Gratitude

On this beautiful evening, after many nights of unrest and six full hours of mindless sleep, following the conclusion of my exams, I proceed on the journey back down memory lane to when it all started. A dream which began over ten years ago and which I have tenaciously held on to against the odds;my call to be a "Lawyer". To many this is a common thing, as evident in the use of the derogatory term of "charge and bail" but to my mind, young as it then was at the conception of my dream, it was the golden fleece. After many years of struggle, the end is in sight and the thrills of triumph and joys of accomplishment implode within me. The realisation that it took sheer grit and that a creature so frail as I, did it, humbles me and of course,enables me convey all the appreciation to God Almighty, who in His infinite goodness and love never abandoned me. So, Mr. I-want-it-now and Ms No-one-cares-for-me, realise that you owe yourself the responsibility to succeed because, the glory first goes to the Creator who made it possible and then to you, the Creation who actualised the dream against all odds. Forge ahead and keep being strong. Just like that Peak milk advertisement, "Its in you!"

Hi world, today is on the concept of power. Ever since I can remember, I have been bombarded with power and its effects. In my nursery school days, it can in the form of bible stories of Pharoah, Ahab and all the kings of note in the Bible. In secondary school it was mentioned and celebrated in Social Studies and Government, in my university days nko? Ahhh...they finished the concept! Everywhere I turned in my faculty I was lambasted with power. Students argued about it, lecturers...em...facilitators(as they later were designated) crammed it down our throats by exercising it over us and ensuring doubly that we went to the society, extracted the concept and applied it in class and even on answer sheets!. Power has been defined to be the ability or capacity to perform or act effectively' or the ability to control and influence the actions of others...(I googled it, kappish?) Please note that I am not desirous of intimidating nor impressing anyone with my super-fabulous brain power *clears throat*. The reason why I am here on this platform is because I am truly and highly irked by the application of this phenomenon called power o. In naija parlance, I dey vex. The manner in which this concept is being utilised has got me ticked off, pissed off,etc. Yes o, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absoluetly. On sunday, I was gisting with my friend and she was telling me about the rules in her choir, where they are not allowed to question any policy laid down by the exco. They were to obey all orders handed down whether it was favourable or not, whether it was morally wrong or not; just obey everything, no questions asked, no suggestions should be given at the time of the issuance of such orders. I said," ahh...mo gbe!" If choir leader says jump off a cliff, you were expected to fly straight off, no questions asked. I laughed sha. However, it got me thinking at the effects of power. So intoxicating a force, invisible yet invincible as it makes its presence felt. A force so strong that it makes brothers dive at each other's throat in a bid to attain supremacy. A force so strong that it makes a President who is supposed to concentrate on alleviating a country's economic problem, to turn around and concentrate rather, on the daring and pesky fly that had the guts to eye his seat. Power, power, oh power. What are you doing with the power in your hands, you choir leader, you head of department, you company executive, you politician, what are you doing with the power in your hands. Are u he who pounds and grinds subordinates for the flimsy reason that they are too cocky or self-confident...desist please or what happened to a certain legilator who used a mace on a fellow legislator, and went to jail, would happen to you. There's always room for change and growth. Always think twice befoee oppressing another. Loyalty should be earned; any other mode of acquiring loyalty and acceptaance is despotic and would only lead to your failure and certain doom!!! Thanks for having the patience to stick around till this point. Please if you know any mini-despot pass this to him/her and flee for cover o. Buh-bye. Kisses, y'all.

All In A Day's Job

"Ouch!" That was the only word I could mutter as I crashed onto my bed. A woman's life is definitely not easy. It all began this morning; I woke up with the usual feeling of gratitude to God Almighty for a new day, but I didn't workout as usual because every muscle in my body ached tremendously from the previous day's workout. I made a mental note to really have fun on this blessed Saturday(I planned to go somewhere I hadn't been to before i.e the Port Harcourt International Airport), so I got up from my bed and proceeded to the refrigerator to start my day with 3 glasses of water, as preached by those water-therapists(I have been doing that for two weeks already and weight's still the same)...and that was when it all began. As I tipped my head back to gulp that water which usually feels like medicine, I spotted the curtains and took in the environment and literarily cursed my wandering eyes cos I knew that the part of me that is suffering from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) wouldn't let things be. So I started with the windows and curtains, washing and scrubbing and all the while spurring myself on with the thought of my proposed visit to the airport and any other place I would think of subsequently. Before I knew it, masochism set in. I added more tasks, making breakfast for my dad and siblings, and general sanitation of our house...I know at this point, you will be wondering and saying, "oh yeah, so you did chores, what's the big deal?" Well, the big deal is that by the time I was through with all that back-breaking physical labour, I was filled with respect for women all over the world(even my self(sticking out tongue). Most of us do these things on a daily or weekly basis after having almost killed ourselves with stress from jobs, school,kids and oh, how could I have forgotten, MEN! As I lay on my bed, I thought of my life in the past year and all the struggle, taking everything in stride, I thought of pregnant Mrs Ogan that lives down the road, selling fries and hawking akamu with that protruding tummy, I thought about my sweet sweet mum, who hustled and pushed and strived and laboured to assist my dad so we could go to an elitist school, I thought of the women all over the world, struggling to make things easier for their families, and I mentally gave thanks to God for making me a woman(of course, I was too tired to pray in the Mountain of Fire style). May the Lord continually strengthen us and help us take these things in strides. 'Nough respect to Shaggy for his song,"Strength of a Woman". Catch ya later, ladies n fellas. Keep ya heads up. It's all in a day's job, afterall. Mwah.

The Next Page

Hi friends,
I just want to say that I believe that am jinxed in a way. What with my blogging at the beginning of every year. That big bug just pops up and bites me in the rear and then, disappears for the rest of the year but I hope it bites me more often this year.Lol Well I have been very busy and up to lots of mischief this past year, which is just like me...but I also learnt a lot along the way. The major lessons I learnt are inclusive of the areas of friendship and business; 2012 has really taught me never to get too attached because the person whom you show the most love is usually the person who turns around and spits in your face.
Friendship is an important element of life and that has been recognised by almost everyone, even God. This is seen in God's creation of a companion for the lonely Adam and is also evident in the saying that a tree cannot make a forest. I don't want to seem like I am whining online about my friends but what the heck, I still say,"those bitches" whenever they and their actions pop into my head. 2013 is here with lots of resolutions, as usual, which most of us don't keep after the first week, lol and mine is to never get too attached and to have a more suspicious mind with regards to business decisions(can't keep parting with such cash just cos I have a soft spot for people with financial troubles). In all though, I give thanks to God almighty who kept me through this past year and ensured that I didn't lose anyone this time around and to my sweet friends who haven't YET given me a cause to scream or cry, I LOVE YOU all so much. Happy New Year, sweeties. From Sophia Okere