THE HUMAN FACTOR

 Hey beautiful people, TGIF right?! We've all been looking forward to this weekend, I know I have. As someone I know would say "How dey go, dey go?". Hope you guys  have been good since I've been away! No naughty business.........

Let me start today's post by saying that I'm really upset with all these people who make the most amazing movies, they've ruined our perception on many things. Movies have so influenced us that we've come to expect what happens in movies born out of someone's imagination to be our own reality. movies or series (which I'm addicted to) have become the yard stick with which we measure ourselves, others and the world in general. Before you think I'm a movie hater or one of those puritans of the Augustan era who were against all forms of entertainment, I'm not. In fact, if you watch MTV you'll remember an old advert of theirs which had a slogan "Never give up your M". I'm just like that, I'll  never give up my M be it Music, my MUM or Movies!

It's just that real life is so far removed from what we see in these movies, friends aren't as great as those ones in Sex and the City.... relationships don't always work out like in the telenovellas, the bad guy doesn't always die, in fact when one dies another one springs up, they are like weed! The shy, good girl doesn't always get the handsome, popular jock like in the Disney movies. The only part I'm sure is true is what they tell us in all these end of the world movies, Africa doesn't get destroyed! No, think about it...... You remember 2012? Day After  Tomorrow etc nothing happens to Africa because everyone would get wiped off, there are no emergency services just for a fire outbreak..... imagine what would happen if the heavens started raining Fire and Brimstone! No, God is merciful, He knows there is hardly any hope in such a situation so He won't let that happen.

Oops, did I digress?


Anyway, back to the matter! People are just that. People. They aren't perfect, they will let you down, break your heart, betray you..... in MJ's words "Its Human Nature" to expect otherwise would be foolishness. They don't do it because they derive pleasure from all doing these things (though there are those whose hearts are blackened, they are of a different class entirely) but it just so happens that we aren't superheroes, we can be selfish creatures and are sometimes held captive by situations and circumstances! I always use this example, say someone promised 100 grand to pay your rent due on the 29th, the failure to pay would cause your landlord to evict you from your home. Morning of the 29th you call Mr promise but after several rings without a response; you send a text "Good morning sir, how was your night and how is the family? hope well, if so thanks be to God. Please sir, i hope you have not forgotten your promise to send me some money to pay my rent. and as explained my landlord has given us today as the last day to pay. I will be expecting something from you sir. May God bless you and reward you richly. thank you"
 (Lol, see the phrasing of that text. Isn't that the way you would send it?)


Long story short you never got a response from Mr Promise, via text, call or bank alert! He let you down. What's the first things that pops into your mind? He never intended to help anyway" Right?


Maybe right, maybe wrong!


Here are a couple of scenarios,
 Mr Promise was expecting a cheque from one of his debtors who had sworn to pay on the 28th, this Mr Debtor never sent the cheque and all atemps to reach him failed even till the following week and it was out of this money Mr Promise was going to send the money to Mr Can't Pay His Rent (Henceforth referred to as Mr CPHR)


Mr Promise being a good husband told his wife of his intention to give 100 grand to Mr CPHR and wifey says "what, which money? Lai Lai, what of the money you've been promising to send to mama in the village, so my mother is not important abi?" All attempts to convince her otherwise failed so because Mr Promise would rather have peace at home, he diverts the money to mama's account

Mr Promise, got wind of a super deal which would end on the 29th and being the sharp businessman that he is, sent all his available funds to China so he would be able to get in on that deal and have his goods shipped in from which he would make 500 percent profit!

Its also possible Mr Promise woke up and had a sharp pain in his right side, he was immediately rushed to the hospital where it was discovered that his appendix had ruptured, of course he was in surgery so he couldnt pick up his phone or reply any text messages.


And then maybe Mr Promise is just one of those wealthy people who would rather spend their money on a good time than help a dying man with a drop of water!


Either way it happened, Mr CPHR is screwed, he has been booted to the streets and as human beings we'll jump to the conclusion that Mr Promise is a wicked man.


