Taking Stock 2009

let me first start by saying merry christmas! can you imagine 2009 is done already? God is indeed great. This was definitely an interesting year for me. if i had to pick a word that best described my 2009, it would be growth. i was being John 15:2ed in pretty much every area of my life.

FAITH

Me and Jesus had an interesting ride this year. i cheated on Him a couple of times, realized can't nobody really do me like HIm, broke off the crazy affairs and went back to my first Love.All in all, i would say this year really showed me how much He loves me and I am determined to do better becuase i now have a clearer understanding of our Relationship.

FAMILY

This was a good year for family, i didnt get to spend as much time as i would like because of all the stuff going on( see career/education section) but i can definitely say there was no shortage of love in this area. My mum and I are actually getting along better these days, i think she has finally realized i am grown and THAT is no small feat for a nigerian parent, can i get an amen?

FRIENDSHIPS

I started out the year sooo lonely friiendshipwise, all the people i wanted to be around lived in other states. For the first time in my life, i prayed that God would bring awesome people my way and He did. I think i lost touch with some people but the ones that matter are still here so thats good. Let's not forget the friends i made on blogville. shout out to Original Mgbeke, Taynement and Simeone!!!

FINANCES

No doubt,, this was my most expensive year ever . i did a lot of spending. moved out on my own with no roomates for the first time. had to buy furniture, pay fo rmy CPA exams. Even though I didnt save as much i would like because there was always something to be bought. i could definitely see God's hand in my finances. I somehow mananged to get a good deal on everything that i needed to buy, even in this year of layoffs i managed to quit a job i hated for one i liked. i believe i am a living proof that tithing works...

EDUCATION/CAREER PATH

There was considerable progress made in this area. i got a clearer vision of what i want to do which made me change my area of study for my masters. Almost done with my professional exams and I am excited for 2010 because it is the year i will finally be done with all things studying,

RELATIONSHIPS

i was going to start by saying i had my first "heartbreak" this year but in all honesty, it was God taking me out of a crappy situation i did not even know i was in. i matured a lot. realized that if i dont know myself and figure out what i want how am i going to recognize it? oh and i adopted the mantra "no mo' drama" which led to a bunch of numbers being deleted. that felt great.

HEALTH/GENERAL WELL BEING

i had a lot of health scares this year. from hearth attack, to gall bladder surgery to pulmonary embolism all was speculated. I spent more time in hospitals than ever in my life but I am glad to say i am fine. EVERY test that was run came out negative. i started actually watching what i eat, i ate better and exercised more. i am not where i want to be but i am making progress.

ADDICTIONS/BAD HABITS/SOCIAL LIFE

i think i developed an addiction to food or maybe i just recognized it? i managed to kick my addiction to facebook. i spend cosiderably less time on it now. i dont know about bad habits, i didnt travel as much as i wanted to this year but i visited a few new states so thats not bad. as for social life, i went more except for days when i was buried in my books. i plan on doing a lot more next year.

So in general, i believe i made progress in every aspect of my life in 2009 and that makes me very very happy. i am soo excited about 2010, i know God has awesome things planned for me.

P.S does anybody else feel like they have to spend the last hours of the year at church or am i just weird? my friend wants to go downtown and i am like naah mehn i will be at church.

Lessons from The Office

If I had to pick my all time favorite comedy series it would be the Office. I love love love that show. I am having a bit of bloggers block so I will be writing on lesson I have learnt this week from my office.

Lesson 1: It is never what it looks like. So my boss and I are the only ones on my team that work from our location and he’s gone a lot (vacation and most times working remotely). I used to say I want to be like him when I grow up. Not having show up to work every day. Why did I find out this week that the company lets him do this because a member of his family is seriously ill?

Lesson 2: Do your best especially when you don’t feel like it: I woke up this morning with no desire whatsoever to go to work (It was soo cold) so I decided I would come in looking like a bum after all it’s almost Friday and I am not meeting anybody. Right? Wrong. I forgot today was the day my boss’ boss was coming from HQ. So I met the Director of accounting for the first time with my hair looking a mess and wearing gold ballet flats that do not match my outfit. .

Lesson 3: its all about your perspective: The end of the year is the craziest time for us so everything is on a strict deadline. One of the things that has to happen is an inventory count and it takes a while. So this oversabi guy at work wants to “streamline the process” which I have no problems with except now I am 2 weeks behind and said process did NOT get streamlined. I could get mad at the fact that I will have to work way longer hours later in the month but I choose to realize that he was trying to help and if his method had worked it would actually have saved me time.

In other news, I have absolutely no idea what I am doing for Christmas. It doesn’t feel like Christmas at all I have been lazy but finally got my decorations up yesterday. So I am getting more into it. I think I will feel more Christmassy when I get my result from my exam next week and I know for sure that I am done with the exam. It will be the best present ever!

How is everyone doing?? I need to go do my rounds…

Theme song: Hallelujah by Hillsong,
I have been on a hillsong trip all week. That group is just pure awesomeness.

arrrghhhh!!!

I am slightly frustrated today because

I came in to work today and someone done drank up all my milk that I use for my daily cereal. You see, I am lactose intolerant so I drink a special kind of milk so it was not like a case of mistaken identity. I am the ONLY one that drinks that kind of milk up in this piece..

I went to visit my mum and ran into my uncle who every time I see has to give me serious guilt trip about not calling him. I mean every single time I see him. Like dude am I supposed to be calling you every day and do you have anything else to say to me? Anything??


