added.
I had wanted to tell her that the pilot could well be a Nigerian bearing one of those foreign sounding names, and that she should not judge a man's colour by the sound of his name alone. But I left her alone with her illusions. She won't give up.
"At least a white pilot will be reasonable," she told me.
"How?", I asked
"He will not take the kind of risk that our people will take."
"May be." By now, this lady was beginning to get on my nerves with her panic. So, I pretended as if I was feeling sleepy. I actually rested my head on the seat in front of me. But she would not leave me alone.
"You want to sleep?"
"Yes"
"How can you sleep in this kind of situation? Me, I can't sleep o. I am going to stay awake and monitor everything that this plane does till we get down safely in Lagos."
I mumbled something about not getting enough sleep the previous day, because I don't always feel comfortable sleeping in a strange bed in a hotel. She was not interested in my sleeping habits.
"Do you think the weather is good today?", she inquired. Not being a meteorologist, I was not in a position to offer her an expert opinion on the weather, other than to describe what she herself could see. It was bright outside, and the sun was already out.
"I think the weather is good today, the pilot shouldn't have any problems", she answered her question herself. I nodded. And if it would be of any comfort to her, I drew her attention to the news that the President had redeployed Professor Babalola Borishade from the Aviation Ministry to Culture and Tourism, a sign at least that the Federal Government is just as concerned about the state of the aviation industry as the rest of us.
"Who is now the new Minister of Aviation?", she asked. I told her. She shook her head.
"But that Professor Borishade, does he have any shame at all?," she inquired. How on earth she expected me to offer a definite opinion on this, I didn't know.
"The man should know that by redeploying him, the President is making a statement of disapproval about his headship of the Aviation Ministry and particularly his management of the ADC crash. What is he going to do at the Culture Ministry? He should have resigned; in fact the President should have sacked him."
"The man says he likes his redeployment. He is not thinking of resignation. He is happy"
"Why won't he be happy? If the President had redeployed him as a Personal Assistant in the Presidency, he would also have taken it. People like him have an explanation for everything. No shame at all."
Finally, the lady kept quiet. But as soon as the cabin hostess announced that the aircraft would commence its descent into the Lagos airport, my tormentor started fretting again. But we made it. The landing was smooth, and I saw her praying again, and singing. I took a close look at her for the first time. A pretty girl. Used to being pampered, obviously. Nice physical assets; delicate and tempting features. We disembarked. It took some time before we could collect our luggage, and now it was my turn to fret. "I don't like being kept waiting", I said. "Why is it taking these people so long to bring our luggage?" Someone spoke beside me. It wasn't the lady now, but a man who had been with us on the same flight.
"Any time they like, they can bring the luggage. You should be thanking God that we had a smooth flight and arrived safely", the fellow said.
I had nothing to say to him. I didn't want another cry baby on my hands, lamenting about the woes of Nigeria's aviation industry and how it has turned air travellers into victims of paranoia.
*******************************************************************************
I had cause to travel to Abuja a few days ago. I was accosted at the airport by a television crew who wanted to know how I felt traveling by air so soon after the ADC plane crash of October 29. "What can we do? Life must continue", I declared, matter of factly. And indeed life must go on, although I noticed that there were not too many passengers at the usually busy local wing of the Murtala Muhammad airport in Lagos.
But the drama that I experienced on the return leg of my trip was so memorable I cannot the resist the temptation to report it. I arrived at the Abuja airport very early on Friday morning, to beat the rush and see if I could get a seat on either an Aero Contractors flight or Virgin Nigeria. For now, these are the only two airlines which Nigerians prefer to patronise. But at the Aero contractor ticket counter, I was told that all the airline's early morning flights to Lagos had been fully booked. I ended up buying a Chachangi ticket. The plane was already boarding so I rushed off to the tarmac. Sitting next to me in the aircraft was a young lady who pestered me endlessly with her anxiety. First, she lamented not being able to get an Aero ticket. Then, she declared that her mother would nearly faint were she to be told that she travelled with another airline.
