13 Handwritten Letters

I love writing letters. At this point, that's like saying I'm a woman. I saw this meme on Bumight's blog and I've tweaked it. I'll be writing 13 letters :) Let's go!

1. Oldest friend (in terms of length of friendship).

2. Oldest friend (in terms of age)

3. Port Harcourt City.

4. My body.

5. Dream (future ambition).

6. Dream (sleep-getaway)

7. Favorite internet personality.

8. Someone I'd like to meet.

9. A deceased person I would love one more day with.

10. Someone from my childhood.

11. The person I'd like to be.

12. Someone who I think about a lot.

13. Someone I speak Pidgin with.

NakedSha!

Who will Abide?

Our people say:
Yoruba: Ekuro lalabaku ewa.
Eng: The kernel dies along with the bean. - Yoruba proverb.
..........................................................................................................................

Abide with me, fast falls the even tide

The darkness deepens, Lord with me abide

When other helpers fail and comforts flee

Help of the helpless, O, abide with me.

Oh Thou who changest not, abide with me.

In life in death O Lord, abide with me. 

Back. 

I'd have to put up a post on Nigeria once I can steal some time. They are never surprising, the things I see each time, but they are ALWAYS amusing eventually. Like, the two signs along Yaba - Iddo that point left and right but have no places named. I'll put it up once I dig through my camera.

Rubayo Ibin 

or NakedSha.

Lessons from my Teenage Years

...Omonoba...


Our people say:
Yoruba: A fi ọ́ jọba ò ńṣàwúre o fẹ́ jẹ Ọlọ́run ni?
English: You have been crowned a king and yet you make good luck charms. Will you be crowned God? - Yoruba proverb.
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I just left my teenage years and I can't even believe they're gone.The only not fun thing about graduating college at 20 is that people in church think it is okay to ask my mum for aso-ebi details. Smh.

20 Things I Learned as a Teenager:

1. Your parents are on your side of the fence. You'll see.

2. Judging people by their secondary school characters is unfair to you and to them (secondary school is a stage and many people aren't playing real life characters). It'll mess with your head to see how each person's life turns out.

P.S: High school never (really) ends.

3. Facebook is a place for people to make you believe how much they are enjoying their lives and how much you are missing out. Twitter is a place for people to bark louder than they can ever bite. Yahoo comments are come-backs for people who were told that they will never be clever. Good job!

4. Nigerians are probably at the height of (neo) colonialism. We haven't even started climbing out of the pit. Nigerians wait for the world's approval before we appreciate our own stuff:

5. Movies are wannabe books. They try so hard.

6. Parents did not tell us that one day, we'd have to let go of our siblings and move away from one another. They did not tell us that we may find our individualities outside of our upbringing and become separate people.

7. Surely, the art of intentionally going out to get smashed and do reckless things, puking, getting hungover and waking up just to do it all over cannot be that glamorous.

8. You will love who you will love. But, it is safer to grow into this love than to fall into it. Your head and your heart are not rivals or mutually exclusive entities; let them work together.

9. Parents actually do relax. Don't forget to tell your younger siblings how strictly you were brought up so that they know how easy they have it.

10. Laughter brought me through.

11. Switch off your phone from time to time and turn off access to the online world. If you're not alone, actually spend time with an offline being. If you're alone, talk to and make music with yourself. So that when you're actually stuck with yourself, you won't go crazy.

12. If you cannot say it to the person, don't say it about the person, behind the person. Everything that should be said should be truth but not everything that is truth must be said. Remember, truth that is malicious or isn't building someone is worthless truth.

13. It is a bitter truth: 20 good friends cannot play together for 20 good years. But, some of your best friends will be from your childhood.

14. Don't go to only the United States and the United Kingdom on holidays. Try Gambia, the Seychelles, Panama and India. Visit Ghana, Egypt, Sri Lanka and Japan.You're a victim of incomplete, stereotypical, power-shaped representations of other countries and people too.

15. Spend a good amount of time with children. They notice things that we're too foolish to notice and they remind us of what life really is about. If a child asks for a walk to the lake or a kiss on the cheek, give it to them.

16. Blind people don't have better hearing or touch. That's all they have so they rely on it more that's why their senses seem sharpened. A blind friend told me this.

