Liebster Award.. I Wonder That Is?

Today of all day that I was feeling all funky already, then I saw Shughar's  comment on my recent post indicating she nominated me for an award "I come start to dey feel like Superfly Snuka". Anyways, I am doing my own back although I am not sure of how this works.. 

I think the award is for upcoming bloggers "I am not upcoming, I am actually unserious", I've own this blog since 2007, na my fault say I never blow. I can use the mileage though, and I think it will be fun answering those questions below and shunning out the blog ID of other interesting bloggers.

THE RULES
1.You must link the person’s blog who nominated you for the award.
2.Answer the 11 questions given by the person who nominated you.
3.Pick an additional 11 people to nominate with UNDER 200 blog followers
4.You cannot nominate the blogger who nominated you.
5.You must inform the nominees that have been nominated.

6. You can write 11 random things about you. 

Straight to the questions, before I change my mind. I hope sweetness personified Shughar's is ready for the answers...

1. What did you want to be when you were a child?

• The only thing I can remember I wanted to be as a child was '"Different". I gave myself the name "Babaolowo" when I was like two years old, fought anyone that tried associating me with small girls "you know all those babies they call your wife as a child", I preferred their mothers... I think I was already in Secondary School before I gave that a real thought... and I am doing what I fell in love with then.. wanna know what? Just ask me again

2. What is the best thing about you?

• I have very sexy lips, jagged teeth (from a accident I survived), brown eyes (from my grandma) but I think the best of 'em all is the fact that I don't get angry... I'm an extra miler and I always go around with a long rope that never snaps. A lot of people think it's a bad one, but I don't ever wanna stop... 

3. Which of my blog posts is your favourite?

• It is one old post of yours like that, even you sef can't remember it so don't ask me again.

4. What makes you laugh out loud?

• Almost everything gives me a good laugh "because i'm happy"  except Nigerian movies

5. What is your guiding philosophy or quote?

• The way things are is the way you left it... Stand up, Stand tall, be the change you want to see

6. What do you dislike about blogging?

• It's a never ending story.

7. What is the hardest thing you have ever had to do?

• I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.... I am sure I will never be in a situation where I will have to compromise... Finding out and accepting that you've not been totally a positive influence on people who are destined to live the negative life sometimes becomes harder but nothing is harder than eating a plate of Eba with Efo with snail inside and crushed, smoked Shawa  inside inside with cold pammie to flush it.

8. What are 3 of your future goals?

• Become the change I've always clamoured, write, sing, dance and even go mad about
• Write a chart bursting, ever green song for an artist that I am not sure I know yet
• To remain me and real without compromising me forever, so help me God

9. What is the aim of your blog?

• Inspire people, birth change and maybe get a fat check from Google someday for writing what I like.

10.What feature and/or personality do you love the most about yourself?

• Every feature/personality, you no hear say na Jesus I resemble, I don't wanna change anything... Even my voice is cold and sexy and you don't even get to see it.

11.What of your posts is your best blog post so far?

• I wrote it in... don't ask, just read "On a Clean Slate Here" HERE and "Tomorrow Is You" HERE they are personal expressions...not the best...

RANDOM FACTS

1. I am taller than I look
2. I am technically a comedian but I don't get paid for making the world around me laugh
3. I am abnormal, irrational and definitely way out of your league so you can't figure me out
4. I read almost everything in ink, don't like reading on computers but I don on phones and tabs OK
5. My elevator pitch is going to be just too long, I do a little bit of everything which is weird
6. I love writing music and poems
7. I could be very random without the world around me knowing
8. I hate clouds, whether it's from a chimney, an exhaust or from a cigarette but I doesn't irritate me
9. I love boxing more than any sport in the world, no favourite boxer though... I do Arsenal (Football) & San Antonio Spurs (Basket Ball)
10. I love being alone.. like living in my own world
11. I am still discovering myself...because there is practically nothing I can't do... fear is a scam

NOMINEES

I don't really have a hold on the learners community like that... my circle is very small when it comes to blogging so I might....... (go figure)

Good Naija Girl (She's not a learner like me but I put her here jor)

Poise Freak

Elthan

Kayode

Xo

Areurmikun

Elsie

Loops

Lazy

I think I yaff tried o jare! No time for editing or review...