"Do you think this plane will get to Lagos safely?", she asked me.
"I don't see any reason why it shouldn't", I tried to reassure her.
"Ah", she sighed. "And I didn't tell anybody I was travelling o. I want my mum to see me in Lagos and be surprised."
I kept mute. I had nothing to say to this. Meanwhile, the door of the aircraft was being shut, preparatory to departure.
"They are locking the door", she told me. "Someone cannot go down again. Ah, what have I done to myself? I think I should have gone back home and travel later."
"Don't worry. We are in it already. Everything will be fine"
"But see" she said, sweeping the aircraft with her left hand. "There are not too many people on this flight. It's like other people are afraid too. This is an early morning flight on Friday, ordinarily it should be full of passengers. I just hope I have not made a mistake."
"Don't worry, take it easy. Everything will be fine."
"Anytime I can't get either Aero or Virgin, I will just go back home."
The plane was now moving onto the runway, and just as it lifted itself off the ground, it shook at the wings a bit.
"The plane is shaking. It is shaking", the lady said, her voice quivering.
"That is normal when an aircraft is taking off, It will soon stabilise once it gains altitude," I told her.
"See, other people are praying."
She placed her head on the seat in front of her and mumbled some words to the Almighty. I looked out of the window, and behold, just below us, on a burnt out patch of ground, almost at the end of the runway field, to the right of the aircraft was the tail of the ADC plane that crashed on October 29. I could see it very clearly. I drew the young lady's attention to it. She looked out too noting that the crash was really close to the airport, and judging from the position of the aircraft in which we were traveling, we were able to confirm that in fact the crashed ADC plane had not even gained altitude before it plunged into the earth below and exploded. If such an accident had occurred in a city like Lagos where houses surround the perimeter fence of the airport, the tragedy would have been worse. More people would have died. The plane was now airborne. The young lady was still fretting.
"Don't give yourself hypertension", I advised her.
"At least we have survived the take-off, it remains landing. I understand that these planes only crash when they are taking off or when they are landing," she observed.
"Well, well". I restrained myself from giving her examples of air crashes in which the aircraft developed a fault while airborne. She kept talking.
"And the planes tend to crash either on Saturdays or Sundays. Thank God today is Friday," she noted. I could see that the lady was trying so hard to reassure herself that she was safe. Just then, the cabin attendant said certain things and mentioned the name of the pilot. This proved to be a useful piece of information for her.
"The pilot is a white man", she said, sounding as if she had just resolved a puzzle. I couldn't immediately figure out what she was driving at.
"That is a white man's name" she added.
I had wanted to tell her that the pilot could well be a Nigerian bearing one of those foreign sounding names, and that she should not judge a man's colour by the sound of his name alone. But I left her alone with her illusions. She won't give up.
"At least a white pilot will be reasonable," she told me.
"How?", I asked
"He will not take the kind of risk that our people will take."
"May be." By now, this lady was beginning to get on my nerves with her panic. So, I pretended as if I was feeling sleepy. I actually rested my head on the seat in front of me. But she would not leave me alone.
"You want to sleep?"
"Yes"
"How can you sleep in this kind of situation? Me, I can't sleep o. I am going to stay awake and monitor everything that this plane does till we get down safely in Lagos."
I mumbled something about not getting enough sleep the previous day, because I don't always feel comfortable sleeping in a strange bed in a hotel. She was not interested in my sleeping habits.
"Do you think the weather is good today?", she inquired. Not being a meteorologist, I was not in a position to offer her an expert opinion on the weather, other than to describe what she herself could see. It was bright outside, and the sun was already out.
"I think the weather is good today, the pilot shouldn't have any problems", she answered her question herself. I nodded. And if it would be of any comfort to her, I drew her attention to the news that the President had redeployed Professor Babalola Borishade from the Aviation Ministry to Culture and Tourism, a sign at least that the Federal Government is just as concerned about the state of the aviation industry as the rest of us.
