Do you think I really want to listen to that?!

There's something that I have seen and still see as awkward. It has to do with the funny way people act in public transport. It's something that happens often. This funny, and sometimes not funny act pushed me to write this.

Recently, I boarded a bus and not long after the bus moved, one of the passengers started playing music from his phone ('chinko' i guess... :) ). If it was audible enough and not so loud, maybe it would have been better but it wasn't. To me, it was something far from music...it was simply noise! Guess everybody has some form of freedom to do whatever they want but shouldn't there be a limit?

On another beautiful day in a cab, the cab driver 'entertained' us by playing Saheed Osupa's songs not bothered if we were truly entertained or not. I had to BEG him when I needed to receive a call. And when the call ended, before I could say Jack, the volume was up again!

Another funny example is that which happened recently in a bus. A passenger was practically shouting and telling us issues he had with people working with him till he allighted from the bus, all in the name of making a phone call. Hearing him talk on phone, one could actually summarise what he has been up to lately and the issues he's having with his driver. This kind of thing just makes me wonder if there isn't more to the phone call. Maybe he just wanted attention of other passengers or something.

I wonder why people have earphones/ear piece and refuse to use it when they really should. I don't think there's anything stopping you from using ear phone if you want to listen to songs on your phone when you are in a public place. And if you want to make or receive a call that's meant to be personal or confidential and there are many people around, you'll be doing yourself and those around you a whole lot of good by keeping your voice a bit down.


Anytime I experience or remember things like those I mentioned earlier, I just can't help but ask myself "why was earphone invented?"...and sometimes I wish I could scream "DO YOU THINK I REALLY WANT TO LISTEN TO THAT?!

Hopefully, someday when I get my own car, i won't have to worry about all that :)

A letter to God

My heart is heavy

So heavy, it’s now hard for me to carry

I’ve cried so much for years

And I don’t know if my eyes can produce any more tears

I’ve hoped for so long

And I wonder if I’ll ever sing a new song

I thank and love you for the times you’ve put a smile on my face in the past

So, why does the smile have to disappear so fast?

I work hard and wish for the best

And I just hope good results continue to come

I think I’ve been too strong for too long

And I don’t know if I can keep holding on

Though it’s hard to confess, I’m weary

And you’ll know if only you can see through me

I need a hug from heaven

That will be the best gift for this season

A large part of me knows I should keep holding on

I think I'll do just that till all these is gone

I know there's light at the end of the tunnel

I just hope I get there soon so I can leave this jungle

This is to all those who have gone weary or depressed...DON'T GIVE UP till you've reached the peak

There's a light at the end of the tunnel...God has good plans...just keep working hard and holding on...I''m doing that too

 

The Oliver Twist syndrome

I remember a part of economics which talks about the fact that human wants are insatiable. This means our wants cannot be satisfied. They are unending.

I think it's just in our nature to always want more. It's something I've come to realise over time. No matter how much a person has, he/she still craves for more. Even those people that we can call 'successful' don't stay on a spot. They keep moving because they want more. I guess that's one of the reasons Aliko Dangote continues moving. He has to stay on top of his game as the richest man in Africa and continue working hard till he attains the position of the richest man in the world if possible. Maybe it's the Oliver Twist Syndrome that makes a married man go after girls that are not up to his wife's standard in any way. I also think the same thing goes for those in the entertainment industry. These celebrities sometimes go to any length get people's attention and remain in the spotlight. They want to gain more poularity.

It's a good thing to work hard and get better at whatever you do. And we should always aspire to be better than who we were the day before and never settle for less. One thing that can make it bad is taking it too far by getting so obsessed with getting everthing you want everytime. Also, never getting satisfied could make us bitter with ourselves. As much as we want more, we should appreciate what we have and try to take out some time to acknowledge God for taking us to the level we are now, rather than asking for more all the time.

Sometimes, all we need is a break

Sometimes we expect too much from ourselves and this causes us to be stretched. We go beyond our elastic limit and sometimes, we even get to the breaking point. It is at that point that we realise we’ve pushed ourselves too far.

If you’ve been around workaholics, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Some people work round the clock without having time for themselves and their families. We are so keen on making ends meet, getting so much done all at once and making money. While doing this, we sometimes neglect people and things that really matter.

“Good, better, best, I shall never rest…until my good is better and my better best”. I guess you’ve heard this before. I remember those times we used to sing this song on assembly ground in primary school. I also remember my principal in secondary school used to tell us “hard work doesn’t kill, it strengthens”. Yes, it does. Well…maybe hard work doesn’t kill, but stress can.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s bad to set targets for ourselves and work hard to achieve our goals. That is a very beautiful thing. I’m just saying that once in a while, we need to ease the tension and relax. Because in the end, we get to bear whatever happens (whether good or bad).