Why The Wait for 2015?

I have a few reasons why I don't need to wait a day longer...

• Abba Moro is still a free man after killing young Nigerians with his scam employment project, in fact he's still a minister, receiving wages and supposedly representing Us in his own way
• Okonjo-Iweala is still the Finance/Coordinating minister even though all she's got are perfect excuses for the trillions and quadrillions of Naira that had disappeared from the coffers of Nigeria under her watch
• Dieziani and NNPC are still paying themselves subsidy in billions of dollars on products that were neither purchased nor sold, the over $40bn is still unaccounted for, she still flies those private jets and even got an injunction to stop her from being investigated #WhereIsOurMoney
• America is gradually establishing AFRICOM in Nigeria under the pretense of rescue operation, we still have nothing to show for their presence here
• My younger sisters from Chibok and those kidnapped before them are still missing and the only song we've heard from the presidential camp is "Dairis God oo!" and nothing more. #BringBackOurGirls
• The bombs are still exploding, the polity of this nation still hanging on the shoulder of a weakling from Otueke while PDP plunders the resources of the nation.

The picture above speaks my mind without reserve, it's a proof that we don't have to wait till 2015 to change Nigeria. I can still remember what went down on March 10, 2010 when hundreds of Nigerians gathered in Abuja on a Wednesday (a working day), under the umbrella of "Save Nigeria Group" for a march to demand the appearance of ailing leader  President Umaru Musa Yar`Adua, or his immediate impeachment of on grounds of permanent incapacitation and immediate transfer of full presidential powers to Acting President Goodluck  Ebele Jonathan and also the invocation of Section 144 of the Constitution so that presidential powers will be fully accountable, plus the immediate dissolution of the Executive Council of the Federation (EXCOF) which is alleged to have collaborated with presidential aides to foist the unhealthy lies about Yar'Adua's health on the nation as well as a quick and thorough implementation of the Justice Lawal Uwais Report on electoral reform. That rally produced at least two of the results we hoped for. GEJ became the acting president and the EXCOF was automatically dissolved. So why didn't we just wait then till 2011 for the next elections before demanding change like we are being advised now by APC, PDP and their cronies to chill till 2015? Why did the ordinary and powerful Nigerians stand up together to demand the implementation of the constitution without fear of favour instead of waiting for Yar'Adua's tenure to elapse, or simmer until he's officially pronounced dead? I keep asking myself this question, and I wonder why we are still waiting.

It is only a demonic people, sent to earth from the pit of hell that will tell the world and Nigerians to wait till 2015 before Nigeria is saved from corruption, insecurity, disregard for human lives and the pain of terrorism that has become the daily bread of Nigerians in the hands this sardonic GEJ led administration and the PDP cabal. I am beginning to be more sure that the dangers we experience in is the work of GEJ and his ilk and I am seeing wisdom in the words of the demonic late Abacha when he said "If insurgency lasts for more than 24hours, the government has a hand in it…"  I bet there are more demons in PDP than APC and even a greater demon in us all if all we want to do is wait for the next election before we wield the wand of change. I can still hear the voice of late Dora Akunyili in my head, the interview she granted when Yar'Adua was smuggled into the country and even the GEJ demon we now worship; as the acting president was denied access to his boss. Dora came out on national TV to decry the situation, even though she was a minister serving in the cabinet of Yar'Adua, she stood out, demanding that every Nigerian be allowed access to the truth but GEJ along with other PDP faithful were quiet, a  bunch of sapless, clueless, self subservient, selfish individuals, only interested in power and looting, calmly waiting for the cadaver of the already late president to be revealed so they can take the reins. If we wielded  our wand of change for this animals in human skin then, we can unite again and stand against whatever we want to change. We stood together as Nigerians to install GEJ as the president of Nigeria in 2010 which led to his becoming elected being the incumbent in 2011, then we can stand united to demand the change… only then do we become the change ourselves.