17. Appreciate nakedness and nudity. This is art in its purest form. And it is not the same thing as pornography. Your body is a temple.

18. Never write down anything you wouldn't want anyone else to see while you're dead or alive.

19. Engage in discussions with people who think very differently from you. In fact, look for such conversations. These are the best conversations.

20. Don't be attached to words; they're words. Ten years ago, sick, wicked, ill, wrong, bad, nuts, crazy, etc meant the opposites of what they mean today.

I thought to put together a list version of Ryan O'Connell's 25 Things I Learned in My 20s.

NakedSha.

"...the words of strangers..."

...Omonoba...
Our people say:

"You see a bird with no hands but only a beak and it can build the nest that you cannot build." - Kenyan Elder.
..........................................................................................................................................
"I'll bear in mind the words of strangers may lead me astray from everything I knew was true." - Freshlyground - Fire is Low [ Paraphrased ]

One's spirit, soul and body are all weak. Three blind mice trying to help each other. One day, One will cruise downhill...away. I hope One finds the tip of the earth and blends in with the waterfalls. One belongs nowhere. One can cope anywhere. One day, One will cruise away...downhill.

But before One leaves, no one can swear that One destroyed all, or any, that they built. If they point to the sky, they cannot point to the ground. If they point to the ground, they cannot point to the sky. None can lick their fingers, no one can swear. If another curses One, it will be a causeless cause. That will not stand.

Will the water never dry? The grass is green where One waters it. By the time One waters and tends and re-waters the grass, One cannot see lush, green fields. One sees the work they have done to keep the grass green. But it is better than to want to lounge on another's green grass. Uninvited.

One should tell One's children: 'Children, before you listen to anyone, find out why they are qualified to teach you about life.' Then, One should go ahead to teach them about life. If they ask, 'what qualifies One to teach them about life', say: 'One carried you for nine months. This stomach, you kicked it. These breasts, you sucked them. These hands, they will slap you the next time you ask that stupid question.' One should proceed to teach them about life.

It is easier to play hide and seek behind One's walls. Another should spend their entire life trying to break through. If the walls come down step by step, it is easier to re-stack the steps up as needed. If there are no walls, it takes [impossible] to build them when needed.

Having walls and loving selflessly are NOT mutually exclusive.

Having walls and loving foolishly are mutually exclusive.

One must remember to be critical. But, One cannot always question why the night is for sleep and why the eggs are for morning.

Make sure you are not taking another's best greens.

One has a soul rhythm blasting, in the evenings, and softly playing, in the mornings. But there are clothes and clothes and then the glaring public and political correctness to try to burst through. Though One still dances at the red stop lights and cat-bounces through the pedestrian walk.

If you find me, I failed at the things that did not plead with my heart. And the others, I told them as stories or songs. When you find the boxes, brown cheddar boxes, you will not be able to swear that they were not mine. I don't know if I lived, but I went to Victory and found God-kind and I went to the house and the kinship sang songs. If I could take one thing to heaven, I would take a song but the ones in heaven are richer and a thick chord. So, I will leave the songs and the stories for my children.

When they ask me: 'where are you from?' I say, 'I am Yoruba and Bini and I come from Port Harcourt'. They say it is not short enough and I should choose one. So, I say quickly, Yoruba-Bini-Storyteller from Port Harcourt'. Still too long. So, I say, Port Harcourt's Yoruba Bini. Too much. Then, I say, PH Yoruba Bini. Then, they sigh, hiss and tell me that I cannot be all. So, I say: "Ok. but I swear, do not spread my ashes outside of Port Harcourt City."

One day, I will cruise away and it will be a downhill carnival.

NakedSha.
I was naked before they could accuse me of not being X-enough.

Inside My Head {4} - The Marriage

...Omonoba...

1. It looks like the order of Dating/courtship -> Marriage -> Child (ren) is becoming unpopular. I see.

2a. Just because outsiders (or people who think they are more of insiders than one's family) see someone as an angel does not mean they do not abuse their spouse. Your story of them being an angel is true. That's what they are to you. Their spouse's story of them being cruel is also true. That's what they are to them.

