Son & Father

Hey, so I know it has been a while 
But I had a lot going on: moved to new apartment with all its attendant drama
Found the love of my life [don't ask, 'cos I'm not telling]
...This blog post is about a totally different matter

I met a young man just slightly over a year ago, at a popular Suya spot in Abuja
We were designated to be flatmates for a year, we became brothers for life
People always wondered how far back we had known ourselves and they found "a year" a rather unbelievable answer
I couldn't believe my good fortune:I had gone through my share of horrible flatmates before [can I get a witness?]

He is truly the brother I never had, I saw him come through for me time and time again
He would yab me sha and I will yab him back and it was always fun
Even though we disagreed on some issues, we always remained friends
I wondered how he could be so cool [I knew my coolness wasn't in doubt, hahahahaha]

Then I met his father....

[Pause] Breathing deeply

And it all clicked!
The caring heart, the down to earth disposition, the charm, the good looks
Were "hand me downs" from father to son
I made him a meal and he actually paid for me it [wasn't expecting that :-)]
That caught my attention: he was different, he had a rare purity of heart and spirit

I met him again one more time and he was beaming with smiles again
He congratulated us on finishing the degree program, he even helped smooth out the crease on the collar of my shirt
He was gracious in his manner and sincere as a good father would
That would be the last time his son or myself would see this colossus of a man alive

I regret I only "met" him and never really got to "know" him
But I know his son: My friend and My brother and by proxy his father
I have read and heard the stories of the goodness of his heart and the depth of his professionalism
His dedication to his faith, his responsibility to his family, his love for all people

I salute and celebrate you Prof. C.O.E. Onwuliri
Rest safely in the arms of your creator

Go on and Do it

A lot has happened in the past year for me 

Much more is yet to happen [that I can count on]

I am at that stage when you transit from something old, familiar & comfortable

Into something new, audacious and terribly frightening

Very much like the cocooned caterpillar becoming a  majestic butterfly blessed with pulchritude and grace

 

As I said in some pseudo valedictory speech at my grad school some two weeks ago

"The reason we come is to go"
I am ready to go and not just in some sloppy fashion, limping my way to a God ordained future

I am ready to soar and be all that I am destined to be, climbing high on the wind of opposition and criticism  

Armed with a resilience that will make the rubber band envious, increasing capacity with every stumble 

And a faith that will make my Creator proud and propel me to the mark for which He shot me into life

What has been that one move that has scared you paper white

 

A marriage?

A child?

A new job?

A new city?

A new degree?

A new career path?

A new book?

A new song?

A new you?

There's only one way to overcome that inertia...Go on and Do it!

and be AWESOME

Urinary Gum

Hello Blogfam
So I am sorry I will be grossing you out now
I just used the bathroom and there was gum!!! in the urinal
[What!!!]
I am disturbed
I want to believe it was spat out and not passed out
'Cos that will be a huge inconvenience

Songs and Dishes

Hello Blogfam

The highlights of my day

Today, I sang at a concert series in my graduate school
I did a couple of songs, one of which was 'Dance with my father', the other was an original I co-wrote with my pal Charlie X from Lagos Nigeria
I did get really emotional singing the songs, cos they came from my heart
The feedback I have gotten from the audience says I wasn't alone

I have tried to add a few more words to this
But I am shamelessly coming up with nothing
Maybe it's the hunger or the anger
Following my roommate burning my chicken stew
[Weeping loudly]

And now the sink is filled with dishes and a burnt pot
I have decided to not wash them
In defiance to my charred meal and angry tummy
...actually I may just do the dishes: Motivation by low blood sugar
Shaking my head [did I mention, its been raining for 2 days] YUCK!!!!!!

Shopping Blues

Ok!
Hello Blogfam
It's another great day in Blogdom: Living it up in Blogosphere [I know...too much "Blog" type words] :)

So I have spent the last eleven hours buzzing around a mall
With 3 of the most amazing girls I know
And It has been an experience in:

"I don't like this"
"Its too expensive"
"What!!!, that cannot be the price, you must be joking"
"OMG!!!, that's an amazing dress"
"Girl!, you need to get those shoes"
....and the list goes on

What's really hilarious though, was that it was planned as a four hour outing [yeah right!!!]
With my only expectation being that I was to return a wallet I had previously bought and didn't like
[Hmmmm!] I came out with a new wallet and [clears throat] a few other items as well

Don't give me the evil eye: we all have our weak days
I did however, triumph in walking away from a few good deals, chanting my mantra to my credit cards
"I own you and therefore you don't tell me what to do"
They obviously were hard at hearing...[very sad face]

With every swipe of the cards: Our hearts melted as though someone was slicing off a chunk from our beings
Did I mention yet the weirdly dressed or "undressed" woman who gave us a shock [Gasps!!!]
I will tweet her picture [Follow me @cejaimadu] and share the shock with everyone :)

Now I am looking through my receipts [Heart racing...shocked]
and I tell my cards: "Ever heard of return policy? Tell me who's boss now"
[Tongue sticking out in defiance]

Incentives maybe?

Hey
So I had tried to whip up a storm and get people to read and comment on my blog
Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Blackberry Messenger
hmmmmmmmm
...I am pretty sure you know how that went

[Strangely, I don't quite get what happened]
Maybe I am being punished by the gods of blogdom [one of my new words again]
For daring to be absent so long
And then suddenly reappear and expect to be an overnight success literally


Not one comment [weeping and sobbing out loud]
But then a light bulb went off in my head
Maybe just maybe if I added incentives to reading, then I will lure the crowd in
The issue is what kind of incentive works for you
Tell me [yes you!] and we will work something out

I need people to read and comment
[that is so cheap dude!!! yeah and I said it]

Happy May Blogfamily

I must apologize for being absolutely lazy
If there was an award for the laziest blogger, I will make the nominations list
And all very non intentional
This laziness, which I had brought upon myself
As opposed to my 'talkACTIVE' appellation
Has been the creation of life events: which we all have
It has been a crazy few months in the recent past
There have been ups and downs
Highs and lows
Smiles and frowns
Months in which I have cried, laughed
Shouted, sang, screamed, dreamed and you know the rest
I do apologize more to the people who actually called me
Or emailed demanding a new blog: Guys I am here now
[Big Smiley Face]

Its the 1st of May
I am thankful for that, please do allow me burden you however with why this is so beyond the obvious
This happens to be one of those 'dates of significance' in my life
3 years ago today, I interred my father: A man who had slaved
Just to ensure we had the best
I listened with grief to the finality of the loud thuds that accompanied each shoveled heap of sand
I wanted to reach down and drag him out of that darkness, that heat, that grave
I knew he wasn't there...He had long gone
Today however, an even scarier thing happened to me
I had begun to forget the fine details of what he looked like unconsciously
I had to "think" to remember him
I love him, I am his legacy how can it be then that I forget him?
Have I forgotten my father?
[Not so big a smiley face now]

If you've lost someone dear, please do share your experience too
Happy May everyone