I am livid we are resorting to fate, waiting for the 2015 election to fan in the wind of change. Our girls are still missing, what will be left of us by 2015, how many eligible voters will be left alive if over 12000 of us have been butchered by the insurgent as reported by president himself and the killing hasn't stopped for a minute. I guess we think it's ok die by the hundreds until while the politicking continues, will it ever stop? When will Nigerians like you and me rise up from behind our computers to say #EnoughIsEnough with all sincerity and purpose. It is cool to organize ourselves via the internet, but dreaming it will change anything is only a dream, we must get off our asses and birth the change. Our online screaming of #BringBackOurGirls has brought nothing back, it will only be a news and none of our sisters will ever return, we will be mere toothless dogs and our demands will neither stand on a foot nor hold a breath of air. The whole world has been screaming #BringBackOurGirls since April but not even a scarf or hijab has been returned to the wailing mothers and mourning fathers; dead or alive and still we continue. I am sure I am done with this our cry of insanity; I am ready to enroll in the army if that will bring something home from the shrubs called Sambisa forest.

What GEJ and his cohorts have done visibly so far is "see everything as an attack on his administration and the Ijaw clan", he declares a state of emergency, and blame everything else on the opposition even though it's obvious he has failed to stand and charge. When the first bomb under his administration went off on Oct 1st, 2010, MEND claimed responsibility but GEJ was quick to defend his kinsmen.  

“It is erroneous to think that my people who have been agitating for good living will deliberately blow up the opportunity they have now”-Jonathan. 

He described the incident as a terrorist attack from the north, designed to falter his presidential candidacy then but now we know better. He's  been president for four bad years and he's still pointing fingers at the north and opposition without doing any sensible thing about it. Are we going to just sit down and continue to hope he will get lucky again like he's been throughout his political career or we are going to stand up and change Nigeria by shooing him away?

We can save Nigeria. The reported success story of the ORDINARY people of Kala-bage local government against BH has started the process already, they repelled BH attack and killed over 200 of them in an irate reaction to BH reign of terror - Read more by clicking here >> We must stand up to this politicized reign of terror and demand the Nigeria of our dream by our action. 

It is time to get on your feet Nigeria! PDP via GEJ has proven beyond reasonable and unreasonable doubt that they without ideas on how to lead, rule or govern and it is time for them to GO! I know there must be a place in the constitution that gives the people the power to tell the president “it’s time to go” since we are the ones that elected him into office. Our Yes Men  are allies, they represent party interest instead of the people; oblivious of the present innate and near comatose ability of GEJ and the crippled state of the nation. I know the provision of the constitution and I believe the president as contravened the provisions of Chapter VI, Section 143, Sub-section 2b more than enough to have him thrown in the sewer, but the congress as proven to be a gathering of baboons and not men.

It is time for GEJ to return to Otueke because he’s not a man of mettle, he’s not worthy of the title “President” by my own standard or the standard of the sane and insane world. Today I cast my vote of “NO CONFIDENCE” on the leadership of Nigeria's Military, GEJ and his ilk. I am not a coward, I will gladly join the army, go arms way to fight a common enemy, but not under the command of a man that is waiting for God to come help him pull the trigger even after he’s been handed an assault rifle for the war. Today again, I declare as a general in the army of the people to fight and restore the glory of my Nigeria, to bring back my sisters and trade in GEJ for all I care. Now is the time to act, not at the polls or tomorrow or next or else this destruction will come upon us like a plague, leaving us nothing but the hymn of regret. Why wait till 2015 to come out en masse to vote when we can come out en masse to change our country for good.

The Fury of A Saint

Oh! I'm sure you've read or heard

The story of a saint who won the war

Whose gait enough was ridden with strength

Strength enough to bear the pain

And pay the wage of the debt and crime

I have committed or yet to owe

They said he's meek but I refuse to believe

They paint him weak, gentle and bland

But all of that I refuse to believe

Because no weak or feeble hand or mind

Can bear the burden of the things I've done

And the pain of a billion more of me

Care to listen to what I know

You'll believe the truth of who He His

And not the feeble fable of who they said

The fury of a man that I know

More furious than a fiery furnace

But yet a saint, a lamb, a king

Now the story.

He became flesh and dwelled among us… He arrived in a manger, his umbilical cord probably cut with a regular knife or shear and tetanus or and any other known and unknown infection that could have been contacted in a dungy cow ramp didn't come near him. He was a normal child but his immune system was stronger, he came a man. His first trip away from home was probably on a camel or donkey, all the way to Egypt until his enemies were dead, and he took the same road trip back home.. a big bad ass survival, thronging the deserts of the north like a boss.