2b. Living with them does not mean you know the whole story.

3. Before you condemn a woman who stayed in an abusive relationship, count the snow flakes as they fall from the sky.

4. If you cannot help a woman who stayed in an abusive relationship, do not condemn her.

5. Long before the first punch was thrown and the first belt was whipped out, there was emotional abuse.
    Long after the fist can no longer form and the belt is worn, there will still be the emotional abuse.

6. You have no business being with someone who does not see the good in you. Tolerance and endurance
    are for the wild animals. Love is for humans.

7. If you die in an abusive relationship, at your funeral, the best they would say is that you WERE a good person. WERE.

8. Children will either accept abuse as the norm and not recognize it as abuse and so carry it on in their lives. The same way you grew up thinking brushing teeth in the morning is the norm. OR, a child will recognize abuse as abuse and fight against it in their own marriage with all they have.

9. If you are in an abusive relationship, TELL YOUR CHILDREN EVERYTHING. It is not instigation. You are saving them. You did not fall in the bathtub, your husband beat you.

10. A man can be a great father. The same man can be a not-so-good husband. Your children know the difference.

11. God has had to change up His plan because stubborn parties refused to comply to HIS WILL. Think Garden of Eden. You would run if someone pointed a gun at you, attacked you on the road, beat you up mercilessly, etc. But you would not if that person were your husband? God will hold your hand out of certain plans-gone-extremely-wrong.

12. Marriage should be for ever but it is not an endpoint. Your marriage should not retard ANYTHING about you.

13. The white dress, black suit, large cake and 3-day ceremony alone are INCAPABLE of changing your spouse or your family or your in-laws. Marry your spouse of today not what you hope they change into.

14. Stay out of your brother's relationship. Yes, he SHOULD choose his wife over you, his sister, his mother and his primary school best friend. Yes, if the boat were sinking and he could save only one, he should choose his WIFE over you, his sister, his mother and his primary school best friend. It's called leaving and cleaving.

15. And your sister's relationship.

16. The way one is to one's siblings is a good [indication] of who they are.

What do I know?

NakedSha.

My People, Ebezina!

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
#OccupyYourCountry.

Also see Naijalines' posts here and here

At this point, Nigerians have taken the country into their hands. Jungle justice at its most redefined. 20 years ago, only 'radical' Nigerians would go out to protest the issues we face. Today, Nigerians (period) are hitting the streets.

In two words:

It is unfortunate - the killings that have occurred. At worst, the government will not listen, the strike will continue and it will be a long, chaotic road to get the government to listen. At best, they will listen immediately. Pride is what I feel for all the Nigerian youths out there. Some of us have only this one country.

Please listen:

My heart and my mind is with us.

NakedSha.

I am a Happy Soul Child :D

...Omonoba...
Our People Say:
Yoruba: Kí ní ḿbẹ nínú isà tí yó ba òkú lẹ́rù?
English: What is there in the grave to frighten a corpse? - Yoruba proverb.
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I am not a great book critic; if only Osondu Awaraka would plow the dust off his blog. Anyway, here are the books I read in 2011 in no particular order:

1. Allah is Not Obliged - Ahmadou Kourouma
2. Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Adichie (for the eighth or ninth or tenth time)
3. Open City - Teju Cole
4. Icarus Girl - Helen Oyeyemi
5. A Love Rekindled - Myne Whitman
6. Voice of America - E.C Osondu
7. Wizard of the Crow - Ngugi wa Thiong'o
8. Sophie's Heart - Lori Wick
9. The Princess - Lori Wick
10. And the Shofar Blew - Francine Rivers (for the third or fourth time)

I hope I have not left anything out. I also didn't think you would care about the academic novels and books so I have taken them off the list but they are all listed here.

I had an eventful year. It was extremely busy and had its fair share of doooooowns but I Loved it, loved it.
I went home to the Kins (also known as the Kins-lings, the Clan the Lovers or the Family), taught Vacation Bible School at the church [Ikoyi Baptist Church] in Lagos, learned a gazillion new things about the same Nigerians that I grew up with and that I see every year.