Its the same in many other areas of human interaction, we are subject to our environment many times and may be unable to do anything to change what is or how things turn out. Doesn't mean we are evil.


People are bound to let you down, if I promised to come pay you a visit and then my car broke down right outside my gate or worse; my in-laws chose that day to come visit, what do I do?


I'm not so pessimistic as to say abandon hope in humans, infact I believe strongly in the human nature. Man has the potential and the ability to do great and amazing things. I'm only saying leave room for the "human factor" which will most times explain the "why"


The minute you understand that the only one who won't let you down is God, then all will be well. We do know as the Good Book has said "God is not a man" he is not subject to the things we are.You will begin to see things differently, be less disappointed or disillusioned.....

It will be easier to let things go! And when you are able to do that, you'll have a happier life!


Have yourselves a good weekend people. "Let the good times roll"

NEGATIVE ENERGY

"A complainer is like a Death-Eater, there is a suction on negative energy" Barbara Corcoran

If you are wondering who Death-Eater's are, you are one of those people who don't watch movies... You are beyond my reach... I can offer no assistance

Death Eaters are bad enough, Dementors are on another level....

here's how Lipin described them to Harry "Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them... Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself...soulless and evil. You will be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life."

I dare say Dementors are possibly the scariest creatures ever, after my first "contact" with them, I didn't sleep too well for a little while, and from someone like me who prides herself in being able to watch horror movies without flinching.... that says a lot.


Far as I can tell, negative people are the closest to Dementors, only difference is that they don't "feed off human happiness" and don't seem to be essentially evil....

Ok Ok. Don't crucify me, comparing anyone to a Dementor may be taking it to the extreme, I just saw a lot of similarities in them!

There's enough negativity from one person alone without allowing others the opportunity of adding to it.

I'm mostly an optimist but I have random bursts of pessimism. Days when I can clearly see the sun in the morning but I'm convinced it will rain and so I don't do any laundry, days when even though I've done well in an exam, I manage to convince myself the lecturer is just evil and so the results won't reflect my hard work.....

Now imagine, someone echoing your negative thoughts, increasing scenarios of how everything will go wrong, assuring you that nothing good will happen...

Truth is, these people usually don't mean anything by it and they are just expressing their honest opinions from their perspective.... It becomes your choice whether or not you want to allow them take up space in your mind with their negative words.


I know some people who have the worst imaginations ever... If you let your guard down for a minute, your thoughts will be invaded by their negative words. Some girls are absolutely convinced that all men are unfaithful, can't be trusted, have no heart.... And some guys have the same feelings about women. If you hang around them long enough you will believe them. They have stories of how sososo's wife cheated on him and how he really wasn't the father of her two kids, of how Mrs Somebody's husband left her for her own cousin after four children and even booted them out of the house.

How about those people who are so disillusioned on the issue of wealth and prosperity, they see a car (I'm not talking just about a good or acceptable car. I'm talking "perfect will" kind) and they either say the person is a "yahoo yahoo boy", "a ritualist" or "a corrupt politician". Apparently these ones don't believe you can have a good job or business that pays in the millions, they have never heard of multinational companies where some top level employees earn as much as 50million per annum!


"Anyone that's negative shouldn't be a part of your life. Fill your life with people who can be positive and uplift you, people who have good positive energy".


Let's be realistic, there is no way you can completely separate yourself from some of these negative people, they share your office space, they are your siblings who live in the same house with you, could even be your parents... So do you cut them off completely?

I don't think so, I do one of two things, I change the topic or walk away. I can't begin to count how many times I've said .... "Anyway" (that usually means enough of that topic, I'm no longer interested, moving on!) the minute I no longer feel "edified" when conversing with a person.

Have you ever been in a bus, on a one hour journey and all the passengers seem to have made a pact to moan about all that's wrong with the country.... If you allow yourself to listen and digest all that negativity, you end up feeling bad or upset, let down and disillusioned... Major shout out to the inventor of the ear piece/headset, in the words of Chris Brown " turn up the music, turn it up louder" or read a book. Do whatever it takes to shut your mind from all that negativity.

