The Good Life

Arms spread out Hair flying wild I felt my spirit come alive as I lay on the beach and the ocean breeze caressed my body What better way to end the year than letting the ifs and was, the tension and tears and anything that made you sad, doubt yourself, cry or think wash away with the waters into the abyss of forever To say I was going into the new year rejuvenated would be putting it mildly I ran by the water bank,  I danced Wrote down my dreams on the sands and prayed they came true Sooooo much funnnnnnn This was everything I needed right now From the food, to the endless flow of wine Burn fire, friends to laugh with, hubby and the kids all excited I was so glad I didn't miss out on all of these Just like every other family was out there having a swell time and creating lifetime memories It was going to be a very happy new year I could feel it Popping another bottle would definitely seal this great feeling As I struggled with the cork Grrrrrrrinnnnnngggggg Grrrrrrrinnn...

As the year winds up and the new year begins to unfolds, many of us have listed out things we'd love to achieve Of course he who fails to plan, plans to fail So it's only natural if one wants to make any meaningful progress to set goal. Ever met a person who's passionate about their goals? They live and breathe it They talk non-stop about it Everything they think and do is centred around their goal So for everyone who has or who is about to set a goal for the new year, not all grounds are fertile to plant your goals By fertile ground, I mean companions or better still relationships Not everyone should know your burning goals We ought to carefully choose who we share our goals with Some might call it proud or a brag Others might say you're nagging Some others might say your goals are unrealistic and would try discouraging you Yet when you find those who share like passions with you, you'd be energized, motivated, helped, pushed, encouraged to pursue your ...

Different age grades gathered to rehearse their intended display for the 31st moon-over night This was a well celebrated night in Umudia Kingdom Young men displayed their strength, courage and creativity Young maidens displayed their beauty and talents Fathers and mothers looked out for those who they could choose as wives or husbands for their wards The elders were thoroughly entertained  Children were allowed to stay up late One way or the other, everyone was a part of this festive night  Rehearsals were in full swing when I saw him The sight of him alone made my heart race and always left me feeling out of breathe like an antelope who just escaped a hot chase from a lion I lost my train of thought and stood rooted to the spot until another maiden bumped into me and everyone began to laugh Chijioke always had that effect on me It was common knowledge within maidens of my age grade that I was deeply crushing on Chijioke. Unknown to him I had laid my claim on him l...

So many beautiful pictures flying on social media Pictures of families, friends.. Everyone looking like they all got it together and hit gold this year Some traveled home There you find the real deal Everyone is looking all flawless,  Something big happening for A,  New job for B Husband for C D just relocated Q moved to their own house Somebody's wondering where they stand because they're certain they gave 2021 their best shot How did others get to do all these? By the end of the festivities you'd find people reclining and becoming depressed like they didn't do good enough Or setting up unrealistic targets so they too will have what to show next year Helllllllllooooooo Dear, This year, you did good You're alive and well Yes, you'd do better next year Not to impress anyone or because of the pressures of this season Do better for you and your loved ones Do better because you deserve better Next year you'd also have a million reasons to smile. CHEE...

I saw myself going up up up 'Father please forgive all my sins' I prayed I hold tight to the rail with both hands, Eyes closed Yet eyes was still turnin oni own I wanted to form city girl with everyone Why didn't I respect myself? I underestimated the capabilities of these village elders to disgrace somebody That is how my escalator story happened Hubby took me to ShopRite to flex his Babe After a little shopping, we needed to go upstairs to continue Prior to this time I had never used the escalator oh And there I was staring at one Hey God! I kept coming up with ideas to delay the inevitable but something had caught hubby's fancy upstairs Atink I saw staircase But I didn't want stress with my heels and makeup Besides, how would I explain to Boo that this was my first If only I knew better I would've just told him oh I decided to take the bull by the horn  Succeeded in climbing on without loosing my teeth But the higher the escalator went, the louder...

E don tey wey I know say this December wear koi-koi come 26th we dey so, yet we never see Santa for our area Na him this evening youths for area come Waka round announce say we go contribute #300 each house to hire Father Christmas at least say them dey suspect as Santa be foreign guy bandits fit don kidnap am mid-flight to our location Chineke! Before the information go digest I see Mama Elizabeth wey we dey share fence with ghana-must go No be like say I dey look oh I dey cook for kitchen when I begin hear 'You must buy that fawo for Christmas if not hehehe, two fawo, crate of malt and fresh tomatoe. See my friend Julie, na goat her husband buy' Small time I say make I come pour small water outside cos I no dey hear the voice well we'll again Na so I jam eyes with Mama Elizabeth with bag for head Husband dey shout 'You won to kee me? You won to kee me? Christmas clothes Christmas hair Christmas shoe, this and that' I just say make I weed the grass wey ...