In July, my sister from another mama, my mum and I were stuck for more than four hours at Port Harcourt airport (thank you. Aero). So, from around 10pm till midnight, we sang and sang and sang for the travelers in our own little corner of the airport. It was a lot of fun. All we were missing were a producer and a mic. Anyone know this song, 'God of Elijah, send down fire?' We turned it into 'God of Elijah, send our plane.' We sang so many songs, the travelers were so impressed. Good times.

My internship, my awards and grades at school, this book cover, the people I met when I went back to Nigeria- Tolu Akanni (who is one hilarious soul), the fun times to / from work in Lagos with Eknoreda (here also), this Kachifo event and this E.C Osondu book reading, the great Lagos flood, my two trips to my darling Port Harcourt city, everything. This year was a roller coaster of fun and trials.

Myne Whitman, your contribution to the literary scene is much talked about and has definitely made an impact. Keep doing your thing. You are doing a great job. Kudos and God bless.

My year in one sentence:

1. [When I remember what the Lord has done, I will never go back anymore.]

My year in one song:

1. [...we can debate till the end of time who is wrong and who is right. Or I can honor your choices and you can honor mine... - Gift of Acceptance by India Arie and Idan Raichel.]

My year in one pic:

{The journey from church to car during the great flood.}

LAUGHTER!

One more thing:

ChizzyD came up to Boulder and she becomes un-anonymous here. Yop, yop, yop, yop, yop.

It was great to have her here.

God bless you, dear 2012. I hope Nigeria does not break out in war. If we do not, and if all the cries of the citizens eventually lands on listening ears, then it is either God is partial to or extremely merciful towards Nigerians. There is little reason why he still listens to us scream and wail when in fact he may have answered us a while ago.

NakedOne.

December 10 - Another One

Last Year's Post: The Tenth of December - The Fifth One.

For my lost lovers:

Chinonye Egbosimba,
Mayowa Oyebode
Sandra Gbemudu,
Stephanie Nwoko,

and all those who perished in Sosoliso, 10.12.2005.

To the world, you're the epitome of how a country can shatter its own future. How all the careless and non challant leaders were exposed one day. To the world, you're propaganda for a failed aviation system and needless deaths.

But the news does not remember the clothes you wore or how we smiled or how we did homework together in Grove and Montessori and Bereton and Bloombreed. We still remember everything and it sucks that we're bigger but you're still small in our memories. And how we would wait for term breaks to catch up on school stories.

The world calls you The 60 Angels but how can I call you an angel. I knew you in flesh. I guess you are with angels.

It is getting easier to deal with the memories and talk about them.

Damn you country so good at killing

Damn you (hurt) feelings for persevering.

-Knaan

But not much has changed.

Damn the soil that swallowed our pride.

Damn the prize that we paid for their lies.

Damn the fire, the liar, the fire.

Damn their stories, their trials, their promises.

Damn that Rivers State did not have water.

Damn you burned bridges, damn you stolen future, damn you incomplete stories.

And BLESS you heaven for accepting them.

We're fine, we've made it through 6 times, it'll get better.

But it'll never be easy to erase you.

NakedOne.

Some Things Sting as Bad as Death Itself.

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
[Frankly, they are too weak and disgusted to speak today. All they are doing is shaking their heads.]

Oboma H is my very good friend. We went to nursery, primary and secondary school together. We almost went to College together until at the last minute, I went to the U.S.A instead of Canada.  But that hasn't changed many things. This girl is one of the best dancers you will ever meet, as an aside, and we have had about as many awesome memories and disagreements as possible and these things only made us stronger.

Then, Oboma lost her father recently.

It's hard for her, especially because she was really close to him and she talked about him all the time. Oboma called her dad 'Father' with a very interesting Kalabari twist to the word, (so it has the same stress pattern as 'Oga'). So, we all referred to him as Father. She's hurting but she's as strong as I would never have expected. I'm literally tapping strength off her and her mother. It's unbelievable and it's a miracle.

                                                               Bomsy and Father.

Oboma's dad was extremely warm and kind (as is her mum) and since I've related with them for more than ten years now, they would always ask about me and vice versa. Extremely funny and his age did not show on his health. He would walk into a room ever gracefully with his walking stick and he would sit with everyone. He would NEVER sit up front or on the high table until he was called up. NEVER. And he was ALWAYS called up :) I know he's resting in peace and really, much of him lives in his children, his wife and those that knew him.