At age 12, he was bold and knowledgeable enough to stand before people that would have been referred to as Bishops and General Overseers  in today's churches, teaching them about the theology they taught they know already, he had more insight and foresight, and strength and wisdom, and he knew everything, not supernaturally, but by studying and learning. Remember when his mama came for him, he was even bold to tell her "mum why are you looking for me, can't you see that I am here doing my father's business? ".. From the age of 12, a fury he was, a saint but a fury in it.

I think you are forgetting that he grew up a carpenter, he had more muscle than the ones you push to get in a gym, tout body, tensile strength, mental weight and probably some scars from work hazards that comes with being a carpenter. He was strong, fury strong, great muscular body and not that tender looking frail dude you see in movies..no, that's not him. He's not the kinda guy you could get drunk and pick on, he was tall and suave, like nothing you've seen in all those Jesus movies you've watched… I am even suspecting he was a fine sword man, he must have learnt how to swing a little, it was normal for a young man in his time to learn the way of the sword, especially when you are strong like him.

Now to prove that he's the kinda man I just described, follow my lead and let me show you in four scenarios.

1. Imagine a guy walks into a bus garage, locate the office of NURTW treasurer, walks up to him and tell him to leave his tax collection job and follow him without using any jazz and the treasurer obeys. Peter was a brazen tax collector and that was how He recruited him as a disciple. If you think Peter is not that razz or violent, just read your Bible a little more and you will notice that he was the one that drew his sword and struck off the ears of Malchus in John 18:10, but Jesus was stronger, physically stronger. Only the strong can control the strong, his charge over his disciples wasn't just spiritual, he was physically strong and domineering.

2. Imagine a guy walks into a place where people were gambling and selling merchandize with "koboko" and he starts to kick their wares, and chase them away with "egba", no guns or sword. I bet if you are the one selling, and he's someone you can overpower, you would have kicked and wrestle him down, especially when it's a public place and he has no personal right or authority over the place. That what happened when he chased those traders and gamblers out of the temple, he bounced them with his fury. He wasn't the one in charge of the temple, anybody could have challenged his action, but nobody dared, he had not just spiritual charge over the temple, but some good pounds of muscle to back  up his action. He's physically stronger than you ever imagined, and with a fury in it.

3. Picture this. An angry mob had gathered, they've just caught a criminal and they were about to stone her to death, then one guy comes out and say " You can't stone her". Remember the "Aluu-IV", even the police could not stop the mob, but he was strong enough to stop the mob and walked away with Martha. That wasn't spiritual, it was a physical stance that he achieved with strength and not dialogue… It didn't happen the way they showed it in "Passion of Christ", "angry mob no dey hear gist", they are like a moving train, it will take a superman, a real stallion like Him to stop the mob, and daring any of them to cast the first stone on grounds of reason. I bet you now have a feel of it, the kinda brother that rolls with 12 swords wielding men is sure not some gentle giant, He's got fury in Him.

4. Just imagine you parked your new car in front of your house and two guys showed up, ask you for your keys and because you know them, and you know who they work for, you couldn't even hesitate. Remember he even told them to tell anyone that dare to ask that, He's the one that needs the ass. I worked in a sawmill for the better part of my recent youth, it accounts for the muscles you see on my body, I don't do gym so I know how heavy a 2x12x12 log can be even if it's soft wood. Now imagine how physically strong he was, he carried two of that for miles, shortly after he was flogged mercilessly and left with blisters and bleeding flesh. If na me, I won't even go 100 meters before I will collapse but he carried it for kilometers, falling and standing up again to continue. He was nailed to that cross and He still had enough strength not just to talk, but to forgive, allot paradise  and pray. Omo my Jesus is a fury of a saint, not the gentle man they painted in those "Book Of My Bible Stories" we read when we were younger.

My Jesus was a strong, agile, tall, muscular, handsome fury of a saint, not a gentleman.. Even hell hath no fury like him, or do you think the scripture will describe Him "A Consuming Fire" if he wasn't one? Get into some righteous anger, cowards don't walk on water; when bullshit comes to your table, think about it, "what will Jesus do?".