I took the fall semester off so I could study for my exam. Well to be able to sign up for spring classes I need to reapply because I did not fill out a leave of absence form. Anyways, I did all of that and for some reason beyond me I was marked as international student. Now I have to take them proof of my visa status before they let me register for spring. I am more than halfway done with my program. I am pretty sure they can look up my record and see that I have NEVER been classified as international and save me the stress but who am I kidding?? That would be way too much work for them to do.


I have had a headache for two days and I have no idea why…


Anyways, it's another week and I am alive and well (except for the headache) and for that I am grateful..

Have a great week everyone!

???!!!!?????!

Look like we will be randoming until further notice. It’s the only type of post that fits my current discombobulated state of mind.

It’s supposed to be the busiest time of the month for us at work and I am bored. Hence, the blogging at 11 o’clock in the morning.

I decided to play all the songs on my iPod in alphabetical order and I am rediscovering songs I forgot I had. Forget that award show tutu debacle; Beyonce’s ave maria is actually quite a good song.


Every time I hear that el dee big boy song I feel the sudden urge to get crunk…especially when he goes “gotta rep my hood I’m from Lagos city in naija”

I want to be done with studying and test taking sooooo bad…

One of my bucket list items is to sing Carrie Underwood’s before he cheats at a karaoke. I may be doing that in 2 weeks!

Since when did Pandora stop being free? Stupid economy, everyone wants money :(

“Blessed be your name” just came on, I think there is something about classic old school worship music that you can’t get anywhere else.

Two of my favorite people in the whole wide world are getting married in Dec and I can’t be there, that makes me very very unhappy.

in aproximately 3 weeks, i will take my last exam section and will ,by God's grace, be done with all things CPA.

I have nothing...

So I have been working on a post for a week and I finally gave up and deleted it

I just had so much in my head and it was too hard to put it all together in a coherent form

The weather today is wet and cold and just put a damper on my mood. I got in to work and my cousin had sent me this forward with quotes from Maya Angelou. One of it was “you can tell a lot about a person’s character by how they deal with rainy days, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree light” oh well. *shrugs*

I have this friend that whenever I talk to, I always feel so vulnerable (in a good way), we talked today after many months and I realized how much I missed him.

Speaking of friends, I always thought people who talked about backstabbing/two faced friends were just being dramatic but I think I just had one of those experiences. The good thing is I don’t feel betrayed because I really didn’t consider her a friend.

I have this thing where I can tell after spending a few hours with a person what kind of relationship we’ll have. That actually dictates how I relate with them consequently.

Is it possible or even normal to be mad at someone for something they may not have had control over?

The auditors are here and on of them is a chick and quite cute and wearing a really nice dress its red and short…with four inch heels I am like …in this cold weather? Na wa o!

Oh and our office assistant( more like office mum) she’s soo sweet and takes care of everyone, so why was she trying to get me to admit that one of the Sr. Manager's cologne was too strong.. Granted she’s not my manger but still wetin consain me???

My buddy started a non-profit organization. Please stop by and join the movement.

Small break in transmission

Stolen from Nice Anon’s blog!

Itching to work with: I think it’s more like itching to work at
Listening to: moving forward by Israel and new breed (yep, still on that)
Driving: a 2008 Nissan Versa. I’ve been told it fits my personality?!
Shopping fix: buying anything on sale just makes my day. Even if it’s something I don’t need, I’ll still buy it and give it out.
Signature scent:. Just discovered B&BW Exotic coconut…loves it!
Necessary Extravagance: can’t really think of anything.. I am cheap
Maintenance must haves: my Victoria secret fragrances
Fear Factor: God has not given me the spirit of fear.
Speed Dialing: brother, mother, bestie, fav cousin, Jaycee, 911.
Latest splurge: a super cool bathroom scale that also counts calories... (This weight loss business eezz not easy)
If I weren't: at work, I would be at home watching small claims court TV shows. Judge Mathis, anyone?
Dreaming of: the day when I don’t have to spend weekends studying.

So Saturday is my date with destiny a.k.a the financial accounting section of the CPA exam. Everyone’s been telling me how hard it is. I can’t even say I am ready but I am doing my best. The other day I came across this.

The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said: "Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, Isaiah 8:11-13

Meditating on this has really helped me get through the past couple of weeks. I am determined to stop living in fear so yea bring on the 4 hour exam!

P.S I found the verse to be also quite effective in dealing with all the craziness around us: Swine flu, bad economy, unemployment and whatever else is out there.

P.P.S how’s everyone doing? I will be back in full after Saturday!

New Schedule

up until the end of november...

7.30am. leave for work

5.30pm- 6pm: get home and grab dinner

6-7pm: go jogging/walking( yes o! only so many fat jokes a sister can handle)

7.30pm arrive at school library

11.00pm/ midnightish get home from library and fall into bed..

ALL I CAN SAY IS GOD DEY!

so i promised to post some of my new music faves, here we go..

You guys were right.. I finally go into the new WH... this has been on heavy rotation

This is the song from the last post... apparently imeem only works if you have an account.
This clip also includes the song he has with Mary Mary.. in short the whole album is faya! its called the power of one.

This is not really new but oh well..



And of course Chrisette. everytime this song comes on the radio, i turn it up, sing as loudly as i can while trying to do my best woman scorned face.. Praise Jesus for tinted windows :)

I have some more but its bed time so to be continued

have a great weekend people!

P.S Mgbeks can i just say thank you for being my unpaid albeit unlicensed shrink, I heart cha mucho *muah*

VOTD

But it is not the one who commends himself who is approved,

but the one whom the Lord commends

2 Cor 10:18

Been a while....

Since I did a random post, it’s Friday and I need to procrastinate so what better way?

1) I still can’t believe summer is over, its back to the crazy studying again.. Oh well. Unto everything there is a season right?

