Tuesday, February 14, 2006

A typical day

How is your typical day like? Do you find it hard to rest, work, read, think/meditate, eat or do anything? What do you do most? What is it that you would like to remove from your typical day.
Typical days have changed for many in Nigeria whose lives aren't far from the consumption of chicken. Bird flu is seriously disturbing ladies whose place of amusement is the nearest eatery.
Either you are an Aristo/Sugar Daddy (elderly men dating younger ladies) or you are a sugar-mouthed young man who wants to catch some fun, the place you all meet is the fast-food joint where everyone brings his 'Pacero'.
Well, things have changed very much as the sudden emergence of bird flu has incapacitated ladies from having their usual thrills on dates where they stand in front of the counter pointing their slim, long fingers (enchanced by long-fixed nails) at assorted grubs here and there. Men have hereby heaved a sigh of relief that at least it will be cost- effective to date ladies especially around this Valentine season. Nigerian ladies should be given awards or recognition for being one of the greatest consumers of chickens/turkeys and many flying objects.
I'm sure it's gonna take a while to find replacement for chicken which has precariously left the menu. Remember, chop chicken & die!

Well, my typical day is spent in front of the black box. First I check Guardian, then Thisday, Punch, then my email, and I eventually remember to use my aggregator to make news easier to read. Then I move to more entertaining things by going to the blogosphere. Chippla comes first, cause he always rants on very serious things (some say he's a Professor with bushy hair like Uncle Wole). Then I move to Imnakoya's grandiose parlor which is the only one of its kind. It's just 100% original. I don't miss Nneka for any reason, except I've got heaps of workload and I can't concentrate on the sumptuos posts ('cos it's necessary to concentrate on enjoyment to step down from the worries of the environment). Once I check Nneka, I don't miss dqueenb. Then Nyjaguy who's keeping it real, Frances (smile full everywhere), who I won't be surprised to see in one of the movies I watch very soon. I'm very sure the role she'll play will not be the frowning one, cos I can't comprehend how she's gonna make herself frown. Then I move to the general Nigeria blog aggregator where I can get a better view of all postings. Sometimes I wish Trae and Exschoolnerd can have posts more often.
When I'm feeling techie or geeky, I go to see Shola and Kayzee.
At a time like this, you shouldn't do without visiting boggywoggy/kisses & roses.
And then my eyes stroll to the buttom right corner of my screen. 'Oh shit!'. I blogged the whole day.

Happy Valentine y'all. We'll blog when work's done.
Have a fabulous Valentine. Ladies, no chop ur man too much oh.

To Josephine With Love


I carry your heart with me (I carry it in
my heart) I am never without it(anywhere
I go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
I fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
I carry your heart(I carry it in my heart).
From the buttom of my earth, I wish you a happy Valentine's day my Sunshine.
Valentine Heureux

Monday, February 06, 2006

The Unifying Factor

And the whole world went dancing for Nigeria (except Tunisians though) 'cos of their win on Saturday. Smiles glittered on the faces of perturbed people who felt heavy when they thought history would repeat itself as it did in 2004 when Tunisia beat Nigeria.
The whole 90mins had mixed reactions at different points. In the first half, people were commenting on the game passionately. With happiness were they watching the match and a radio station was playing the track Won kere si number wa - music of Fatai Rolling Dollar, meaning they're small for our number. Humour was flowing easily as the referee blew the whistle to end the half.
The second half took a different turn as the Tunisians found the back of the net with Enyeama unable to stop them. Bottles of ice-cold confidence were being passed around. 'It's only a joke', someone said. 'My boys will wake up in a while and they'll carry the goals home with huge baskets. Ten minutes from that time was enough to separate the impatient, solution-requesting fans from the passionate lovers of the round leather game. some had started shouting that JJ be brought in to destroy the Tunisans and send their coffins to Tunis for burial that same day. Many minutes went and the only substitution was Nankwo Kanu. People started becoming agitated and angry that the coach was just there looking with his horizontal tribal mark like Hercule Poirot in one of his crime series. Someone even asked his colleague if he still had Eguavoen's phone number that he wanted to speak with him right away :D.
Minutes flew and the substitutions that came in only reflected the thinking of the coach, he wanted tobeef up the defence.
Then Mr. Garba Lawal came in. I found it very amusing that even the commentators referred to him as Mr. People said he wanted to be called that way. Orisirisi na him dey happen for the game oh! It's in football that you see some men have afro hairstyles as high two storey buildings. Some dye theirs to look like aged people. Some even tattoo every part of their body, save the eyeballs and the nails. This one came and said he should be called Mr. Maybe by the time he is about to retire, they'll be calling him Pa or Lord Garba Lawal. But Mr.Garba didn't prove his mettle that much that he deserved to be referred to that way.
Then another 30 mins went without any result. It was then that mosst people abandoned the match and went strolling on the streetss, trying to send emails of insults and abuses via the wind to eguavoen@egyptcupofnations.fb . Many couldn't bear the adrenalin rush when watching penalty shoot-outs. Even Kanu didn't want to play his own penalty sef. Who wants to be the one to send his country out of nations' cup? I no blame am. That's how I realised how much Jesus did to die for man. He was strolling like Eze goes to school towards the post, with his head dangling left and right as he moved. People were already praying for him and encouraging him back home (as if he was hearing) that he would score.
In short sha, the Tunisians lost three penalties and we won. People went wild with jubliation. Those who couldn't bear the pain of watching the penalties ran back in front of the TVs in jubilation. Everybody was hugging and shaking one another! This does not happen any time. Not even during xmas. Christains/moslems, neighbours, everyone went jubilating. It was a site to behold.
Then I think to myself, if this kind of thing will unify people and make them so happy & not see any differences in one another,why not make the cup of nations a yearly affair? It's good blood for us oh! Not even Abacha's death made people so mad with excitement.
I must also say that it is now that I realise how good the goal keeper, Vincent Enyeama is.
I pray this kind of good thing continues to happen.

Friday, February 03, 2006

Thank God for China

I start my post today by saying that the world has become a better place by the actions of Chinese people. I say this because I know how the prices of goods were some 8-10 years ago before the swift rise-to-the-occasion act of China. I went to the market last month to purchase some computer accessories and I was surprised at the prices of very useful and exciting accessories. They were extremely low!!. I thought maybe the shop attendant didn't know the actual price of the accessories, so I decided to try another store to know if she made a mistake. Lo and behold, it was the same everywhere! Trust me, I visited the market the next day with more money to shop till I dropped.
My mind flashed back to some years ago when most of these accessories were brought in from the U.S and Europe. They were being sold at cut-throat and unreachable prices. Though there's the issue of durability, but the difference between high-quality goods produced in the US/Europe and the ones produced in China is atimes not too much considering the fact that fashion/tend/technology changes so fast that durable goods are dumped after a few months of use not because the become faulty but the fact that they get out-of-fashion.
Why western companies wouldn't love to come sell their goods in Africa can be traced to the fact that their prices are usually too high for the technology-crazy lot around here. So they move to China to produce their goods through outsourcing and the likes and ship they finished products to everywhere in the world.
One thing I sure know is that China will not continue to have foreigners continue to come and use its resources to produce goods and just pay chinese workers their wages and the government taxes and then take all the profit back to the West. If it is not in place right now, I forsee an indigenization program like that which Nigeria started in the 70s. That means that the technologies will be trapped and nationalised in Asian countries. What will America and Europe do if that happens? Food for thought!
And from the other perspective, will Africa continue to be consumers of goods produced elsewhere? If Africans continue to be heavy consumers, even to the level of King Mswati who has penchant for cars, then there is fire on the mountain!