What happened to me some days ago is just an example of what I’m talking about. For like one-quarter of the day, I had headache. The bad part was even though my head was aching; I ignored it and continued what I was doing without even eating. I didn’t stop what I was doing until I got to my elastic limit and I knew I had to stop to rest a bit.

Taking this situation back to school, I remember it has happened at different times. The funny but true fact is that the courses I took so serious and got so worried about were the ones I ended up having poor marks in even though others had A’s.  

The bottom line is, in as much as we want to achieve some great things, we shouldn’t take things too hard on ourselves. We shouldn’t let our thirst for success cause us to lose our real selves. If we are not getting the results we want at the moment, we probably just need to take some time off, pray, reflect on these things and try to see the way forward.

I’m learning this and trying to always keep it at the back of my mind. I think you should too.

Would you?

This is me just thinking. Think about these too...especially you boys/guys/men...whatever


Would you still love her after you've gotten the keys to her heart?

Would you not take her for granted after she has agreed to spend the rest of her life with you?

Would you still look at her with so much admiration when she's wearing her shorts and t-shirt with no make-up on?

Would you still think she's cute when her flat tummy turns to a drum while carrying your baby?

Would you call her sexy even when she adds weight after delivery ?

Would she still be your baby when her innocent looks gradually disappear?

Would it remain "for better, for worse" when she's not able to conceive within the early years of marriage?

Would you stand by her side and still make her feel special if she ever suffers a deadly disease like cancer?

Would your shoulders be forever available in case of times she needs a shoulder to cry on?

Would you be willing to take up the role of a husband, brother and father simultaneously?

Would you be there to watch the stars with her when all she has left on her head is gray hair?

Would you still gladly take a walk with her even when your muscles have begun to lose their firmness and your bones, their strength?

Would she be able to look back after forty years and say "I love you and I'm so glad I met you" from the deepest part of her heart?

Would you be able to look straight into her eyes and say "I love you too"

Would you?

...I hope the questions are not many :)

Why are we so in love with the dead?

There's something that's been on my mind for sometime. Seeing "RIP Fada U-turn" on status updates, news and different blogs/sites since yesterday just brought the thought back.

I've come to realise that I appreciate a song more when it's already stale. And somehow, I was able to link this up with news about Fada U-turn's death. I'm going somewhere.

I've not actually lost someone really dear to me(like a very close relative or friend) but I hear of deaths everywhere. Seeing many posts and write-ups by people who seem to be affected by his death, wishing him a peaceful rest and claiming he'll be missed, I can't help but wonder where these people have been all along. If I'm not wrong, this is someone we haven't heard much from for years and nobody really talked about him.

Though I remeber that his very old song "Yetunde Yetunde o , Yetunde mi da?...", it's not like I'm a fan of Fada U-turn in any way because saying that will be far from the truth. It's just that this reminds me that we sometimes pay more attention when we hear about the death of someone.

This is not about Fada U-turn alone but also about the death of anyone around we've
heard of. I think about those posts, comments and pictures that come up on facebook especially on the official students' union page whenever a UIte dies. Though they go on for only a short while after the death, it could be overwhelming. The same thing goes for others, though it's more pronounced when celebrities are involved.

Many people have been made popular through their deaths. In fact, I think we celebrate and talk more about deaths than births. We tend to talk so much about people, remember the good times and say sweet things about them after they are gone. The painful thing is that we sometimes never get to say these lovely things to them while they are still very much around. Maybe that explains why I sometimes prefer old songs to new ones. Maybe it's just in our nature to value something/someone more when we have lost them or when they are no longer what/who we had or knew.

It will be so  nice if we actually shower all that care on them, say all these sweet things and make them feel special as much as we can when they are useful...when those people can actually feel them. So, even when they are gone, we can be sure they are happy with us wherever they are. We can be sure saying/doing those things when they are gone will not make us hypocrites. God help us all.

Maybe it will be better if we are not only in love with the dead but also the living...just maybe.

once upon a time

Little things used to matter
But now, no one seems to bother

A good name was better than silver and gold
It seems to be the other way round now, truth be told


People used to think twice before doing things
Now, we've thrown caution to the winds

True love used to exist
Now, a shadow of it is what we see

There was something called due process and fair judgement with nothing much to flaunt
But now, you're permitted to use what you have to get what you want

Songs had meaningful lyrics
Now, we hear senseless songs with great beats

Virginity used to be a sign of dignity
But now, they say it's lack of opportunity

A trium-owner was a semi-god and object of envy
Now, a primary school pupil boasts of owning a blackberry

Vanity upon vanity, all is vanity they said
But now, the craze for money is the order of the day

Once upon a time, things were different
But all that now seem to be ancient

Change is indeed constant!