I am Abidemi Babaolowo Oderinlo
iRead What iNeed, iWrite What iLike, iAct What iWrite
Tweets from @enyola

THAT PLACE ONLY WE KNOW...#WeekendExpression

It's been three long years and you are yet to come home from overseas.

The distance doesn't count anymore but the emotional separation.

We drifted apart over the years and in those years, we lost all our plans and carelessly (mis)placed all the promises we made to each other rendering them empty words.

Now we are total strangers except for the occasional "I still care about you" which used to be "I love you very much".

How I long for those days (;)

Those days when we didn't seem to care about anything, not the distance nor our inability to physically express ourselves.

Those days when all we cared about was our love. 

Our love blossomed like the rose in the sun notwithstanding the thorn by its side.

Our love stood strong through thick and thin, through the days of waiting and longing to see each other.  

Oh so many plans!

So many dreams swept beneath the carpet.  Imagination of you permeated my thoughts; Thoughts of you filled my days.

Dreams of us lying next to each other, skin to skin, lips to lips, body to body, looking into each other's faces while you put me to sleep invaded my nights.

All it took to brighten my day was a look at one of your pictures proudly displayed on the wallpaper of my phone or the screen saver of my computer or the very bold picture of your face smiling at me from the large paper hanging on the wall of my room just like the one of me hanging on your wall too.

Or the little printed one sitting at a corner inside my wallet.

Our conversation lasted through the night into the wee hours of the morning.

You were my love, my confidant, my friend, my brother, my heartbeat and above all, my future.

I grinned from cheek to cheek when someone mentioned your name.

At the mention of your name, the heat rose from my toes and sensually curled up my spine till it encompassed my whole being and radiated through and through.

We argued to agree, you handled my tantrums and silliness perfectly.

How happy I was!

How happy we were.

You know that saying about how "it was over for you when that one person that had your mumu button locates you," well the person that had mine had sure found me.

It was either You or You.

I was dancing in the sun and walking all over the moon from the magic of our love.

Every morning I say a little prayer of appreciation to the One who freely gave us the gift of LOVE.

I could feel my pulse do some acrobatics at the sound of your voice.

Ours was pure unadulterated love.

We were the definition of two imperfect souls, separated by distance but bound through love to become one perfect soul.

They said we would get tired,

They said it wouldn't last,

They said distance will eventually creep in and pull us apart while others longed for what we had.

Months after months, I anticipated and eagerly awaited your home coming and three years after, I'm still waiting, but not so eagerly.

Sometime during our journey, we let our emotion run wild.

We let distance trick us and lead our hearts far away from each other.

We let time control and redirect our passion.

We abandoned our love for so long and let spiders spin webs on it - web of doubt, web of betrayal, web of lies, and web of distrust. 

Slowly it started out as a busy schedule with us making out time to catch up on moments missed but eventually, we became too busy to make-up for the moments we lost.

Gradually, distance broke through our well-guarded emotion, breaking through our defense until we became almost strangers.

We let others in: male, female, we let them encroach on and poach on our love for each other.

We don't even talk anymore.

Our eagerness and anticipation slipped through and the air sucked it up.

Now we walk on eggs while we talk.

You hide things from me and I in turn keep things from you until it became our new trend.

Slowly again, we have picked up our shattered pieces, tried to patch it up here and there and try to rediscover ourselves.

I'm willing to try again as I'm sure you are willing to. To start over again, to go back to that spot where we found love and where we lost it and perhaps take a different route this time.

But we hold back...

We let our fears and insecurity guide us rather than our emotion.

As much as we want to fight for “us" to blossom again, we have our fears.

But then I beg of you to let go of your fears and I, of mine too.

Let's share our fears as we've always done.

Let's build a new "US" based on true love, trust, believe, commitment, faith and hope as our new foundation.

Let's give a new meaning to this shaky "us".

Let's redesign this love and fashion out a new future.

Let's take it a step after a step.

Please say you are willing to try.

Give me all of you as I'll give you all of me.

Let's dream again, together.

Say you are willing to walk with me.

Please hold my hand and let's rewrite this story of "us" but this time with a "happily ever after" end.

#Expression by Adedoyinsola (Pest)