It Is Raining Right Now

My mother has to be the chief proponent of saving for the rainy day! I love my mother dearly, it's just that sometimes our philosophies in life differ. She is cautious. I am too, but....

Anyway, I remembered my mother recently when I had to make certain choices i.e. should I splurge on a trip to Europe and move into a nicer apartment; or save my hard- earned dollars (well... maybe not so hard- earned but mine nonetheless) for THE rainy day. I mean, it makes a lot of sense to get used to my humble room in a SFH and sit my ass in DC for the Christmas holidays(or in the alternative spend a grand total of $35 going to NYC) rather than spending a whooping $850 to go to the UK. Needless to say, I will be totally broke but hopefully not in debt by the time I get back from my trip.

So how do I resolve this dilemma of mine? A slow smile spreads across my face... and I come up with a reply for my mother; "Mother dearest, it's raining right now".

It's My Birthday!!!

My car started the first time this morning. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like the car has major issues or anything …well, maybe one or two major issues. But it started on the first turn of the ignition. I suspect that the last time that happened was ehm…ehm… probably when the car was tested and driven out of the plant. And that was when I knew that this year of my life is going to be different.

Today the ninth of October is my birthday, and in defiance of the rule which every woman quotes from birth, i.e. a woman NEVER reveals her age, I proudly proclaim that this is my twenty-sixth year on this earth. Analyse that!!!

And I am glad. For many reasons. God loves me and has been good to me. That is what it all boils down to. Sorry to disappoint you, but I am not going to start waxing all philosophical. I am just glad to be alive and I hope y’all have a good day, as I fully intend to.

Tara!!!

A Message Aptly Delivered

If ever a message was to put across strongly the return of Jesus Christ, then Infinity’s “Olorioko” more than does the job. In living out our quotidian existence, it is easy to forget that we are only sojourners in the world and are one day going to return to our final homes to answer for our lives here on earth. The message of the song is simple: The Master is Coming Back; and the sub-message- You Have Been Warned, Be Prepared.

The first time I should have seen the video of the song and indeed listened to it, I dozed off while watching the Top Ten Nigerian Videos Countdown on Sound City. The song was apparently the number one song for that week, and I could not stay awake long enough to see it. I gave my dad a lot of flack for not waking me up. I was determined that it would not repeat itself. So the next Friday, I well-nigh taped my eyes wide open, and boy was it worth it!!! Two things strike you when you see the video. The first is that the video appeals to the artist in everyone of us- A far cry from Tony Tetuila’s ‘Two Women’ where all that was required was a cameraman filming a bunch of people in a club. The picture quality, concept, costumes, melody…etc. was exquisite. Nigerians have for a while now been denied such quality- whether it is as a result of a dearth in talent, ideas, or plain grit is not exactly clear. But whatever it is, Infinity definitely has it in abundance.

Secondly and perhaps more importantly is the resuscitation of culture. I am Yoruba and have always believed that I could get by in the language. However, shame on me, I had to ask my parents to translate a lot of what he was saying. Such richness! Such wisdom! Such potency! This, and a recent lunchtime palaver with colleagues made me determine my kids will speak Yoruba with all the nuances, so help me God.

And at the end of it all, the message is clear yiyo t’ekun yo, ki ma n se t’ojo literally translated to mean that the skulking of the tiger should by no means be mistaken for cowardice. That God has not struck does not mean he is unable. We would do well to keep this in mind.

Reflective Stickers???

REFLECTIVE STICKERS???

When will the intimidation ever end? Ehn? Is it a crime to live in Nigeria? The fact that some of us have decided to stick things out in this country –whether this is because we have on countless occasions been denied visas to other places or not is not relevant here- should be commended, as we are daily assaulted with all manner of conditions that would break the ordinary human being. But then again we are not ordinary, we are Nigerians!

What is the reason for my diatribe this beautiful day? It is nothing more than the new ‘law’ on the use of reflective stickers, which seems to be gaining ground by the day. Just the other day, I noticed in the traffic some guy selling the stickers, and with the way people were buying up the stickers, the thought crossed my mind (albeit briefly) to abandon my legal practice and join the young entrepreneur in his ‘area of practice’.

I wondered about the reason for the rush for the stickers and now I know that probably because I am permanently holed up in my office from 7am till 8pm Mondays to Fridays and the odd Saturday, I was totally unaware that some tin god somewhere had decided that all motorists should begin to stick the things on their cars, or face the music (which of course is constantly having to pay off LASTMA, Police, Traffic Warden, FERMA, Local Government Traffic Monitoring Unit; maybe even LASEPA –these days, who knows with all these agencies?- so that you can live (or leave) in peace).

Come to think of it, who conjures up these things? Reflective stickers on cars? And the reason the car manufacturers make the reflective backlights on cars is…? I mean, come on! What is the plan? Is it that the ‘blockhead’ in charge of such things wants to convince us all of the relevance of his portfolio such that he has to keep coming up with ‘cutting edge’ innovations? Where has he (it can’t be a woman, women I presume are more sensible than that- you are right, I am a woman!) seen it done before?

While I understand the safety precaution that probably formed the idea, it does not make a lot of sense. Is it a double precaution or what? (They should start first with those who don’t even have the initial precaution of back lights- those scourges known as commercial buses) Where do they expect me to stick it on my 2006-model Range? (Somebody somewhere in Lagos I am sure, drives this car, which I wish with all of my heart that I owned) No o! Abeg, me I no do o! And thus, I am prepared to put my ‘learned’ tongue to work and harass anybody that dares to accost me on my lack of a reflective sticker.

Friendly Warning: If you no get liver, or at least an NBA sticker on your car, you are advised to purchase the sticker!!!