"Who is now the new Minister of Aviation?", she asked. I told her. She shook her head.
"But that Professor Borishade, does he have any shame at all?," she inquired. How on earth she expected me to offer a definite opinion on this, I didn't know.
"The man should know that by redeploying him, the President is making a statement of disapproval about his headship of the Aviation Ministry and particularly his management of the ADC crash. What is he going to do at the Culture Ministry? He should have resigned; in fact the President should have sacked him."
"The man says he likes his redeployment. He is not thinking of resignation. He is happy"
"Why won't he be happy? If the President had redeployed him as a Personal Assistant in the Presidency, he would also have taken it. People like him have an explanation for everything. No shame at all."
Finally, the lady kept quiet. But as soon as the cabin hostess announced that the aircraft would commence its descent into the Lagos airport, my tormentor started fretting again. But we made it. The landing was smooth, and I saw her praying again, and singing. I took a close look at her for the first time. A pretty girl. Used to being pampered, obviously. Nice physical assets; delicate and tempting features. We disembarked. It took some time before we could collect our luggage, and now it was my turn to fret. "I don't like being kept waiting", I said. "Why is it taking these people so long to bring our luggage?" Someone spoke beside me. It wasn't the lady now, but a man who had been with us on the same flight.
"Any time they like, they can bring the luggage. You should be thanking God that we had a smooth flight and arrived safely", the fellow said.
I had nothing to say to him. I didn't want another cry baby on my hands, lamenting about the woes of Nigeria's aviation industry and how it has turned air travellers into victims of paranoia.
9 Nov 2006
Naija and plane crashes
Nawa for all these plane crashes in Naija. It's so scary- flying is not safe, travelling by road is even worse cuz there are no good roads! Forget rail and sea, doesnt exist in Naija! Wat is Naija turning into? It has taken me over a week now to write about it in my blog because I am still in shock. Only last year I was travelling every two weeks from Lagos to Abuja (work related) and I didn't think twice about jumping on a plane. Now I have to do like 5 days prayer and fasting to know if it pleases the Lord to travel by air.
I dunno much about the aviation industry but even a little child can tell that we have serious issues in Naija, not only with the aviation industry but with every other industry in the country and it all starts with our leaders. We need invigorating leaders in the country, all these old and archaic people should do and clear the way for younger men and women with new ideas. If the leaders we have now were the leaders around when my grandparents were still alive, when will my parents generation become leaders, when will people in my generation become leaders (confused yet??). Maybe never at this rate.
God help us o cuz you are the only one that can. Personally I don tire for this country.
I dunno much about the aviation industry but even a little child can tell that we have serious issues in Naija, not only with the aviation industry but with every other industry in the country and it all starts with our leaders. We need invigorating leaders in the country, all these old and archaic people should do and clear the way for younger men and women with new ideas. If the leaders we have now were the leaders around when my grandparents were still alive, when will my parents generation become leaders, when will people in my generation become leaders (confused yet??). Maybe never at this rate.
God help us o cuz you are the only one that can. Personally I don tire for this country.
9 Oct 2006
Work your Gift.
Thank God, I finished my dissertation as planned and now am back to work. To be honest I still don’t know which one I dislike more: working or schooling. I guess with schooling I can decide not to go for lectures and sleep all day and still get away with it but this isn’t the case with work. The good thing, though, is that I get paid to go to work. To sleep or to make money- that is the question I have to answer to make a decision considering I love both:)
Anyhoo, moving to today’s topic- at church yesterday the pastor spoke about working our gift. I learnt that I, like every other person was born with one or more gifts, and these gifts are meant to be used to glorify God and to edify others. I am not supposed to bury my gift or be envious of others who are using theirs. I need to work my gift because it will make way for me in life. Above all I am liable to God and I will have to give an account of how I used the gift(s) he gave me.