2) I went back to FL for my coz’s bridal shower and mehn I had serious thoughts of moving back. I so did not want to come back here.

3) Speaking of the homestead, I got some new music from my fam and it feels like I am in music heaven. I will share some of my new faves later.

4) While we are on the music subject, I seriously cannot get into the new Whitney CD… maybe I need to grow into it? Heck, I just finally got into Chrisette Michele and her album has been out for a hot minute. How awesome is that “blame it on me “song? I listen to it at least 5 times a day and THAT’s not counting the times it comes on the radio!

5) Am I the only one who really does not care about the whole Sony deal? I don’t think there is anyone in the world who believes ALL Nigerians are crooks. In the words of madea “it’s not what you are called, it’s what you answer to” so anyone who wants to dispose of their Sony items preferably PS3s.. I am willing to send you my address.

6) Speaking of madea, this is the first time a Tyler Perry movie comes out and I am not there opening night. I just don’t feel like it. Come to think of it, I don’t feel like a lot of things. Hmmm.

7) I am really quite nervous about certain areas of my life. Help me Jesus

8) On the bright side, can I just say having convictions and sticking to them, no matter what, is a beautiful thing.

This is my new theme song.. i have to listen to it EVERY morning

I forgot!

Happy day before monday lovely blogville people.

How did the weekend go? I had one of my little moods this weekend. It finally became official that I won’t be able to go to naija this December among other things and I was quite depressed. I mean life was going so good and bam! Everything changes I went into full self pity mode. Complete with the sitting on the couch in PJs and not answering any phone calls.

I mean why is it that when life is going really good something ALWAYS comes to ruin it?

Well, I got my answer today. A good friend( why do people always say good friend, if they were a bad friend they wont be a friend. right?) invited me to come and watch him play at the youth Sunday at this African Baptist church, I actually ran into a blogger there( shout out to Taynement). The kids did an awesome job, anyways their whole theme was seasons and they talked about each of the four seasons and what they symbolize. Spring for planting, summer for nurturing, fall for Harvesting and winter for resting. And it actually occurred to me that I was crabby because my season was changing and I didn’t want it to change. I was enjoying spring too much and forgot that summer and fall were coming. As our people say no condition is permanent and i believe one of the tricks to doing life successfully is the ability to anticipate and accept change.

So I have been known to wear out a song… I mean I would play it every day morning noon and night if I could. My current fave is an oldie but a goodie. It has been great for my current mood. Here is a video of the live performance. It’s pretty good for a song that has only eight lines J

I am,actually, not Crazy… Yess!!!

So a friend sent me this, its called random/weird thoughts people our age have, since I have had majority of these thoughts. I now officially feel better about my sanity J

1) More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can

think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell

my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves

me.

2) Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're

going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to

be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the

direction from which you came, you have to first do something like

check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to

yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're

crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

3)I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4)Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know"

feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose

not to be friends with?

5)There is a great need for sarcasm font.

6)Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and

suddenly realize I had no idea what was going on when I first

saw it.

7)I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually

becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting

90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's

laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little

bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the

only one who really, really gets it ( nacho libre..anyone?)

8)I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than

take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

9)The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to

finish a text.

10)Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say"

11) I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

12)Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron

test is absolutely petrifying.

13)Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart",

all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

14) How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod

and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

15) Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in'

examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete

idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and

said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

16)What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?( ok.. not this jobless)

16)MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I

know how to get out of my neighborhood. ya know?

17)Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the

person died.

18) I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the

shower first and THEN turn on the water.

19) Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty,

and you can wear them forever.

20)I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

21) Bad decisions make good stories

22) Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their

profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got

the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if

I do!

23) Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go

around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly

nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be

a problem....i swear!

24) You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work

when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything

productive for the rest of the day. (right mgbeks?)

25)Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't

want to have to restart my collection.

26) There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are

going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far. (the library at school has rocking chairs..lol)

27) I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me

if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I

swear I did not make any changes to.

28) "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

29) I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people

watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will

they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't

watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and

leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

30) I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?

Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and

goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone

and run away?

31) I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not

seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste. ( for realz)

32) When I meet a new person, I'm terrified of mentioning something they

Haven’t already told me but that I have learned from some light

internet stalking( guilty!)

33) I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,

then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

34)Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising

speed for pedophiles...

35) As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers,

but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

36) Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

37)I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they

drive behind obeys the speed limit.

38)I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

39)I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or

Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

40)The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw

they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words,

someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think

about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people

eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by

myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard

before dinner.

No Title Post

I do not care what anybody says, the quarter life crisis is very real . It doesn’t have to be a bad thing but I think 25 is one of those ages where you just have to stop and ponder the direction your life is taking. I did my pondering and made some life changing decisions that I am quite proud of.

No matter how much I try to fake it, I am an introvert; I can only hang out with people for so long. After a while I need to be by myself or start to feel like I am losing my mind. This weekend was my chill at home and recover weekend. I only ventured out to the grocery store and church and I feel so much better. Ready to face the world again..lol

So I called into Vera’s show yesterday, quite interessante I must admit. The topic was happily single : Myth or fact . I was quite amazed at some of the opinions expressed. I think my favorite were the people who kept saying it was impossible to be single and happy say whaaa? Don’t get me wrong, companionship is awesome and there is nothing like having someone who loves you and all that jazz but if you can’t be happy by yourself how you going to know what a bad relationship feels like? In the words of my darling Mgbeks “marriage is not for everyone” I encourage you to listen to the show if you can.