Oboma, be strong. You have lovers. It's not today we started going through thick, thin and BS. So, no be today e go end. God has you.

So, I didn't have to write a post to comfort my friend. Until I saw this:

The text reads (verbatim):

"Gurl you're dumb...so what if you lost a dad are you the first? Feel free to delete the comment and me from your list."

I know you already know, Bomsy, but just as a reminder, you're the furthest thing from dumb. You're strong and beautiful and a fighter. And your dad is in a better place, looking down on [Paul Barde] and wanting to whoop him.

Your response was what made me realise that this guy was opening things you were trying to allow heal.

So, I plead in the nicest way possible...people, bico, be sensitive to others. I would not have done an entire blog post about this but in view of all that has been going on in recent times, I'm sick-to-my-stomach on the amount of insensitivity some of us have. 

Don't do it.

If what you have to say will not constructively release warmth and prayers and kind wishes so that someone who is going through pain can heal, then you don't have to speak. You really don't.

Oboma, you will heal. Allow this Barde, Paul to wallow in his foolishness. According to IphyIgboGurl, 'you know what they say about when you argue with a fool'.

To all those in pain because of death (or, for example, rape) or statements that sting like them, God be with you and focus on the few warm words this generation has to offer. It's a pity.

Shout out to all those who have taken matters into their own hands  since waiting for 'Monday' was a complete waste of time, especially Sugabelly for making use of her Engl-Igbo skills to fish out those first names. Some heroes come in flimsy forms. 

Bless,

NakedSha.

"...do you also sleep with the Eastern builders’ wives..."

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Eng: You cannot fatten a pig on the market day - Nigerian Proverb.
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Hello,

I'm sorry about my well spaced out posts in the last few weeks. As soon as I return to my scheduled life, I'll be back on here.

The other day at the close of work, I asked a colleague if he would like to write a poem...

Me:  Guy, let's do a flash poetry exercise
Guy: What's that?
Me:  We write short poems in a short amount of time.
Guy: Uh huh...
Me:  So, you choose a word and we each write a poem that relates to the word in, say, eight minutes. Then we share poems.
Guy: Let's do it!

It was so much fun, we ended up doing four poems each and then we had to go home. Guy confessed that poetry is beautiful. GUY...CONFESSED that poetry is beautiful. Okay!
The rules were that the poem had to have eight lines, be written in eight minutes and contain the randomly  chosen word.

Here are the ones I wrote:

1.

Chosen word: Inadvertent 

It is only wise that I return home,

To where my sadist father’s bones rot

And my bitter mother’s skin moulds

- Where my heart deserted long ago

………………………………...................

I am their child: at most, they fed me

Though our scores are on hold for beyond here

For now, it is inadvertent that I face my silent fears

And return to put their ghosts to rest.

2.

Chosen word: Evolve

Oh! How Alero has become a woman,

In 72 inches of skin like new honey…

… And with a waist lined with spring like her mother’s,

Her mother - My husband’s first lover.

…………………………………………………

Temisan, my own child, walks unlike a horse

And talks unlike a lady ready to give palmwine to a man.

When this ‘thorn’ in my garden will evolve into a flower,

I do not know.

3.

Chosen word: Window

More than before, these days,

Your jalabia cloak smells of hibiscus incense,

Like the ones the Eastern women make.

More than before, you travel to the East,

To “sell your windows to the Eastern builders”

And perhaps, drink with their wives.

Do you also sleep with the Eastern builders’ wives,

While they burn hibiscus incense?

4. 

Chosen word: Prayer

With this warm dinner, I beg you my husband,

Never wake me up again for prayer.

My faith is like the receding desert

And my heart is in despair.

.....................................................................

Only last week, I rocked my child to sleep

And combed her black, bushy hair.

And I prayed and prayed for her ill to flee

Is dead, like my only child, the answerer of prayer?

[We decided to rhyme on the fourth one. If you've read anything of mine, you'll see that I abstain from rhyme 

as much as possible. This was not the easiest or 'funnest' one to write.]