The Pastor said something that struck me. He said some people have buried their gift but think that they have lost it. This statement made me remember when I was young, I used to write a lot and one of my uncles saw what I used to write and said to me that I had the gift of writing. I never took him serious because I just used to write out stuff as I have always been able to express myself better in writing. I have never seen myself as the next John Grisham and honestly I don’t see myself writing bestseller novels or anything like that (am far too restless for that). All the same, there was a point in my life when I would write a line or a note of encouragement to friends and families or my thoughts towards them and they were blessed by it. Some have even said it came “just in time”. Sadly, I can’t remember the last time I did anything like that so you can agree with me that I have buried that gift. Some of you might say “oh please you can’t classify that as a gift” but I do! Who is to say that all writers have to write novels, poetry, short plays or whatever? If my writing is a source of blessing to others around me and they thank God for it, I can safely conclude that writing is one of the many gifts God has given me. No be so???
Any which ways, I need to dig up my gift(s) and work my gift(s)! The bible says a gift of man will make room for him and cause him to stand before great men. So God will take me places if only I work my gift, same with y’all.
What is your gift? WORK IT! ;)
Anyhoo, moving to today’s topic- at church yesterday the pastor spoke about working our gift. I learnt that I, like every other person was born with one or more gifts, and these gifts are meant to be used to glorify God and to edify others. I am not supposed to bury my gift or be envious of others who are using theirs. I need to work my gift because it will make way for me in life. Above all I am liable to God and I will have to give an account of how I used the gift(s) he gave me.
The Pastor said something that struck me. He said some people have buried their gift but think that they have lost it. This statement made me remember when I was young, I used to write a lot and one of my uncles saw what I used to write and said to me that I had the gift of writing. I never took him serious because I just used to write out stuff as I have always been able to express myself better in writing. I have never seen myself as the next John Grisham and honestly I don’t see myself writing bestseller novels or anything like that (am far too restless for that). All the same, there was a point in my life when I would write a line or a note of encouragement to friends and families or my thoughts towards them and they were blessed by it. Some have even said it came “just in time”. Sadly, I can’t remember the last time I did anything like that so you can agree with me that I have buried that gift. Some of you might say “oh please you can’t classify that as a gift” but I do! Who is to say that all writers have to write novels, poetry, short plays or whatever? If my writing is a source of blessing to others around me and they thank God for it, I can safely conclude that writing is one of the many gifts God has given me. No be so???
Any which ways, I need to dig up my gift(s) and work my gift(s)! The bible says a gift of man will make room for him and cause him to stand before great men. So God will take me places if only I work my gift, same with y’all.
What is your gift? WORK IT! ;)
11 Sept 2006
I'm still here!
A number of people have either called or emailed me to ask why I haven't updated my blog in months. Firstly I am chuffed that people actually read my blog (yah, apart from those I harass to read it) and secondly I am "flabberwhelmed" and "overgasted" that people care enough to find out why I haven't updated it. Thanks guys!
Anyway this is a public notice to say I am still here, alive and kicking, thanks be to God. Just that I have been so busy with my Msc dissertation and in as much as I am a guru in multitasking I still find it hard to mix business and pleasure sometimes. Business being my dissertation and pleasure being things like updating my blog. Good news though, deadline for dissertation is in 2 weeks, but I intend to finish before then (efiko like me!). Hopefully by then, I should have something interesting, exciting or inspiring to write in my blog.
Till then stay blessed my peeps ;)
Anyway this is a public notice to say I am still here, alive and kicking, thanks be to God. Just that I have been so busy with my Msc dissertation and in as much as I am a guru in multitasking I still find it hard to mix business and pleasure sometimes. Business being my dissertation and pleasure being things like updating my blog. Good news though, deadline for dissertation is in 2 weeks, but I intend to finish before then (efiko like me!). Hopefully by then, I should have something interesting, exciting or inspiring to write in my blog.