Negativity steals happiness, it takes the sunshine and replaces it with dark clouds.....

Protect your happiness at all costs, guard against people who have a negative influence on your life!

Have a wonderful day!

ALL IN THE MIND

I woke up this morning extremely hungry so forgive me if I'm not too coherent. I'm not one of those super people who can function on an empty stomach....

First, I'd like to recommend Muyiwa Ademola's radio program, its a program that I'd encourage everyone to listen to, I just got on that train myself and so far its made my mornings infinitely more inspiring leading to a more productive day.

I know a young lady who is no doubt good looking but in my opinion she's not the tastiest looking cookie in the jar. However, there is no way you can convince her that there is anyone more beautiful, if you tell her your girlfriend is pretty, she'll be quick to assure you that she's prettier. Tell her about a cute girl you saw, she'll tell you she's cuter.

I used to just roll my eyes and release a deep sigh whenever she would go and on about how gorgeous she was but I realize that that was her reality and it did work for her. There is an instance I will never forget, we were all dressed up to go out one day and by all standards she was the worst dressed, I can't even begin to go into how bad .... On a scale of one to ten, I'd give it a minus three

So we arrived at our destination, and as usual I found the darkest corner, folded my arms to "observe". Before my very eyes I saw guy after guy after guy walk up to this girl and those that didn't have the spine to do so all had eyes on her... What?!

Years later it dawned on me that what your mind believes, becomes the reality. It might take a minute but it will eventually translate to what can be seen by everyone. Simply because she was convinced then there was a manifestation.

I've always wondered why anytime I made a specific hairstyle or decided to buy a new gadget, I'd start seeing it everywhere by the dozens. Some weeks ago, there was a wedding in my old neighborhood and the "aso ebi" was purple and suddenly it appeared everyone I saw that day was wearing purple, I thought it was just me till my friend commented on it.


The mind is an extremely powerful tool, use it. The Good book says ".... transform yourself by the renewing of you mind..." Decide what you want as your reality and watch it happen!

The mind is everything, what you think you become" - Buddha

Start convincing yourself that you are successful, confident, good looking, smart... And it will manifest!

Have yourselves a blessed weekend!

May Your Life Be Full

Yesterday I received news of the death of one of Nigeria's biggest make up artist, Adenike Ogungbe, AKA Ewar... I had never met her in person but we had correspondence via email and we had a mutual close contact. I was heartbroken, the circumstances that led to her death had goose bumps breaking out all over my skin. She died after childbirth. Apparently she had been trying for a while to have a baby and just when she did.... I have no doubt that for her family and friends, this must be bittersweet news.

Her life was short by many standards (she was only 32)  but it was full and that's what counts. She touched lives, was a giver, went places, met people, left a legacy and now a child... a piece of her. May her soul rest in peace.  Condolences to her family and friends, may the good Lord grant you the fortitude to bear the loss.

I'm always forced to sit and take a look at my life when I hear of the death of any person, especially one whose life was full. Life is short, even if you live to be a hundred, its still short. There will always be things to do, places to go, experiences to suffer or enjoy.... its best to cram in as much as you can with the little time we have.

I spend too much time indoors, though I have a great love for the outdoors so I'm set to remedy that, I'd hate to flash back over my life and find I spent all my time planning to do things rather than do them.

I hope I get to go mountain climbing one day (hopefully before I'm seventy) although I never want to go bungee jumping.

 As much as I can be, I'm gonna be spontaneous, and just do it! In light of this, I'm off to catch a movie today, Man of Steel maybe.

And since I like languages so much, I start chinese classes in a few weeks. Yaay me!

I dare you to live a full life, not just with the usual stuff but to have new experiences and try new things. I'll never forget the first time I went to a chinese restaurant, needless to say it was an interesting experience!

Yěxǔ nǐ de shēnghuó chōngmǎn!

WHY SO SERIOUS? (LOVE YOURSELF SERIES)

Laughter is a reflection of not only happiness but of joy. Its been scientifically proven that it reduces the chances of cardiac arrest and some other medical conditions.
It is one of the cheapest drugs available and I'm proud to say I'm an addict. In the words of Lord Byron, "Always laugh when you can, it is cheap medicine"

Most people take themselves way too seriously to laugh, they are constantly frowning, constantly bitter, always upset....