P.S: Guy is Guy's real name.

Thank you and God bless,

NakedSha.

Inside my head {3}

...Omonoba...
our people say:
Yoruba: Ibi tí òjò-ó ti ńpa igún bọ̀-ọ́ jìnnà; ta ní rán igún níṣẹ́?
English: The vulture has endured the drenching rain from a great distance, but who sent the vulture on an errand? - Yoruba proverb.
...................................................................................................................................................

* Pet peeve -> 'O' is a letter and '0' is a number. Phone numbers start as Zero-eight-zero-five... NOT O-eight-O-five... aaarrgghhhh

* Everyone wants to be deep and profound these days. I'd much prefer to hear simple words -  forget the deep quotes. They are stale.

* Let my heart be close to my God more than my lips are close to my God.

* My shades-of-grey spectrum is widening. The black-and-white spectrum is thinning out.

* When God gave me my family he was saying...'err, here are your unconditional lovers. If you find others along the way, great! If not, this should be just fine. '

* To my earthly father: I'd weave you a special aso out of my tears, choruses, poetry and thank-yous if I could. Then, you could wear it on Sunday and the world would help me sing your praises. Mine would never be enough.

* Chocolate and strawberries taste great.

* When I die, check my letter box for my Testament. In summary, DO NOT bury me - cremate my skin and bones. Don't keep my ashes, you don't need it. Give my organs to whoever needs them most and share the little I owned among my family - given and chosen.

* Was McCandless stupid and arrogant? Think before you answer this. Frankly, I'm still thinking.

* E ba mi ki ra fun baba ati mama at'egbon at'awon aburo mi.

Oda aro.

NakedSha.

25 Real-time questions

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: “Ó mọ́ mi lọ́wọ́” ní ńdi olè.
English: “It is an exact fit for my hand” leads to thievery. - Yoruba proverb.
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1. Do you have any pets?
-> Not at the moment.

2. Name three things that are physically close to you...
-> Peach Pleasure Jamba Juice smoothie.
-> My planner
-> My Ecology and Evolutionary Biology textbook.

3. What's the weather like now?
-> Very bright! I'm thankful for this week - bliss.

4. Do you drive? If so have you crashed?
-> Haha.

5. What time did you wake up this morning?
-> 6:30 am. My body needs to learn how to sleep for a little longer. : /

6. When was the last time you showered?
-> This morning, a.k.a three hours ago.

7. What was the last movie you saw?
-> Nollywood movie - Mirror of Life parts 1-4 (smh).

8. What does your last text message say:
->  'What does wahala mean?'
      I had responded to my friend's text by saying, 'Alright, no wahala' and she asked the question.

9. What's your ringtone?
->  My phone's mostly on vibration mode.

10. Have you ever been to a different country?
-> Yes. I've been to eleven others, and I lived in three of the eleven.

11. Do you like Sushi?
-> Oh My Self! I absolutely like sushi. I've had Hapa sushi three times this week (and it's only Tuesday).

12. Where do you buy your groceries?
-> Boulder Beyond Organic Farm, Lagos Market, Sprouts, KingSoopers, Whole Foods.

13. Have you ever taken medication to help you fall asleep faster?
-> Nope.

14. How many siblings do you have?
-> I have two fantabulicious brothers and one sugary-potato almost-twin sister.

15. Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop?
-> Laptop.

16. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
-> You won't even believe it so make we shun am.

17. Do you wear contacts or glasses?
-> Haha, none. I have a funny little tale about glasses in my childhood.

18. Do you color your hair?
-> No. At least I haven't yet.

19. Tell me something you are planning to do today?
-> Meet with my Ecology and Evolutionary Biology study group for question and answer session for Wednesday's exam.

20. When was the last time you cried?
-> I cried last week after Skyping with my dad. It kills me to know what my hometown (Port Harcourt) has become.

21. What is your favorite Pizza topping?
I absolutely do not like Pizza. It's not inedible for me but it's a last I'm-about-to-die-of-starvation resort for me.