Till then stay blessed my peeps ;)
17 Jul 2006
Milestone
Today, I reached a milestone in my life. For those of you that don’t know me or haven’t seen me in the last two years, this might be news to u. In November 2004, I started wearing braces. For more details on this (why, how, etc..) you can check http://www.archwired.com/First_Day_Detola.htm. Anyway it is with great pleasure that I announce to you that I got my upper braces removed this morning! I cannot begin to explain how excited I have been all day- my mirror has been my greatest companion, so has my camera. Infact, I am currently working on a new smile, lol. Unfortunately, I won’t be putting any picture of me on my blog, for security purposes; hence I can only send you a picture by request, at a token fee of course. ;)
I must say wearing braces for the past 2 years has been an experience. My braces and I have generated different comments from people wherever I go. Some people think I am nuts wearing braces now and not when I was younger, some think I have lots of money to waste, some think I travelled to Mecca and got gold teeth there (this I think is the most ludicrous comment I have received so far. No offense meant to the holy land Mecca but please what resemblance does braces and gold teeth have???) some think I am vain, some think I am brave, and a few have been inspired. Like they always say, you cannot satisfy everyone therefore I have learnt not to be moved by what people say. Most importantly, I thank God for family & friends that have been very supportive and encouraging; they have made the experience bearable for me.
A key highlight of the journey was realising that God cares about my braces. Strange you might think but it's true. Sometimes we think God only cares about the big things of this world and not minor issues like Detola's braces. I remember when I was coming to the UK for my masters and I told my dentist in Nigeria. She said to me that seeing a dentist in the UK is pretty expensive which indeed is for real. This was definitely not good news and I was apprehensive over what I had heard. Nevertheless, deep down inside of me I knew God will sort me out. Anyway to cut a long story short, let’s just say I got an exemption and am not paying a single penny to see the dentist here. This indeed is the Lord’s doing.
I still have a few months to wear the lower braces but it is definitely worth the wait. I will keep looking forward to every dental appointment as this means I am getting closer to the time when I finally get the lower braces off. Boy, I am so looking forward to the new look!
In closing, I would like to encourage anyone out there who has been putting off something they know they need to do. Maybe it is starting a new job, moving to a different town, getting out of an abusive relationship, giving to the less privileged, loosing weight, exercising or even wearing braces like me (smile). I challenge u to make a commitment to yourself to do it. If I could get braces at the age of 24 then I am sure God can help you do what you need to do. It is never to late. Just ask him.
I must say wearing braces for the past 2 years has been an experience. My braces and I have generated different comments from people wherever I go. Some people think I am nuts wearing braces now and not when I was younger, some think I have lots of money to waste, some think I travelled to Mecca and got gold teeth there (this I think is the most ludicrous comment I have received so far. No offense meant to the holy land Mecca but please what resemblance does braces and gold teeth have???) some think I am vain, some think I am brave, and a few have been inspired. Like they always say, you cannot satisfy everyone therefore I have learnt not to be moved by what people say. Most importantly, I thank God for family & friends that have been very supportive and encouraging; they have made the experience bearable for me.
A key highlight of the journey was realising that God cares about my braces. Strange you might think but it's true. Sometimes we think God only cares about the big things of this world and not minor issues like Detola's braces. I remember when I was coming to the UK for my masters and I told my dentist in Nigeria. She said to me that seeing a dentist in the UK is pretty expensive which indeed is for real. This was definitely not good news and I was apprehensive over what I had heard. Nevertheless, deep down inside of me I knew God will sort me out. Anyway to cut a long story short, let’s just say I got an exemption and am not paying a single penny to see the dentist here. This indeed is the Lord’s doing.
I still have a few months to wear the lower braces but it is definitely worth the wait. I will keep looking forward to every dental appointment as this means I am getting closer to the time when I finally get the lower braces off. Boy, I am so looking forward to the new look!