As the year winds up, we reflect on all the year has brought our way The good, the bad The battles fought The ones we lost The victories won And all we say is THANK YOU For life For health For family For friends And even for foes that make us strive to be better Provision, protection Countless deliverance We say THANK YOU We see your hand at work in and for us Everything around us are a testimony of your beauty Gracious Kind Merciful father We are nothing of ourselves as you have made us everything we are and given us everything we have We suffered no loss  And even when we did you were there to guide us through, showing us that you had better plans We say THANK YOU We thank you for the miracles of today We trust you for the wonders of our tomorrow Our anchor stands sure in you Our faith and confidence never weavering  For all these and many more Today, we say THANK YOU!!!

This season affords us all an opportunity to show love As we celebrate, let's do it bearing in mind that wherever we go we are to be agents of good tidings Spread the love Spread the joy Spread the hope and the cheers of Christmas Be the reason for someone's smile this season Be that light at the end of somebody's tunnel As Nigerians 2021 presented a trying time to everyone From several government policies To individual challenges Some faced retrenchment Others the loss of loved ones And some others financial or health challenges Everyone to his own challenge However tomorrow inspite of it all we merry Celebrate the battles you won Celebrate your family Celebrate the gift of friends Celebrate your job, your health, the roof over your head Eat Drink Dance and sing as loud as you can It's a merry Christmas.

Money here, money there Fame here, recognition and inventions there We are very busy chasing and chasing Sometimes we get caught up in the never ending circle And we forget what matters most We make the excuse that all we are working for is to give our loved ones a better life Then we turn around to loose those loved ones because when the night comes there's nothing to hold onto No memories No relationship We were to busy to invest of ourselves into that which was the reason we got into the circle in the first place This meeting, that unavoidable trip The conference, how about the endless calls Before we know it the day is done We are spent and time is gone It's important to have those grand plans To follow every opportunity we can to make life better for those we care about But in our bid to do this let's not loose ourselves Learn to find that balance An hour, a day, the much needed family vacation Learn to strike that balance Find the time to connect with your...

Our generation is plaques with people who have a deep sense of entitlement Entitlement to other people's time, properties, money, attention, the list is endless They just can't seem to understand why the minute they call you haven't started running helter sketter to do their bidding They are very quick to label the other a bad or wicked person for saying No at any point or not being swift in response Yet they'd never raise a finger for you when you need them Met up with a cousin of mine awhile back and we got talking I asked why he put his master's degree program on hold and he told with so much vexation that he went to meet a certain Uncle of ours who happened to be the permanent secretary to our state Governor at the time, for financial assistance to pay his fees but the man turned his request down. This cousin of mine was so bitter, rained curses and called our Uncle all sorts of names. I cut him short and began asking him questions I come from a very...

Party scatter Party scatter Party scatter Party scatter... Are you ready oh Are you ready oh... Fire boy's jam was on repeat in my head As I swayed my hips left, right and prepared for the hangout slated for this evening by 4pm I really deserved this groove, looked forward to unwind from all the stress Getting the kids ready was a herculean task 30 minutes just for bathing Another 30minutes plus to get them dressed Pretty pissed but this party, I must attend Hubby was out on a very important meeting and he was supposed to meet us at the party venue so basically I was on my own with the kids My time to get dressed was accompanied with screams from me Yells, kicking and screaming from the kids 5:39pm and at this point I knew I needed to take Panadol extra All praise to God we were ready to go and the minute I locked the door I heard 'Mummy poo poo' I threw my hands in the air and gave up Removed my wig and gave them their potty  6:05pm for a party slated to end by...

Detty December God has done it again oh! Was surfing the net when I happened on a post of a lady crying Guess what? She was just gifted a red machine on wheels for the sake of December Tears of joy running down her face Made for such a beautiful sight Just when I thought I've been wowed for the day, there goes another surprise surprise This one practically broke the standard and rearranged it  His wife removed her blindfold to find a PRIVATE JET!! PRIVATE JET OHHHHH!!! Who does that? I thought the focus was on our master and saviour this month? I thought we all agreed to make our Lord priority? How did we get here? Should we leave the internet for you people? Do they even remember heaven is the goal? There was no point scrolling further Before I'd see another man gifting his wife a planet Anyway, hubby will be back from work any minute so I'm sitting pretty, fingers crossed and waiting... I've got my blindfold on.... Say a prayer for me.😉😉😉