Oh and I happened to mention that I wanted to be single for two years and apparently that’s too much? One of the lessons that God has been teaching me lately is that of delayed gratification. Just because you want it now does not mean you have to have it now. It’s the reason why you can’t build a multimillion dollar business in a year. You have to go through due process or you will get the good thing and it will slip from your hands because you won’t be able to appreciate it.

I passed my second CPA section so I am now officially 50% a CPA. God is just too good. Especially since it was my first try and no one I know has passed that section on the first try.

VOTD

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God

Ecc 3:11-13

Party over here!!!

So today is my birthday. I officially hit the quarter century mark today, i don’t know about anybody else but my birthday is usually a reflection day. As I look back on this past year I can’t help but be thankful because God had indeed been good to me.

I am thankful for Redemption. My Father sees me even when nobody else does. I am in no shape or form perfect but he still always comes through to bail me out of my mess.

I am thankful for my Really great family

I am thankful for remarkable friends.. I am awake at this hour because my friend in naija who I haven’t spoken to in ages called to wish me happy birthday…

The random friendships I have made off blogville, from my regular blog commenter s to Gmail buddies.. I am grateful for you all.

I am thankful for resilience, The strength that God has given me to bounce back from all the crazy things that happened to me this year.. I really can’t take that for granted.

I am thankful for my recent employment upgrade, I love my new job/boss and I honestly can’t complain.

I am thankful for Rent, yes I said rent, the fact that I pay rent means I have somewhere to lay my head at night and that in itself is a huge blessing.

I am thank ful for my ridiculously fun church. I love love my church, I have met some great people there, I look forward to Sundays and Wednesdays and there is nowhere else I’d rather be on those days.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the eartth

your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16

:) :)

So today is exactly 1 year since i became an active citizen of blogville and it is also an exact week before i officially hit quarter century. oooh yea!!

I would really like to do a proper 1 year on blogville reflection/ shout out post but its late so uhm i guess that will happen this weekend...

Also, two ( well 3 if i count myself) of my most favoritest people in the world also have birthdays next week. I love you guys and thanks for being in my life.

so i am off to bed... expect a proper post this weekend. i think i am still tired from last weekend( which will officially go down as the busiest weekend of my life so far)

VOTD

A cheerful heart is good medicine,

but a crushed spirit dries up the bones

Prov 17:22

if it isn't love...

Small break in transmission.I just had to share what has kept me from loosing my mind these past few days. So you know how folk in naija be hooking you up with "prospects" without your approval? well my friend had that happen to her. Anyhoo she decides to be nice and let the bloke down easy. this is what ensued.

HER EMAIL
Hello ,
I hope you are doing great.
Well, I can't pick up my phone cos i don't have mins on it except if you call me weekends or after 9pm my time. As for every other thing we have talked about, i don't see this working out, so I say you move on and find someone else back home. I can't seem to understand why you would like to date someone who is far off & haven't seen, when I'm very sure that there are good ladies there too.
As for me, i'd prefer to date someone here too. Not that i don't trust people back home but at least i can get to know the person better.
i really don't understand, i'm i supposed to say "yes", probably just see you once if i come home, approve and get married? i'm not sure how that works.

Not to sound rude in anyway, but hopefully you understand too and move on with your life.

HIS REPLY
Hello my dear

How are you and your groove over there in US, hope fine. I got your mail and i believed that we are matching in the same path,what differentiate the kingdom is the word "DISTANCE" yea distance means much in thing like this but giving a room for an ecstasy is another cool chance for us to shuttle this relationship out.

Yes we talk and mail but have not seen each other,thats give us the ego to say to each other you are welcome to my life then feelings and planning follows it. Just accept then lets move round the orbit to find the solution for distance which both us we agree on. my words to you might sound abhor to you but my dear thats how i feel, i will love you to come into my life thats my heart desire.

How i wish my dream will be as acacia where roses and warmth will grow between us. Dear i know that the journey of couples is not a day talk but please put it in your memory you will find out it can work out and i know here in nigeria girls are many but few are choosen likewise there in the states.lets develop the emotional side of it and leave the rest for God. I am not trying put you in self indulgence but think about everything and put my feelings too. what i owe now is always praying to God to help us, guide you and give you joy ok. Have a cool stay .....Dear permit me to say that i cherished you.

P.S: So is it bad that every time i get stressed i go back to read his email just to get a good laugh?

P.P.S: Vera and Mgbeks, please show me the way to super cool blog templates na?

Best 10 minutes of my life.

so yea..it's no secret that i love this man.

Please please please take the time to listen. it's really worth it.

The Death Process

This is my 50^th post and in a few weeks the blog will be a year old. Woot! Woot!!, now I realize that means I averaged one post per week but that is besides the point. I always come back and that’s what matters. right?

When we were younger my mum would have this random house cleaning/ decluttering episodes and she would throw/give out a whole bunch of stuff.. even things we STILL wanted. It used to make me really mad and one day I was venting to my uncle and he replied. “That’s good, that way you have room for new things” that was more than 10 years ago and I still remember what he said because it is turning out to be so true.

For growth to occur there has to be some kind of death. It’s sort of like a relationship unless you let go of the crappy bf/gf the chances of finding the right person are pretty slim.

The problem is that I am a hogger. I don’t like to let go, heck I am not even sure I know how to, so every once in a while my Father has to step in and snatch away the old things. I usually never understand the whys until I get the new stuff and I realize that there is no way I could have handled the new if the old wasn’t taken away.

This is dedicated to any hoggers like me out there. Embrace the death process. Let go! Appreciate the gift of goodbye and make space for the new because there is soo much more out there.

VOTD

And no one pours new wine into old wineskins.

If he does, the new wine will burst the skins,

the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.

No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.

Luke 5:37-38

is it alright if i holla!