Its important to find humor in even the craziest of situations especially when they are temporal.

Being the extremely clumsy klutz that I am, some months ago, I was in a bus(my porshe panamera hasn't arrived) and as I was about to step out, I felt something pull on my best linen pants, I just knew it was torn. I had a feeling a little bit of my backside would be hanging out... And it was! I kept grinning like a fool, cos there was nothing to do about it. I got home and ended up laughing about it with my folks,I'm laughing right now.

I did say that was my favorite pair of pants, so I haven't thrown it away even though I know I'll never wear it again.

"To truly laugh you must be able to take your pain and play with it" Charlie Chaplin

 "If you can't make it better, laugh at it" Emma Bombeck. 

So, anytime I look at it, I start laughing all over again at how I must have flashed a small population of lagos...

I'm forever laughing at myself, the fact that I left home with blush only on one side of my face, or I got to class and apparently my hair was pointing in six different directions.... Besides I heard that if you can't laugh at yourself, you aren't allowed to laugh at others! And boy do I like to laugh at people,if you spend a week with me and my family, you are likely to come to one of two conclusions; that we are the happiest bunch of people or we are all clinically insane?!

Feel free to laugh at yourself as often as you can, no one will charge you a dime. Being overly self conscious gets you frustrated, anxious, worried and regretful; not to talk of boring and a sourpuss, life is too short so let yourself go, see the funny in situations, smile, giggle, laugh, then do it again... Its an expression of happiness, and when you are confident enough to laugh at yourself its an expression of self love!
"Laugh at yourself and at life. Not in the spirit of derision or whining self-pity, but as a remedy, a miracle drug, that will ease your pain, cure your depression, and help you to put in perspective that seemingly terrible defeat and worry with laughter at your predicaments, thus freeing your mind to think clearly toward the solution that is certain to come. Never take yourself too seriously."

And if you find you can't laugh at yourself, call me, (you know me now) I'll laugh at you for you! Have a funny day people!
I'd really like to know some of the funniest things you've done or that have happened to you. So leave a comment.
And big shout out to Tejiri Okene, one of the funniest girls I know, she thinks it no robbery to laugh at other people as much as she laughs at herself! Love Love Love

(LOVE YOURSELF SERIES) BEING AVERAGE

I decided to write this series because I have come to understand that loving yourself is the first step in the pursuit of "happyness". you can never be truly happy if you don't love the person you are.... quirks and all.

Being Average

I can see some faces all scrunched up right now.... The mere mention of the word average gets spines straightened and folks sit up! I'm sure someone out there's mantra is "Average is the enemy"

Being a middle child is hard.... Being the middle child with four siblings is harder... Being the middle child who isn't the only, first or last boy or girl.... well, that just sucks! It appears you are doomed to being unexceptional just by virtue of your position in the family (ask me, I know)


But is everything average so bad? Let's be clear, I'm not saying don't aim for excellence or don't aim for the best... I'm all for that, one of my motto's (I have a lot of them) is "I manifest the spirit of Excellence"! So yea!


There are different definitions of avrage, but today I think I'm gonna stick with the Merriam Webster definition. In math, average means " a single value, (mean, mode or median) that summarizes or represents the general significance of a set of unequal values!" That doesn't sound so bad right!


Now think about it, how many times have you described a person as average .... Oh Mr John Doe is not fat, he's not skinny either... He's just average. I know I have a way of making that sound like its better if he was fat or skinny. Oh she's not a bad girl, she not a saint either... She's just average. Average is forever being aached to "mediocre"


For me, I've decided to be positive about my averageness. Especially the ones I can't change (without resorting to the most drastic of measures) like my height, I really always used to wish I was just a few inches taller, then I would be "the tall girl" and then I used to wish I was shorter then I would be "the petite girl" I've decided that I'm "just right" Great height for a girl, cutting off the really short guys (apologies) especially since I'm a sucker for high heeled shoes, yet perfect for a tall guy (insert big grin) besides I'd like to be able to reach the top shelf without needing assistance!