Annabelle read the information for the end of the year party a million times, so much so that she knew all the details by heart And just before she could blink the D'day had arrived She couldn't seem to contain her joy and excitement and was prepared way before the slated date Annabelle had big plans for the day She wanted everyone to watch her slay  Biz girl Teenage enthusiasm coursing her veins  She had managed to save up some cash for her the famous Darling yanki weavon, eyepencil, lipgloss and powder The end of year party was more of a street carnival so she needed to look her best Beautiful day Annabelle though Nothing could spoil today for her as she hurriedly did all her chores Party was in full swing Annabelle even stole her mum's shoe to compliment her outfit for the evening The evening couldn't get any better as she was standing under the mango tree with her sweet crush whispering sweet nothings when the whip landed on her back The shock at realizi...

Love your neighbour as you love yourself Simply put, you must first love yourself And then,you can only love your neighbour to the degree which you love yourself  Nooooooo Some of us break our backs for persons we know are not appreciative of who we are or what we give Going out of your way for such persons is nothing short of shooting yourself At some point we have to put ourselves first You must first be a healthy and happy person before you can be a good partner to your spouse, a good parent, child, sibling or relative You can't give what you don't have The way you love and carry yourself is the way others will treat you Nobody will love you for you And if indeed you love those around you, you'd treat yourself right Not everyone has the chance to do this twice Some fade away and die from giving of themselves and not spending time to refresh and rejuvenate Love you Care for you Put you first.

Decide to do a little instagram after a hectic day I was literally slapped with posts, comebacks, posts, comebacks and a continuous repeat of the circle between Bobrisky and Tonto I couldn't help but stop reading for my sanity's sake Where do you draw the line? When do you step on the brakes and stop and say 'Satan, not today and not me'? They say if you befriend a pig you be ready to bathe in the mud as well It was nothing short of saddening to read the back and forth banter How do you make friends with a person and the minute the friendship fizzles out you become the channel of information about everything concerning your supposed ex-friend Where you ever real friends to begin with? It's a normal phase in life's journey for some friendships to go sour or just fade away So upon the demise of your friendship you begin to spew all you know to what end? It's no more about the events that transpired, it's about your person Now all we see is the ...

Today it's your family Tomorrow it's that Uncle that refused to help you Next tomorrow it's what? If we keep waiting for everything to align perfectly before we take any course of action then we might just forever be stuck on A For that man who has refused or is not yet decided to move, there'd always be pretty good excuses When you're ready obstacles become spring boards instead of stumbling blocks Things meant to stop you would only strengthen your resolve to achieve your planned goal If we must achieve results then we have to begin taking actions NOW, with  clear cut goals Take the bull by the horn The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step Today is the best day to do away with the lame excuses Get up If you don't put yourself out there you'd never know what you're capable of or the opportunities open up to you. Have a blast

Story story! Na amebor carry me come here oh You hear wetin I hear? Say if you marry for Ikoyi Registry and other Federal marriage Registered too no be marry oh Either be say you kidnap person daughter Or her papa give you and you dey chop am since for free (no be me talk am oh, argue with your government) The main Koko be say as them announce this matter this two days don hot oh Some parents wey no like their pikin husband don dey collect their daughters back Some couples don dey elope Others wey dem dey beg to come do small thing for their pikin head wey since but coconut head no gree dem  Errrrrrmmmmm now elders don increase price for list oh 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Another set of people na the ones wey dey thank God for second chance People wey snatch other people girlfriend or boyfriend, the real owners dey collect back The ones wey family force to marry Or the people wey dem partner don tire nkor? On a serious side according to the Matrimonial Causes Act our country de...

Heyyyyyyy God It's 11days to Christmas But I can feel the excitement sipping through my pores Right now I'm more than prepared for the day to come The Christmas and new year celebrations were times we joyfully  anticipated as a kid Because 2-3,months before December my Parents would take my siblings and I shopping for our clothes for the festivities Mum usually took measurement of our feets with broomsticks so as to shop for our shoes And the trademark was that everything was always oversized And they'd always brainwash us with the lines that we were growing up very fast and we would grow into our wears by December Ohhhhh how could we ever forget the signature rubber glasses and wristwatch And our koi-koi shoes with white stockings It always seemed 25th December was light years away By the 24th we would've lost sleep and all in a bid to wear our new outfits Now to the most beautiful part which was dressing up and visiting Uncles, Aunties, neighbours and we w...