Theme song : The sound by Mary Mary ( playing)

This is not a real post.. I just had to share

I passed the first section of my CPA exam amidst all the drama and sadness and craziness that went on during the time I took the exam. All I can say is I have a wonderful, loving Father who always looks out for me.

I have been bouncing around my apartment to really loud music cos I am sooo joyful.( my poor neighbors)

P.S Happy Birthday to the awesome simeone!!

May God continue to grow you into the remarkable man of God that you are destined to be.

VOTD( another ATW discovery)

The LORD is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation.

He is my God, and I will praise him,

my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Exodus 15:2

Reunions, Missing Persons and other tales

This weekend was awesome. My bestie came to town! Hadn’t seen her since last may so it was awesome to be reunited and I even got to meet her boy. They are sooo cute, I can’t wait to plan the wedding, I already have my MOH speech prepared.

I was so glad that she was coming to town that I even overcame my issues with redeemed church and followed her to their convention. It was not bad even entertaining to some extent. Especially the singles summit, oh the stories I have. I think my favorite part was when the one pastor kept saying God wants us to all get married as ‘vaagins’ . LWKM!!

I think I need to file a missing person’s report.. A certain naija lady that lives in the DC area seems to be missing. If anybody knows where she is please tell her to call me. I am having withdrawal symptoms.

The next section of my CPA exam is in approximately 5 weeks and I have only studied one of the 20 required chapters. LORD help me.

I really need to remember that insanity is doing the same thing over and expecting different results.

I miss mgbeke.. please come back now. I am begging.

I came across the VOTD during my reading for ATW ( go here for more deets). I am really enjoying the reading. The book of Genesis feels like a season of passions or the young and the restless, from mistaken Identities to deception to murder.. oh the drama and intrigue!

Please, Take a few moments to mull over the VOTD, hopefully you have the same aha moment I did.

VOTD

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

Genesis 18:14a

Something is about to happen!!!

So I mentioned in my last post that I wanted to read the entire bible this summer. Well the awesome Simeone and I are going to partner up and do it.

We are inviting everyone we know to join us and make it a movement. How amazing would it be if a whole bunch of us bloggers (and non bloggers) embarked on this journey together? Oh the lives that would be changed!!

I am supper excited and cannot wait to begin because I know this going to be goooood.

Click here for more information and also if you would like to join us.

VOTD

You will seek me and find me

when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

In my head and on my mind.

1) I am supposed to be “working” from home and i confess i have done maybe 30 minutes of work in 6 hrs.

2) I confess the summer is not a good time to be studying for a major examination, too many shows on TV. How am i supposed to study after work?

3) I think i have finally found my church home.. it only took 13 months ha!
4) I need a good chin chin recipe... any takers?

5) I just discovered I may have put myself in a "Christian bubble", i subconsciously choose to interact with only Christian people.

6) I want to read through the enitre bible this summer but I need a reading buddy, anyone want to join me?

7) How do you convince a non believer on the sovereignty of God?

8) I am thinking of getting baptized again but i am nervous about doing it in front of the whole church :(

9) I came across the VOTD yesterday and It made me want to smile, laugh out loud and cry at the same time!!

VOTD

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,

so that Christ's power may rest on me.

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses,

in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.

For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Cor 12 :9-10

I am BAAACK!!

Hello Blogworld!!
Long time. This past month has been craaaazy! there was a CPA exam, school finals, breakup, weird work schedule, naturalization all in one month!
I am not too much a fan of typical Christian rhetoric but i can't help but say GOD is indeed good.

I just recently learnt a few new life lessons and i thought I’d share;

1) NOTHING can take the place of really good friends... and they don’t have to live close by :)
2) We all possess inner strength and resilience that we just need to tap into.
3) Life is ridiculous and it is never done throwing curveballs, you just have to learn to go with the flow.
4) no matter how bad a situation is, it could be worse, oh trust me, it could be worse.
5) it takes a special kind of grace and strength to be able to do the right thing.

so the point of this is to encourage anyone out there that's feeling battered by life. God is real and he DOES come through if you call on Him.

P.S shout out to my newest friend. Congrats on being the first person, I met through blogger. This is the start of something good, don’t you agree?

VOTD

Call upon me in the day of trouble

I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

Psalm 50:15

Question

What do you do when you have been at the library all day and you need a break?
Answer : a facebook quiz of course

What type of woman are you?

LOVELY LADY

You are lovely and caring. You help others and spread out a lot of sympathy. Your life aim might be to serve the people. But your weakness is that you forget about yourself, your own needs. All your time is hold back for your friends and family. You are always there for people in trouble. Ready for any emergency. You make a lot of sacrifices just to be a good human. But every woman has her needs, her longings and a destiny. Don't loose yourself in work or curing other people's souls. You will have your own problems in your life. Another problem is that you don't say your opinion when it's right and important to say it. People trample onto your soul if you are always so kind and lovely and helpful. They will play on you. Though you should try to relax more and enjoy your life, you should not loose the gift that was given to you to help others . Not everyone is created this way... You are unique and rare! (yaay me??)


P.S by this time next week, i will be Freeeeeeeeeeeeeee... till i start studying for the next section of course

what do you do in a 3 hour class?

1. What is your name: Reverence
2. A four Letter Word: Road
3. A boy's Name: Rick
4. A girl's Name: Rose
5. An occupation: Railroad manager
6. A color: Red
7. Something you'll wear: Rings
9. A food: Rice
10. Something found in the bathroom: Rags
11. A place: Rio
12. A reason for being late: Rush hour
13. Something you'd shout: Road Trip!!!!
14. A movie title: Revenge ( I bet there is a Nigerian movie)
15. Something you drink: Red wine
16. A musical group: Red hot chili pepper
17. An animal: Rodent
18. A street name: Ross Road
19. A type of car: RAV4
20. The title of a song: Rock the boat

Faith and a Plan B

I have been wanting to do a post on this topic for a long time but never got a chance.