Or the days I wish I was really skinny, or just a bit bigger.... Being skinny as far as I've come to realize has very little advantages (none come to mind right now except maybe being able to squeeze through a really tight space in a Mission Impossible movie?) How about the fact that clothes hardly ever look good on bones.... Besides, have you seen my neck? Let's not even bother with the other extreme.. So again, "just right"


I know what I'm about to say next will appear strange, but we've explained that there's nothing usual or ordinary about this girl... So brace yourself for this weird statement... "I'm not extremely beautiful by any standards and I like it" Why? I hate being objectified..... I hate being looked at like a piece of meat... Oh Lord, it drives me nuts. Don't confuse objectification with appreciation, I'd like to walk by and be appreciated but if all you can think about is "what she would look like with her clothes off" or you can never get past that to my personality... I saw "a friend" I hadn't seen in a while some weeks ago and we got talking, but just as we were to part ways, he asked me to "turn around!". GOD!!! I wanted to die! Like if I was standing right in front of a cliff, there wouldn't be a post today. So I've come to realize that my personality wouldn't go too well with "extreme beauty" (but who knows, maybe I'm just consoling myself.hehehe)


I could go on and on with the various things that would make me average, but I don't need to fit any mould, I rather like being unusual, makes me feel special. Gives me freedom to do whatever and be whatever. Besides someone somewhere will still have something against me somehow, should I care?

 In the words of the amazing India Arie "I'm not the average girl from your video and I ain't built like a super model but I've learned to love myself unconditionally, because I am a QUEEN"

Since God made me this way, then I'm not where near average, I'm PERFECT!


 If folks have complaints about an average person, why would you imagine that you would escape.... skinny or fat, short or tall... you mght as well learn to love yourself, you will definitely be a happier person!

Have a good day y'all!!!
b

A TEAM

Hi everyone,
Its been a minute hasn't it?! Shame on you Debourgeois, shame on you!
I do apologise and I have no excuses. I have 2 posts for each day for a while so I'm sure we'll catch up in no time!


Have you ever thought of the fact that just about everything, even the purest of things, is made up of a number of other smaller things?

The air we breathe has two oxygen atoms, water has two atoms of hydrogen with one oxygen atom!
Hmmm, let me stop there! I think that may be how far my knowledge of chemistry goes.. but you catch my drift don't you?
 And for we foodies, i can t imagine what  a "dish" made of only one ingredient would taste like!


The Good book says "two are better than one" "where one would chase one thousand, two would chase ten thousand" etc etc


Basically, its better to work with a team, as a sports expert (yea right!) I know that even when it appears there is only one player on the court, for instance in tennis, there is still a team in existence, the loss or win of a match depends as much on the player's skill as on the team's strenght! No matter how good the likes of Nadal, Federer, or the Williams sisters are right now, they couldn't have done it on their own without good coaches!


Long story short, you need a team. You can do it on your own, no doubt! You can make lasagna all on your own from scratch, you can prepare fried rice without help. I guarantee you though that it would be faster and easier if you had help, someone chopping the carrots while you dice the pepper or boil the rice. The time it would take you to cook a pot would be split in half leaving time to fry the chicken catch your favourite series or even soak in the tub!


A team enhances your strengths and covers your weaknesses, a striker wouldn't do so well as a defender and vice versa. I even have doubts as to whether a goalie would be a good defender, chances are he'd end up catching the ball with his hands half the time!