22. Which do you prefer - hamburgers or cheeseburgers?
Hamburgers. I HATE cheese.

23. Have you ever had an all-nighter?
Yes, during Freshman year. Stupid idea. I know my body much better now.

24. What is your eye color?
Like that of burnt mahogany.

25. Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke?
In Nigeria, yes. In the US, all I taste is high fructose corn syrup. Mttccchhheeww

From MyneWhitman

Please, pass it on!
God bless and all the best with finals.

If only I had a boombox:

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Kí ní ḿbẹ nínú isà tí yó ba òkú lẹ́rù?
English: What is there in the grave to frighten a corpse? - Yoruba Proverb
.....................................................................................................................................
I doubt I've ever done a music post on here so I thought I'd do one.

My music style is very broad but with time, my friends can easily tell what I like. Here are seven of the songs currently playing on my iPod:

1.

This song is saying it will be well as we go to where we are going, it will be with joy and with peace that we go to where we are going. Doors will open, paths will open and we will find favor with authority. According to this friend, this song sounds like "NakedSha". :)

2.

3.

This song is generally a call to dance.

4.

This song is a child lamenting that he / she now has two fathers; one is in the room, one just came back from the farm. The mother has been unfaithful.

5.

I cannot do justice to the analysis of this song that Gbenga Awomodu made here.

6. 

7.

Check out these artistes; they have more than one great song and they have an idea of what music is.

Bless:

NakedSha.

...that I am mainly artistic.

...Omonoba...

Myne Whitman shared this link on her blog and I quickly did the test. Here's what the Typealyzer thinks of the personality of the writer of this blog. This is definitely only one aspect, since a personality test can only capture one part so much.

Based on my writing, do you share the same view?
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http://  

Inside my head {2}

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: B’ópé títí, akólòlò yó pe "baba"
Eng: A stammerer would eventually say "father" - Yoruba proverb.
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* I have Jesus.

* Did the gods turn Enugu soil red out of anger or is Enugu soil lateritic?

* His eyes are on the sparrow, I know he watches me.

* I read somewhere that most Africans are overweight. I read elsewhere that most Africans are  starving. They - of the They Institute - cannot even make up their minds.

* Them: "Your English is very good, Oh my God. Wow, you speak good English for a non-native"
   Me: "You too".

* Two people who always have something to laugh about will make it through many things.

* Awon arugbo so pe, olodo lon korin. 'Won so pe olodo lon se film.  Few times, the old man sitting beneath the iroko tree sees nothing but it's bark.

* We may be shocked by the people we see or don't see in heaven. May we be there to be shocked, dear Lord.

* I want suya and bole/fish/pepper (Rivers State style) and zobo and Cabin BIS-keet and Rivers native soup and eko tutu and my mother's edikaikong soup and my father's groundnut soup. All I have is my stew.

* Hanging from my mother's wrapper, used to be the solution to all the problems in the world.

* Do not go into heaven uninvited. Live this great life, then attend your grand reception.

* I think 'mineral' sounds much better than 'pop' or 'soda'.

* I still find it hard to give or take with my left hand.

* Nigerian men have the worst and most entertaining pick up lines. 'Oh baby gyal, your boobs are showing.  Let me help you hide them'. Olodo.


NakedSha.
{Just as I am}.

The TISB Award.

...Omonoba...
Our People Say:
Yoruba: Aláràjẹ ò mọ ọdún; a-biṣu-úta-bí-igi.
English: He who purchases the food he eats cares not what the season is; his yams always flourish like trees. - Yoruba proverb.
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Griptime mentioned me on his blog and presented me with The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award (TISB). Thank you, Griptime...It is interesting how the proverbs on here have taken over this blog.

So, I am expected to mention five guilty pleasures. I don't know if I have five things that I enjoy doing while feeling guilty, PER SE, but still, I have mentioned several things I like here before so there's no need to repeat.

Do not forget to pay a visit to the forum, http://burntbottompot.lefora.com/. Many more topics are coming  out soon.

I finished reading, Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi. I liked this book a lot. Infact, I would recommend it. It was easy to read and she used very simplistic instances and sentences to tell her story. It was a good read.

{HAVE A BLESSED SEMESTER, LOVELY PEOPLE.}

I pass this on to:

Sugabelly (madam, abeg keep your art fingers up. I really like them),
Naijalines (I like your writing style a lot. And what you write about),
Nitty-Gritty (I do not always agree with you but there is always something I do agree with. I like your rants and tales),etc.