Its about Faith. I mean a complete utter trust in God, that he will make a way. If i am being completely honest, I would admit that this is not the case in my life. you see i only have faith because I see a way out.

Fortunately/unfortunately, i am currently in a situation where i have no Plan B, i am completely and utterly stumped. I believe God is going to make a way because that’s all i can do right now. I have no choice.

So I guess my question is do you have faith or do you have a plan B?


P.S forgive the weirdness of this post, I am really not myself.


P.P.S any of you praying people, please say a prayer for me.


P.P.P.S I may/will be gone for a while will be back after my exams and hopefully in a much better state.

Supercalifrigilisticexpialidocious

Happy Easter blog people....



I watched Mary Poppins and it took me waaaay back. oh how i love that movie.

Today is the day the honest meme shall be done. so here we go



1) I am extra super sensitive. my feels always stay getting hurt :(

2) I can be quite talkative in the right circusmstances.

3) Sarcastic humor is the way i express love.

4) I do not know how to "spark" for people.. i cant be confrontational, the angrier i get the closer to tears i am.

5) I can do quick math in my head(additions, multiplications, e.tc)

6) In future i most definitely want to end up doing something with forensics

7) I have been on a "diet" for the past year.. i haven't lost a pound..

I know i am supposed to tag people but i am sleepy and there is still studying to be done tonight.


Have a great week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VOTD

If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there

if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath.

Psalm 34:18

The Message

Il ya bien longtemps..

Mood: Hopeful

hello wonderful blogville people
It has indeed been a long time. i have been studying a lot in preparation for for my battle against the AICPA next month.

I was motivated to take a much needed study break this week/weekend because its Easter and Jesus did not die for me to kill myself with stress. i even took Friday off work to go to sea world.. very excited.


I really want to do a honest meme thingy but that requires thinking and i don't have the energy for it right now. next post i guess.


I will however post a pics of my cookies and cream cake. its apparently quite delish and takes little time/effort to make as most of the ingredients come from a box..haha

Health Update

I aparently had acid reflux brought about by a reaction to the drugs from oral surgery. my chest no longer feels like its on fire and I have since returned to eating spicy food :)

VOTD

You're blessed when you stay on course,

walking steadily on the road revealed by God.

You're blessed when you follow his directions,

doing your best to find him.

Psalm 119 :1&2

The message

24 yr olds dont have heart attacks!

Mood : Thankful

It started out like any other regular Monday except that I was groggy from all the pain meds from the oral surgery, I finally made it to work when right around lunch time I started feeling this real weird ache in my chest along with shortness of breath, I ended up calling the doctor who informed me that a visit to the ER was advisable. Say what???

Now I have seen every episode of Grey’s Anatomy so when I think ER I imagine blood and chaos and people shouting, so yea I went into full panic mode, and did I mention that none of my friends and family live close by?
I eventually went, 4 hours and an EKG and X-ray and blood and urine tests later, the “cause of my pain is unclear”

The Doctor did say I was too young to have a heart attack and they tested me for blood clots and I didn’t have that so I just need to go see a specialist but there is no life threatening situation.

The funny thing is the closest I have ever been to a hospital was for employment drug screening. Imagine how I felt in the ugly gown and wrist name tag and Iv tubes sticking in me.

So really if you haven’t had cause to visit a hospital in the past 24 hours, take some time to be thankful because good health is indeed a privilege.

VOTD

I WILL bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Psalm 31:1

Wordless post..

This will be my new hobby for the next 10 weeks... pray for me.

have a great weekend people!!!

Some of God's greatest gifts...

Theme song: Unanswered Prayers by Garth Brooks (yes I am in the .01% category of Africans that like country music, sue me)


So I was having one of those lazy days at work. The one where you have a whole bunch of crap to do and no motivation, so like any other 21st century young adult, I resorted to IM. I ended up in a conversation with my ex (what? He was the only one who would answer me; I guess everyone else needed to work) This was not just any ex, this was THE EX, the one you swore was the one until he took your heart, stomped on it and gave the pieces back to you.. anyhoo as I was saying we were having this conversation and the more we talked the more I realized how different we were and no it was not the opposites attract kind of different. It was the I really want to throttle you right now kind.

For some strange reason, I had a sudden flashback of how things ended with us. I remember praying and crying and asking God to fix us, needless to say that prayer went unanswered and judging by the fact that I am soo glad we are no longer together, I now definitely realize that my Father indeed had a plan.
and so I decided to make a list of all my unanswered prayers (I did say I was bored didn’t I?) and what do you know? EVERY single situation I could think of worked out eventually and for the better if I may add.

So the lesson for the day is whatever dire situation you seem to find yourself in today will definitely work out, God has a plan.

I GUARANTEE IT!!


In other news, tomorrow I am having oral surgery to have my wisdom teeth taken out, I really don’t know what to expect since I have heard so many conflicting stories, some say little or no pain other say mucho pain, please pray for me that I fall into the little or no pain category.