In closing, I would like to encourage anyone out there who has been putting off something they know they need to do. Maybe it is starting a new job, moving to a different town, getting out of an abusive relationship, giving to the less privileged, loosing weight, exercising or even wearing braces like me (smile). I challenge u to make a commitment to yourself to do it. If I could get braces at the age of 24 then I am sure God can help you do what you need to do. It is never to late. Just ask him.
19 Jun 2006
Dealing with disappointments
Last week came and went by swiftly, yet in retrospect I really did not achieve much except for maybe the letter of complaint I managed to write to my bank for terminating my credit card. It was one of those weeks where I did not feel like doing any work. Basically I just faffed around- played online games , chatted and watched online videos despite the fact that I had so much to do. Am so lagging behind in my project, but I just could not be bothered! I tried to do some research but boy I couldn't get into the flow at all. It was a really bad week.
It might not be the best method but I have noticed that I sometimes deal with disappointments by getting into a "lazy" mood. Am like what's the point anyway? Why am I stressing myself?? Really what happened was that I got rejected by two companies I applied to and I didn't realise it hit me so hard till I saw the week go by just like that. In my head I knew that God was working everything out for my good but in my heart I just couldn't "move on" to do other things. It was like a pity party only I wasn't wailing but I practically wasted a whole week loafing!
During the week, I woke up one morning panicking and asked God "Ok what next?!, Lord you know I need a job before I finish school, I need to be sure of what the plan is, don't keep me in the dark here!!!" After about an hour of having dreadful thoughts I decided to have my quiet time and the scripture for that day (I use "Our Daily Bread" for my daily devotion) was from Matthew 6:25-34. The first verse (vs 25) actually hit the nail on the head - "So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life whether you have enough food, drink, clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing?". At that moment, it was like I could hear God telling me "You worry too much, my child". In the same scripture, Jesus was also talking about the birds that do not need to plant or harvest but they always have food to eat. Yet, I am more valuable to Him than the birds!
Reading on, I realised I needed to seek God's face and make His work my primary concern instead of worrying. He said in His word that if I seek first His Kingdom He will add every other blessing to me. I still don't have a job , neither do I know what the plan is but I do know that the plan is GOOD and all I have to do is trust and seek HIM.
By the way I feel much better now and I intend to get back to work but then again I know I have to take some practical steps on my "lazy" mood swings. I can't afford to be wasting days and weeks any time I get disappointed! First step is to admit that I have an issue- done! Second step is to get suggestions, comments or advice from y'all on how to effectively deal with disappointments. I look forward to hearing from you :)
Ta!!
It might not be the best method but I have noticed that I sometimes deal with disappointments by getting into a "lazy" mood. Am like what's the point anyway? Why am I stressing myself?? Really what happened was that I got rejected by two companies I applied to and I didn't realise it hit me so hard till I saw the week go by just like that. In my head I knew that God was working everything out for my good but in my heart I just couldn't "move on" to do other things. It was like a pity party only I wasn't wailing but I practically wasted a whole week loafing!
During the week, I woke up one morning panicking and asked God "Ok what next?!, Lord you know I need a job before I finish school, I need to be sure of what the plan is, don't keep me in the dark here!!!" After about an hour of having dreadful thoughts I decided to have my quiet time and the scripture for that day (I use "Our Daily Bread" for my daily devotion) was from Matthew 6:25-34. The first verse (vs 25) actually hit the nail on the head - "So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life whether you have enough food, drink, clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing?". At that moment, it was like I could hear God telling me "You worry too much, my child". In the same scripture, Jesus was also talking about the birds that do not need to plant or harvest but they always have food to eat. Yet, I am more valuable to Him than the birds!
Reading on, I realised I needed to seek God's face and make His work my primary concern instead of worrying. He said in His word that if I seek first His Kingdom He will add every other blessing to me. I still don't have a job , neither do I know what the plan is but I do know that the plan is GOOD and all I have to do is trust and seek HIM.