2022 is just few steps away Seems everyone around has a long list of 2021 achievement You bring out your notebook and it seems you didn't even get past your first three goals for the year You wonder if you're different inspite of everything you did Just remember that GREAT success takes time and continuous practice  Nothing big happens overnight A corn sprouts and bears fruits in a matter of weeks But thats not the same with an oak tree or a bamboo tree Some persons you see harvesting today either started planting long time ago or like the corn, it's just a quick quick miracle You are that bamboo Your kind is rare Your value is high Your process takes time Don't be sad or in a hurry to show up Keep that root going deeper Invest crazily in yourself, your tomorrow depends on it Envy nobody's success of today When yours shows it would be the latest Make a commitment to yourself today to NEVER give up NEVER cave in NEVER look back You're only marinating ...

Mummy, Baby girl poured water She poured water on the floor screamed D That was my son reporting his younger sister again It had been a very long day and D had been such a handful So at some point I decided the best punishment was to act like I wasn't giving him attention So no matter what he did or how much he tried talking with me, I pretended not hearing or caring. It was the biggest punishment, hence he devised his own plans, which was reporting his sister for everything imaginable It was funny and an eye opener how much our attention means to our kids. Let's suppose this was the constant for the kids at home This is one of the ways we breed sibling rivalry As parents we owe it to our kids not to make one feel more important or one less favoured To create and raise them to know that they are all loved and special An environment that accepts their different personalities without any form of pressure to make anyone feel he or she has to be a certain way or do cert...

As I looked at the lady walking past with the tray of food I was in no mood to be courteous or friendly I'm really gobsmacked at the attitude of these people sharing food at weddings oh Only God knows how I even got to this table where everyone was partnered up making us squeeze Small chops everywhere but we have to be sharing in my table like ants The way I prepared for this wedding ehhhh Didn't even eat from home cos I knew food go berekete No look me like that  I've known the couple and their parents from way back and it's not like money is a problem neither was the food oh but some self appointed ministers of distribution were using the food to play politics and favouritism First small chops Then it graduated to drinks oh when it was more than obvious one could order as much food and drinks as he/she wanted And now FOOD! I placed my order for the third time yet food seemed to be flying all around but never getting to me Enough is enough I was sething wit...

The month of December brings to mind all the past experiences and the excitement of those to come As is customary of almost every Igbo family, mine not being an exception, we always traveled to the village to spend the Christmas as well as new year This period is always marked with alot of merriments, meeting with extended families and friends after a long time, different varieties of meals, visitation with hopes of getting cash gifts from big Uncles and Aunties and lots more of precious funny memories are made One of such memories happened when my cousin and I decided to visit to town's square Just like myself, Blessing and her parents visited only during the Festive periods So that beautiful day as a way of exploring we decided to visit the town's square to enjoy the dancing and other activities that took place there  We had barely gotten there when someone gave a loud scream and then some chanting  So many people took to their heels but before we could understan...

Chenemie stared at the Facebook post for the uptenth time She couldn't believe her friend Grace was finally getting married Not to be boastful or proud, but she knew she had all it took to attract any good guy Good character, a job as well as her personal business, several degrees and physically she was eye catching So why wasn't she getting proposed to? Was there something she was missing? All she could say was 'God when?' Anthony was in a financial fix After trying all he could he reluctantly had to resort to calling Samie for assistance Anthony trained and taught Samie all he knew in business and set him up  Five years later Samie had built houses, bought several cars, became a big time importer while Anthony's business looked like he was in a merry-go- round He simply couldn't explain why he hadn't broken even Joy had been married for 8years She had visited severally hospitals Conducted tests upon tests, yet everyone said she and hubby were f...

Beads perspiration ran down my forehead My face stayed rigid in a perpetual spell like smile I couldn't break I could barely move because I didn't want to cause any further disturbance to my already angered body The air conditioner was on full blast but the sweats kept dropping like rain  I think it even made my condition worse I was practically making hubby race down the highway like a maniac just to get me home A little background story Hubby returned from a week long trip It was the first time we were spending such a long time apart since we got married So he bought every goody goody imaginable  And as the good wife I couldn't allow my husband's money go to waste  So I did what any reasonable and loving wife would do I ate and ate and ate some more and then ate again Ice cream, sharwama, peppered chicken, chocolate.....hey God, who wouldn't love such a caring man It was a memorable night And I loved every bit of it until the next morning  After a powe...

Wherever we find ourselves, we are always surrounded by people Family, friends or colleagues And sometimes we may feel inadequate that we begin to second guess ourselves, our worth and abilities BUT You are more than capable of alot The world needs you You may or may not be making ground breaking innovations You may or may not have all the answers or be the most eloquent in the room But regardless of the millions of people on the Earth's surface Providence made provision for you to show that there's something beautiful you alone have been graced to bring It might be that sweet smile you always wear Your charismatic personality Your simplicity, generosity, care or empathy It could also be those ground breaking ideas you keep locking away Whatever the case, you are here and the world needs you and the joy you bring You owe it to you and everyone in connection with you to be all that you've been created to be. CHEERS!!!