VOTD

And we know that in all things

God works for the good of those who love him,

who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8 :28

:(

Its saturday night and i am home alone, I should be studying but being on blogville sounded like a better idea.

so a friend sent this to me and i figured i'd share


30 C0MMANDMENTS TO BEING THE "PERFECT" WIFEY (NAIJA STYLEE)

1. Thou shall NOT be a LONG TINS BABE (you know what I mean?)
2. Thou shall not lack in boobs, yansh and hips. If you must, please lack only one and find a way to make up for it.
3. Thou shall NOT be a down to earth, real or ride or die chick. i.e all those ruff, rugged and raw "tell it as it is" girls, NOT WERKING.
4. Thou shall not have dew hair (All those afro/afro-kinky "soul" sisters… FORGET IT).
5. Thou shall not be a non-church goer. Ladies, for extra credit, be an usher, Sunday school aunty or PRAYER WARRIOR (This applies to other religious sects)
6. Thou shall not go to club to find husband... YOU GO JONZ!!
7. Thou shall not drink hard liquor or beers. Stick to 2 glasses of wine, IF YOU MUST DRINK ALCHOHOL.
8. Thou shall not have un-manicured nails (It has to be French manicure acrylic nails).
9. Thou shall not have daddy issues (victims of divorced parents and dysfunctional families … keep it to yourselves).
10. Thou shall not go without makeup (i.e. caked foundation, studio fix but ensure that the make up has a natural look which is purple lip liner, pink lip gloss and chocolate/natural eye shadows)

11. Thou shall not lack culinary skills. Perfect the art of egusi,ogbono and all variations of rice. Home Economics is in order
12. Thou shall not be a "posh sturvs". Sushi or lasagne…uh....really?.
13.Thou shall not knack ya head when you have a weave. Futhermore, on no account should you be caught scratching and flicking the condiments into thin air. That is simply DISGUSTING.
14. Thou shall not do any strange degrees, such as development, journalism or medical genetics. Ladies, stick to law, engineering, accounting, business or pharmacy.
15. Thou shall not have a sense of humour or try to even be funny (note: SARCASM IS A NO NO)
16. Ultimately, thou shall not go past a first degree, maybe masters (PHD IS AN ABORMINATION)
17. If thou must study a masters, please please, remember to dumb down when hanging with his friends.
18. Thou shall not disclose too much of yourself. You will seem needy
19. Thou SHALL NOT have a sex life or sexual imagination prior to meeting him. Let him "teach" you.
20. Thou shall not listen to anything other than r'n'b or hip hop (common is pushing it). All you World music and rock chicks, NOT HAPPENING MATE).

21. Thou shall NOT an independent woman. (all those "I can pay my own bills" bullshit… Basically , LONG TINS). Refer to commandment one!
22. Thou shall not be opinionated or well informed (WARNING: This might come off as intimidating. Besides, no one likes a miss know it all).
23. Thou shall not go to any obscure University. Please stick to Kent, Leicester, Nottingham, and Reading. (WARNING- YOU WILL END UP ALONE).
24. Thou shall not be overly friendly. All those social butterflies and jovial. Personalities…BEWARE.
25. Thou shall not be anti-social when it comes to his family. You have to GET IN THERE FULLY.
26. Thou shall not explore any originality when it comes to fashion. Stick to T.M Lewin, Hawes&Curtis, pointies or kitten heels, and jeans– Abortion belt always puts the icing on the cake. To complete the look, don't be seen without your thick framed rectangular glasses (YOU SHOULD HAVE GONE TO SPECSAVERS).
27. Thou shall not hunt in packs (warning to girls with bossom bodies that cant be separated
28. Thou shall NOT be loud. Keep your voice to a minimum always
29. Thou shall not appear to be having too much fun on the dance floor. When it comes to dancing, keep it simple (Dutty winders and grinders, ITS NOT HAPPENING).

30. Thou shall not think about breaking this next commandment. The ULTIMATE, IF NOT YOU ARE FINISHED.It Will be an OYO STATE (on you own) FOR YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. LADIES PLEASE PLEASE AND PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THE BEDROOM WITH ANY WRAPPER, NIGHT SHIRT, WHITE TOP GEL OR SHELLY ON YOUR FACE. If you must Do all the above, LADIES, BURN THOSE GOLD AND BLACK HAIR NETS. Girls, we are all guilty of owning a hair net or 2. And we know that all the commandments before suggests that you must be a babe on P constantly. You have to FIND A WAY TO WORK AROUND THIS HAIR NET ISSUES. Statistics dictates that one in two marriages FAIL due to this.

I only have the permed hair, no abortion belt and accounting degree working for me..Lord help me!!

Have a great weekend people..

Random Musings

It’s past 10 on a Sunday and I am not asleep, why? Because I don’t have to be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to make it in to work..yaaay for presidents day…

I hope everyone had a good valentine’s day, it was my first “real” v-day and I had a blast. I am currently lying in bed in a chocolate induced haze. As in, my tummy really really hurts. I wonder what happens when you OD on chocolate.

I went to see my first non chick flick in about 5 years this weekend (this whole compromise thing is no joke), the international. It was not bad at all. Speaking of movies, I highly highly recommend “slum dog millionaire” it’s a great movie...I mean I don’t usually like independent movies but this is an exception.

So tomorrow is my consult to see about having my wisdom teeth pulled this weekend. Yaay..NOT!!!

It just occurred to me that this is the first weekend in a while that I have not run into a famous person..hmm, i was beginning to get used to it.

I am going to try not to skip any classes this week...

Have a great week People!!

VOTD

I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own;

it is not for man to direct his steps.

Jer 10:23

Way too much!

I heard this song this weekend and I just had to share.
Its called my worship is for real.
I found a video on youtube and it happened to be my church choir singing it!





My fave part is the line that says "i've been through too much not to worship" hmm hmm hmm!!

I met Fred hammond on saturday at the bowling alley.. went over to say hi.. took a picture(which has promptly been made my facebook profile pic..of cuss)and talked to him. Apparently he was in cooncert in naija in dec?