By the way I feel much better now and I intend to get back to work but then again I know I have to take some practical steps on my "lazy" mood swings. I can't afford to be wasting days and weeks any time I get disappointed! First step is to admit that I have an issue- done! Second step is to get suggestions, comments or advice from y'all on how to effectively deal with disappointments. I look forward to hearing from you :)
Ta!!
7 Jun 2006
Note to myself
Been away from my blog for too long...been so busy this week....Busy busy busy!!! Like they say there is no rest till we die (and go to heaven....hopefully)...
Hope to be back by saturday when I get some stuff out of the way. Loads of catching up to do....Lord have mercy!!!
Lord God, please grant me the strength to do the best I can do and learn to leave the bit I cannot do.
Off to bed gal!
Hope to be back by saturday when I get some stuff out of the way. Loads of catching up to do....Lord have mercy!!!
Lord God, please grant me the strength to do the best I can do and learn to leave the bit I cannot do.
Off to bed gal!
28 May 2006
Custom Built.
This morning I woke up at 10:15 and church service usually starts at 10:30...geezz! For one second I was tempted to go back to sleep. Oh well I was gonna be late anyways but I thought about it- if it was a business meeting, I won't think twice about jumping out of bed and since God is much more important to me than a meeting I "gus" to get out of bed. Sure, I got to church late but t'was good I went. Pastor Ian talked about the DaVinci Code which seems to be the hype of today. That is another story for another day.
Anyway back to the subject at hand.....
It is amazing to know that my birth was not a mistake. Everything surrounding my birth- the date, the location, my parents, my race, EVERYTHING, was planned by God. The Bible tells me God saw me before I was born, and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Am wowed by this fact. Oh by the way, I am going to be making a lot of reference to the Bible in my blog, because I believe in it. It is the living WORD of God, and am not going to get into any argument with anyone over that. Period.
Anyway as I was saying, God is omnipotent and omniscience hence he has a reason for everything and everyone he creates. There might be illegitimate parents but there are no illegitimate children. Even when some parents see their children as mistakes, God doesn't because he planned for them. No one on earth is an accident.
Science teaches us to believe that we are homo sapiens, we came from apes but am sorry I don't believe in all that. I believe each one of us was made in the imagine and likness of God. We were created as a special object of God's love. HE made us so he could love us! God created us for a significant purpose and we can only discover this if we make HIM the reference point of our life.
Anyway back to the subject at hand.....
It is amazing to know that my birth was not a mistake. Everything surrounding my birth- the date, the location, my parents, my race, EVERYTHING, was planned by God. The Bible tells me God saw me before I was born, and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Am wowed by this fact. Oh by the way, I am going to be making a lot of reference to the Bible in my blog, because I believe in it. It is the living WORD of God, and am not going to get into any argument with anyone over that. Period.
Anyway as I was saying, God is omnipotent and omniscience hence he has a reason for everything and everyone he creates. There might be illegitimate parents but there are no illegitimate children. Even when some parents see their children as mistakes, God doesn't because he planned for them. No one on earth is an accident.
Science teaches us to believe that we are homo sapiens, we came from apes but am sorry I don't believe in all that. I believe each one of us was made in the imagine and likness of God. We were created as a special object of God's love. HE made us so he could love us! God created us for a significant purpose and we can only discover this if we make HIM the reference point of our life.
Anytime I feel dejected, ejected or rejected in life (like a friend of mine would say), I would encourage myself with these words- "I am unique! There is no one like me on planet earth, no one has the set of finger prints I have. No one has the exact personality I have. I am custom built by God."
That's some proper esteem boost right there! Hehehe.
26 May 2006
It's not about Me!
The realisation that this life is not about me or you is kinda carking, don't you think? Many times I do what I want because my happiness depends on it but now I know this life is not about my happiness or peace of mind.