Don't be afraid to ask for help and don't be too proud to take help when offered even when its not absoulutely necessary! If we had all day, I'd go into how help is a gift from God to make life smoother! (Which is why I almost always take lifts)


Don't be unwilling to share the glory with teammates, you'll work yourself into an early grave, besides being all work and no play! We all despise a selfish player, who wants to score everytime or make the shot everytime and never thinks to pass the ball.Did I meantion I'm on team work hard,play hard? (I'm always on one team or another! Lol)


Keep an eye out for people who complement you, even if its your vision, you can't do it alone! You need help, you need a team! Find them and graft them in! Just think about it the way Jarod Kintz put it "I love team work, I love the idea of everyone rallying together to help me win"


And in the words of Abiodun Ajewole (yes I am the wise, deal with it) "Teamwork is help. You helping me. Me helping you"

Insert big smile here.
Have a wonderful day!
Hi everyone

MUSIC REVIEW

SIFER
HEY BABE

I received the link to listen to this song a week or two ago, but i wasn't too interested. As far as I knew it would just be another badly produced song with no quality whatsoever, in terms of lyrics especially.


Fortunately for me though, at some point yesterday I clicked on the link without even intending to, about a minute later I heard this sound and I traced it to my phone. Alas, it was the link I had received a while back ....... I was pleasantly surprised.


For some of us who love music, we've been a little bit discontent with the quality of rap music in Nigeria, I mean MI is indeed incredible, Ice Prince is aight, and hey do we even need to bother with the genius that is Jesse Jagz? but asides these guys and one or two more there's really been no fresh face in the rap "game" for a while.


Well, that was then. It is with a big smile and loads of excitement that I introduce you to the next big thing in Nigerian music, (if his single Hey Babe is anything to go by) Sifer. For a young dude without a record label and all the perks that come with it, Hey Babe is a bit of a surprise, the quality of the production is really really good.


Usually with rap songs, at first listen, its one of two things, you either get stuck on the beat if its really good (like Jayz's Forever Young, it took me ages and ages to get to the words cos the beat was so good) or you only listen to the words cos the vocal strenght of the rapper plus his choice of words and rhymes hit you head on. Hey Babe however is one of those rap songs that at first listen (at least for me) you find yourself both enjoying the beat /instrument coordination at the background and at the same time you follow the lyrics.


You can't help but wanna listen to this song over and over, I know its been on replay since yesterday, I can't say I've listened to any other song since my first taste of the song.
The laid back flow, well arranged lyrics, ease of transition from one point in the song to another plus the rapper's voice and the beat are just too awesome to be ignored. It's quite possible that another rapper would have been able to blend with the beat/instrumental, might have been too harsh or too soft but Sifer's tone was just right!


Borrowing a line from the song itself, this song has "gotta blow up, dropping land mines".
I'm reminded of MI in his first days with Crowd Mentality and some of his earlier songs, not to say this is anywhere similar to that, (Sifer is giving a "holla" at his "queen B" cos he's a "young Hov") just a reminder of how he started off.


I'm rating this one a sexy 8.


To listen to the song and download click on the link http://hu.lk/5ar00owukclc or download it here https://m.box.com/view_shared/upjxl093tc9v011nwtrn . Don't say I didn't warn you, you'll definitely find yourself leaving it on repeat.....


Leave a comment, let me know what you think about the song, and what you would rate it. I'm sure the artist would appreciate the feedback

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?3

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sure this is a wedding scene from a movie! Or what else could possibly be going on here?


Send your funny photos to abnefertiti@gmail.com and we'll upload them here.

A CAGE OF THEIR MIND

Everyone has an opinion. As a matter of fact, we are all entitled to at least one. I wonder how dull it would be if everyone thought the same, no one had an original thought in their head........ Extremely boring no doubt.


     It is our opinions that eventually inform our decisions, even the mundane things like what to wear on what day of the week. I have no qualms with personal opinions informing personal decisions. What I do have a problem with is shoving one's opinion down another's throat. Simply because you think your way is right for you doesn't make it right for someone else.

    
      We usually have a mould we expect people to fit into, to dress a certain way, look a certain way, never go beyond certain borders , and when they don't it becomes a problem. That person becomes an outcast.


     People are entitled to their idiosyncrasies, their expression of who they are, as long as it doesn't encroach on your rights or anyone else's, it really shouldn't matter. So what if your neighbour decides to cut her hair and dye it blue? or decides to pierce her nose. How does that affect the price of the blackberry Z10? And what does if matter if some guy in your neighbourhood gets a massive tattoo, as long as it doesn't magically appear on your skin, should you be bothered?