I pray you meet life I pray life meets you I pray you get heartbroken The one that wakes your senses up That sets you straight and challenges you to pick your life up and reconstruct it into something beautifully meaningful like a jigsaw puzzle I pray you fall in love  So bad you get em crazy butterflies in your belly The kind you forget yourself That one that makes you wear a smile without knowing The kind that makes all the pain worth the wait The kind that makes you know you're royalty  I pray for you that those friends go The ones who you do comfort with I pray they go The ones who just watch you or envy you or just spite you or them enemies in disguise You say you've been together for years? I pray they leave to give room for your life to allign with better To meet those who'd shape and challenge you to become all that you can be to find you I pray it fails Those plans, that appointment, yes that job I pray they all fail That which will cause you pain and s...

As the curtain of 2021 closes Everyone has been taking stock of their lives and achievements You look around and can't really seem to lay your fingers on much to show for all the blood, sweat and tears the year has put you through Unlike your friends,  You didn't buy the land You didn't get to build your own house Or buy a car Neither could you work things out to travel abroad Except for a time or two, It would seem the year was just a flat line However, instead of worrying how about celebrating your little wins all through the year? First you're alive and healthy Your today was at some point your prayer in the past You gave this year your best and you're still giving Check deep down Yes, the year is almost over and there are those targets yet to be met There goes worry,  knock knock knock,  Trying to sneak in with all it's pressures Hakuna matata Worry does nothing but steal from you your joy You'd be surprised what tomorrow brings.

As the organ began to play The whole cathedral vibrated along An angelic aura enveloped us And I could feel the goose bumps The lights shone beautifully As the bride walked down the isle with grace and poise The scenery was nothing short of breathtaking The closer the bride got to the altar the higher the atmosphere was charged with energy and like a cresendo  It kept building till it's eruption as she stood before her groom The passion and love was palpable You could literally touch it And there stood the Groom, tears cascading  down his handsome face as he watched his bride Ohhhhhh love oh This is the very reason Saturdays are one of my best days The opportunity to watch couples joined The love and electricity as they exchange vows Always taking me down memory lane to when I said those sacred vows to the love of my life That's how Honey Boo couldn't take his eyes off me all through the ceremony Love sweeeeeettttttt And na only man wey cry when we dey match we ...

Today, we write about a kid who lost his life to bullies. For refusal to join their cult, he was beaten up so bad it led to the loss of his young life Where do we begin to mourn as a people? The parents who watched helpless as their young son cried out in pains until he breathed his last How their souls terribly bleed in unexplainable ways The thoughts of conceiving, birthing and raising your child only to have his life cut short in such a brutal manner To the kids who inflicted such pains on a fellow kid, what were they thinking? How were they raised? How did they get so hardened as not to give any care what the consequences of their actions would be? And to the parents of these kids, did they do right in the way of raising their kids not to be a menance to themselves and to others? Have they been consistently bailing their kids whenever they got into any trouble? Today they bail their kids again.  Did they teach their kids to take responsibility for their actions? It ...

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure...   2Tim 2:19 I should've known this makeup artist was set against me by principalities and powers that were unhappy to see young beautiful girls blossom and make it in life It was a good day, I could feel it Whenever there was a wedding, only good was permitted to happen I believed  I had just returned from school on holiday My first semester 100 level And this wedding was the perfect avenue i needed to show everybody I was now an 'it' babe The stylist was putting the final glam touch to my hair when her neighbour came in and as is customary with women in any saloon, the gist began to flow and somewhere in between gists she got to know I was prepping for a wedding Neighbour: This your hair is fine oh              It really suits your face             I'm the owner of the next shop Me:  Ohhhhhh, you are the owner of the        ...

The month of December comes with the highest form of anticipation, excitement, celebration and then, the many mischievous deeds that also plague the month Nigerians do not take kindly the celebrations in this month. A person works for 11 calendar months, deprives himself of alot to save and save, then travels home in December and within two weeks of festivities blows up his savings for the entire year Some take huge loans to show off and spend the new year working to repay the loan Another wonderful group that have caused heartbreak and headache from the foundation days of our independence is the IJGB(I just got back) Between the 20th December to first week of January we find them with the signature gold chain on their neck and wrists, newly bought face caps and sneakers or crazy starched natives with ghettos that could serve as blades while speaking the 'innit' from their noses Unfortunately many of our beloved ones have fallen victim to the mirage their personalit...