I have read many self-help book that tell me- "if you want to be fufilled, look in within, think about what makes you happy, what makes you tick and you've found it". The world teaches us to be self-centred- What makes me happy? What do I want to do? What are my goals and my dreams? If I didn't create myself, how can I look within for answers? It really is not about me but about God because I was born by his purpose and for his purpose. That means I have to look to HIM the one that created me for my purpose. Imagine a sofa telling Mr Carpenter, "I have looked within and I notice I am comfy, I think I will be happy being a bed, let people lay down on me when they want to sleep". Fine, the chair might be fufilled playing a bed's role but that wasn't the purpose for which Mr Carpenter created it. It will end up as a short-lived sofa.
The Bible says in Ephensians 1:11 that -"It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone". This verse tells me that:
I have read many self-help book that tell me- "if you want to be fufilled, look in within, think about what makes you happy, what makes you tick and you've found it". The world teaches us to be self-centred- What makes me happy? What do I want to do? What are my goals and my dreams? If I didn't create myself, how can I look within for answers? It really is not about me but about God because I was born by his purpose and for his purpose. That means I have to look to HIM the one that created me for my purpose. Imagine a sofa telling Mr Carpenter, "I have looked within and I notice I am comfy, I think I will be happy being a bed, let people lay down on me when they want to sleep". Fine, the chair might be fufilled playing a bed's role but that wasn't the purpose for which Mr Carpenter created it. It will end up as a short-lived sofa.
The Bible says in Ephensians 1:11 that -"It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone". This verse tells me that:
- I can only discover my identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus
- God was thinking of me long before I even thought about him. His purpose for my life precedes my conception. He didn't need my input to determine my purpose
- My purpose in life fits into a much larger purpose that God has designed for eternity.
So I guess the question I should be asking myself is how do I live for God and not myself? Hmm.
My Commitment
Hi y'all!
Am sure we sometimes wonder what we are doing here on earth. Is it just about getting an education, falling in love, getting married, raising a family, getting a job, climbling the career ladder, retiring or is there more to life? Most of us just follow the tides of life and take whatever life throws at us. Personally I think there is more to life. There must be a purpose for my existence. I know many of us are curious about our purpose on earth, sometimes we think we know it, next minute we aren't so sure of ourselves. Tough life!!!
I don't know how many people have read this book- THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE by Rick Warren. I got this book as a gift 2 years ago, I started reading it but never completed it for some reason or the other, then I lost it! Anyway just last week I got a parcel from someone and guess what was in it- yaaah, The Purpose Driven Life..LOL, so here's my second "God-ordained" chance to read it again. I believe this book would help me answer some of the questions I have in my head concerning my purpose.
Anyway I have decided to make a commitment to myself and to God to read this book (its a 40-day journey) and I believe at the end of the 40 days, by God's grace, I would know the real purpose for why God created me. I intend to share my thoughts on what I learn with you, hence the blog. Your comments are most welcome.
If you have the book I encourage you to read it; from the little I read of it 2 years ago I know you will be blessed.
Happy reading :)
Am sure we sometimes wonder what we are doing here on earth. Is it just about getting an education, falling in love, getting married, raising a family, getting a job, climbling the career ladder, retiring or is there more to life? Most of us just follow the tides of life and take whatever life throws at us. Personally I think there is more to life. There must be a purpose for my existence. I know many of us are curious about our purpose on earth, sometimes we think we know it, next minute we aren't so sure of ourselves. Tough life!!!
I don't know how many people have read this book- THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE by Rick Warren. I got this book as a gift 2 years ago, I started reading it but never completed it for some reason or the other, then I lost it! Anyway just last week I got a parcel from someone and guess what was in it- yaaah, The Purpose Driven Life..LOL, so here's my second "God-ordained" chance to read it again. I believe this book would help me answer some of the questions I have in my head concerning my purpose.
Anyway I have decided to make a commitment to myself and to God to read this book (its a 40-day journey) and I believe at the end of the 40 days, by God's grace, I would know the real purpose for why God created me. I intend to share my thoughts on what I learn with you, hence the blog. Your comments are most welcome.
If you have the book I encourage you to read it; from the little I read of it 2 years ago I know you will be blessed.
Happy reading :)
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