I randomly stumbled upon the VOTD on sat and i think it deserves its own blog post. I believe its a prayer that we as young adults should take seriously especially in this gimme gimme world we live in.

VOTD

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you

and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'

Or I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonor the name of my God.

Prov 30:8&9

Just because

I got infected by the 25 random things epidemic going round facebook, i figured i would post mine on here and start our own blogville epidemic.

1) I have a problem putting words to paper.
2) I have an obsession with bright colors.
3) My kids’ names will all start with the same alphabet which will be the same as their last name, of course
4) It is my life’s goal to taste all the ice cream flavors at cold stone creamery. I am currently at 80%
5) I am a walking contradiction…I love romantic albeit unrealistic movies but my favorite songs are songs about heartbreak, I won’t eat tomatoes but can’t do without Ketchup.
6) Even though I miss Florida like crazy I am kinda glad I moved out here
7) I intend to take all the sections of the CPA exam before the year runs out..
8)soulja boy,lil wayne and their kind offend me
9) I don’t like hearing myself speak so I don’t have a voicemail greeting message
10) One of my favorite shows to watch is snapped on oxygen. The whole women killing their husband thing intrigues me
11) The last few days I have been dreaming of invoices, reports and reconciliations
12) Baking relaxes me
13) The pounds gained as a result of the above worries me
14) I don’t remember when last I got 8 hours of sleep at night
15) When it comes to words spoken, I strongly believe in context over content..anybody can say anything.
16) I lose all self control when I am near a box of ferrero rocher hazelnut chocolate
17) I really used to believe personal relationships should never have drama… ha!
18) I want to visit every state in the U.S.
19) I honestly sincerely deeply believe there is a God and He loves me very much.
20) Its a huge struggle to go to class… I am so over school
21) I used to think my Job was great until this past week
22) I just discovered my favorite color last year
23) Shopping gives me a headache
24) I am addicted to half.com
25) Shoes are the keys to my heart

If you read this..consider yourself tagged...

VOTD

If you are willing and obedient,

you will eat the best from the land;

Isaiah 1:19

The one about the dropped call.

allo wonderful blogville people...
My computer is fixed..yeaah!
its been a while and a lot has indeed happened, its February!! The month of love right? not!

Today’s post is not so random but was inspired by a random event..


The day was last week Tuesday, the time was during my lunch break , life had been crazy for a while so my best friend and I had not really had time to gist.. we ended up having to make do with conversations during lunch break errands. anyhoo, i was on my way to wlamart and also recounting the boy's latest offenses( you know those can you imagine, and then he said and then I said conversations?) I was so into it and I did not realize that I had been talking to myself for a while.. I mean t-mobile had cut me off so smooth that I did not even know when it happened.

it was not until the next day that I realized I was the exact same situation with God, We used to gist on the regular but then life and school and work and relationships and family happened I couldn’t even identify the exact time we stopped communicating. I just know we had stopped. I would even be at church and my mind would be pondering the best time to go grocery shopping to avoid all the traffic. Its not like I was not interested in the word, on the contrary I was. I had just allowed a lot of junk to drown out the still small voice.

So right now I am in the middle of the very “fun” task of “unpiling” trying to get rid of all the junk so I can hear Him clearer. But you know its soo much easier to put on than to take off.

I guess the lesson of the day is, it’s always a good idea to do an “are you there” check just to make sure your call has not dropped.


*blogville, help me pray for motivation with school, I have never been this disinterested in anything. Today, I literally drove to class, was about to turn into my building, sat at the red light for a few minutes longer than normal, said bump this, made a u turn to come home and I feel absolutely no remorse.

VOTD

If you do well, will you not be accepted?

And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.

And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

Genesis 4:7

2008 in Retrospect

I know this technically should be done at the END of the year but I am bored at work and its my blog and I can do whatever so there!

Best Movie: The SATC movie... The first and only movie I ever saw by myself

Worst Movie: Disaster Movie..I actually had to Google it to remember the name. Thorough waste of my time because I absolutely dislike spoof movies, It’s actually bad because it was our first date and he really enjoyed it. That was when I realized he was indeed a weirdo and I still have not been proved wrong.

Best food: fried plantain all day every day

Worst food: same things I hated in 2007 and before, Veggies!!


Best Drinks; V8 Fusion (have to get my veggies in somehow)

Worst drink: My heathen coworkers made me try a shot of Patron; I could only take a sip. Ewww!!! Don’t know how people do it.


Worst music: I have to say the whole lil Wayne movement, someone please make it stop!!

Best Music: ooh some good songs came out this year; I have to say my best addiction was the Kirk Franklin fight of my life album oooh I wore that CD out!


Worst Moment: when I got my first F in my entire life. I remember looking at my exam score and thinking where is the rest of my grade? Lol

Best Moment: seeing my final grades and realizing that God is still in the miracle business.

Best Toy: my awesome new Nikon camera that makes everyone fine..
Worst Toy: my HP laptop that is always dying on me


Worst lesson Learnt: I am not who I thought I was
Best Lesson Learnt: HIS Strength is made perfect in MY weakness!!

I think it is time to go back to that one invoice I have had up on my screen for the past hour, I think my boss is beginning to notice..

VOTD

For in this hope we were saved.

But hope that is seen is no hope at all.

Who hopes for what he already has?

But if we hope for what we do not yet have,

we wait for it patiently.

Romans 8:24&25

National Champions Baybay!!!

we won!! we won!! Go Gators!!!!











THE BEST TEAM IN THE NATION!!! HOLLA!!!






will be back with a real post when i get well, have my cmputer fixed and finish celebrating..lol

Happy New Year all!!!