I also pass this on to ALL MY READERS. Go ahead an do it. 

If You Do Not Swing With Monkeys...

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Ìkòkò kì í ṣelé ìgbín; ṣe ló dè ìgbín mọ́lẹ̀.
English: The pot is no shelter for the snail; all it does is trap the snail. - Yoruba Proverb
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Happy New Year, my blessed people. I wish everyone a fantastic new year. So with a new year, comes new, wonderful things.

I have started a forum here on Lefora. The name of the forum is 'If You Do Not Swing With Monkeys...'.It takes about 20 seconds to join the forum, post responses to topics or even start your own. We cannot afford to sit down and complain when we can all discuss, team up and solve issues. It is open to the public and anyone can read. I would really love to see you all there, reading, posting, learning and making useful, fun, lively contributions. We as African Youth need to have our say. We need to have productive discussions and then act accordingly.

This blog will run as usual.

Without all my silent readers, comment leavers, followers, promoters, supporters, critics, etc, this blog will be a forgotten story. I cannot thank you all enough and I pray that the year 2011 will be a prosperous one and we will work together for our home.

God Bless you,
My name is NakedSha.

My life is not a badge...

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Kí ni eégún ńwò tí kò fi òwúrọ̀ jó?
Eng: What was the masquerader looking at that he did not take advantage of the morning to dance? - Yoruba Proverb.
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Pele, my people. My majors are very demanding and I am busy with school work, Intl. Students, African Students Assoc., E-Centre, etc. Things are not getting any less busy, so bear with me. For instance:

One chilly morning last week, I left home to school looking like this:

By the end of the day, I was in another city with other Bioneers looking like this:

I was so inappropriately dressed but I'm glad I answered the call. This community was very disheartening. There is a project at hand, GrowHaus, to provide healthy food for this low-income community sitting right in the middle of the industrial area of Commerce City, CO. Almost a hundred percent of residents are of minority standing and live there not because they want to but because they have to. They DO NOT HAVE A GROCERY STORE within at least THREE MILES. In the States, this means that they have to rely on convenience stores (7-11, etc) and extremely "fast food" (McDonald's, etc). Not good. GrowHaus is providing employment, creativity, food, sales, etc for this community. 

My life is not a badge, it's a responsibility. 

:)

Have a blessed weekend,

NakedSha.

Inshallah. Amen!

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Ọ̀kùn-ún mọ̀nà tẹ́lẹ̀ kójú ẹ̀ tó fọ́.
English: The millipede knew the way before it went blind.- Yoruba proverb.
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-> To that reader who has tons of her brothers'/ boyfriend's/husband's/friends' shirts in her closet or those who straight up buy men's clothing in stores. My brothers are tired of me! :)

"I close the doors and open the south window. Maybe, just maybe another soul will hear the crisp joy in my song of praise and thanksgiving and the flawless fluidity in my chords." Sing with me:

Hallelujah, Inshallah, Amen!

{Hallelujah, if God wills, let it be!}

 Interesting facts:

1. My guitar is fourteen years old. My father bought it when we lived in the Netherlands and he gave me what has become one of my most cherished material possessions.

2. The shirt in the picture (and half of my shirts) belongs to my older brother. 

3. I still wear a wrist-watch. If you do, holla!

4. I have no more than twenty five pieces of clothing at any given time in my closet. I find myself always trying to get rid of unnecessary things. It's impossible to tell; thank you, creativity.

Have a blessed rest-of-the-week and don't forget to count your blessings and give thanks! 

NakedSha!

In three words...

...Omonoba...
Our People Say:
English: A herbalist that refuses to ask laymen what leaves he looks for in the bush, must have difficulties getting what he wants.-Nigerian Proverb.
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Let's do this darlings:

A) What is/are your favourite aspect(s) of this blog?
B) What peeves you about this blog?
C) If you had to describe this blog in three words, what would those words be?
D) You do not know much about me but from my writing and my persona, how would you describe me in three words?

I'm curious. Plus, I'd like to answer these same questions on all your blogs...

Bless you,
NakedSha.