       People will be quick to say don't do this or don't do that, all because it doesn't fall within their definition of normal. For me conforming to the everyday norms is just boring and usually a sign of weakness, of fear. Fear to step out of the cage of conformity because then people will look at you like you are strange or weird..... I like strange, I like weird. Life's more fun that way. Life's too short to be trapped in a cage of someone else's mind.


    Explore the craziest recesses of your mind, decide who you are. Don't just go with the flow; the crowd is isn't always going in the right direction.

    

55TH GRAMMY AWARDS 2013 (the winners, the who shoulld have won(ers)

So, since most of us Nigerians were caught up in the rapture of the Super Eagles victory over the Stallions of Burkina Faso, we missed the 55th Grammy Awards. The biggest winners of the night were The Black Keys who went home with a total of 4 awards, other big winners were Skrillex, Gotye, Jay z and Kanye West with three wins each!
Here's list of the most important categories (to me anyway) with the winners, the losers and the "who should have won(ers?)"



Record Of The Year

Lonely Boy - The Black Keys

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson

We Are Young - Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe

WINNER Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra

Thinkin Bout You - Frank Ocean

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift

"No doubt Gotye and Kimbra deserved this one, the song was a major hit and just about everyone loved it. *Except you were like my brother who was apparently living under a rock throughout 2012*



Album Of The Year

El Camino - The Black Keys

Some Nights - Fun.

WINNER Babel - Mumford & Sons

Channel Orange - Frank Ocean

Blunderbuss - Jack White

Since I'm a big fan of Frank Ocean I'd love to say Mumford &Sons shouldn't have walked away with this one. But its a really good album (if you can stand British guys singing for well over an hour) and they deserved it.


Song Of The Year

The A Team - Ed Sheeran, songwriter (Ed Sheeran)

Adorn - Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)

Call Me Maybe - Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen)

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Jörgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi, songwriters (Kelly Clarkson)

WINNER We Are Young - Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe)

We are Young as Song of the Year? In what planet if I may ask? With Miguel's Adorn and Carly Rae Jepson's Call me Maybe in the list they got this one wrong!



Best New Artist

Alabama Shakes

WINNER Fun.

Hunter Hayes

The Lumineers

Frank Ocean

My top contenders were, Frank Ocean, The Lumineers and Fun. But then we all love Fun (see what I did there?)








Best Pop Solo Performance

WINNER Set Fire To The Rain [live] - Adele

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson

Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen

Wide Awake - Katy Perry

Where Have You Been - Rihanna

If Adele hadn't won this one then there'd truly be no justice in the world!






Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Shake It Out - Florence & the Machine

We Are Young - Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe

WINNER Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra

Sexy And I Know It - Lmfao

Payphone - Maroon 5 & Wiz Khalifa







Best Pop Vocal Album

WINNER Stronger - Kelly Clarkson

Ceremonials - Florence & the Machine

Some Nights - Fun.

Overexposed - Maroon 5

The Truth About Love - Pink

Unlike the name of the album, I don't think Kelly Clarkson's album was the strongest on this list with Ceremonials, Some Nights as competition.






Best Dance Recording

Levels - Avicii

Let's Go - Calvin Harris Featuring Ne-yo

WINNER Bangarang - Skrillex Featuring Sirah

Don't You Worry Child - Swedish House Mafia Featuring John Martin

I Can't Live Without You - Al Walser

I work out to all the songs on this list but I was a little partial to Swedish House Mafia's Don't You Worry Child because I love the lyrics but Bangarang is a totally banging tune.







Best Rock Performance

Hold On - Alabama Shakes

WINNER Lonely Boy - The Black Keys

Charlie Brown - Coldplay

I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons

We Take Care Of Our Own - Bruce Springsteen

I listened to the Lonely Boy performance but I don't know if I would say its the best. Bruce Springsteen's we take care of our own was performed better if you ask me (but then nobody asked me)







Best Rock Song

Freedom At 21 - Jack White, songwriter (Jack White)

I Will Wait - Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall & Marcus Mumford, songwriters (mumford & Sons)

WINNER Lonely Boy - Dan Auerbach, Brian Burton & Patrick Carney, songwriters (the Black Keys)

Madness - Matthew Bellamy, songwriter (Muse)

We Take Care Of Our Own - Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)

If you are a fan of 80's style rock then you'll like Lonely boy(After watching Rock of Ages, I know I am) Just like the title says, its a song about loneliness and having "your heart ripped out of your chest"







Best Rock Album

WINNER El Camino - The Black Keys

Mylo Xyloto - Coldplay

The 2nd Law - Muse

Wrecking Ball - Bruce Springsteen

Blunderbuss - Jack White

I can't be objective when Cold Play is in the mix so let's move on






Best R&B Performance

Thank You - Estelle

Gonna Be Alright (f.t.b.) - Robert Glasper Experiment featuring Ledisi

I Want You - Luke James

Adorn - Miguel

WINNER Climax - Usher






Best R&B Song

WINNER Adorn - Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)

Beautiful Surprise - Tamia Hill, Claude Kelly& Salaam Remi, songwriters (Tamia)

Heart Attack - Benjamin Levin, Rico Love &; Tremaine Neverson, songwriters (Trey Songz)

Pray For Me - Antonio Dixon, Kenny Edmonds, Anthony Hamilton & Patrick "jque" Smith, songwriters (Anthony Hamilton)

Refill - Darhyl "dj" Camper, Elle Varner & Andrew "pop" Wansel, songwriters (Elle Varner)
Really, no surprise here.







Best Urban Contemporary Album

Fortune - Chris Brown

Kaleidoscope Dream - Miguel

WINNER Channel Orange - Frank Ocean

Finally Frank Ocean gets it. I was wondering if I was the only one who absolutely loves the album!







Best R&B Album

WINNER Black Radio - Robert Glasper Experiment

Back To Love - Anthony Hamilton

Write Me Back - R. Kelly

Beautiful Surprise - Tamia

Open Invitation - Tyrese

Surprise..... Not. Most of these albums were supporting the winner. I'm even still in shock that R.Kelly still sings (who knew)







RAP FIELD






Best Rap Performance

Hyfr (Hell Ya ... Right) - Drake Featuring Lil' Wayne

WINNER ... In Paris - Jay-z & Kanye West

Daughters - Nas

Mercy - Kanye West featuring Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz

I Do - Young Jeezy featuring Jay-z & André 3000







Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Wild Ones - Flo Rida Featuring Sia

WINNER No Church In The Wild - Jay-z & Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean & The-dream

Tonight (Best You Ever Had) - John Legend Featuring Ludacris

Cherry Wine - Nas Featuring Amy Winehouse

Talk That Talk - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z







Best Rap Song

Daughters - Nasir Jones & Ernest Wilson, songwriters (Patrick Adams, Gary Decarlo, Dale Frashuer & Paul Leka, songwriters) (Nas) Track From: Life Is Good

Lotus Flower Bomb - Olubowale Akintimehin, S. Joseph Dew, Jerrin Howard, Walker Johnson & Miguel Jontel Pimentel, songwriters (Wale Featuring Miguel)

Mercy - Sean Anderson, Tauheed Epps, Stephan Taft, James Thomas, Terrence Thornton & Kanye West, songwriters (Denzie Beagle, Winston Riley & Reggie Williams, songwriters) (Kanye West featuring Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz)

The Motto - Dwayne Carter, Aubrey Graham & Tyler Williams, songwriters (Drake Featuring Lil' Wayne)

WINNER ... In Paris - Shawn Carter, Mike Dean, Chauncey Hollis & Kanye West, Songwriters (W.A. Donaldson, songwriter) (Jay-Z & Kanye West)

Young, Wild & Free - Calvin Broadus, Chris Brody Brown, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Peter Hernandez & Cameron Thomaz, songwriters (t. Bluechel, M. Borrow, T. Griffin, K. Jackson, N. Lee & M. Newman, songwriters) (Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa featuring Bruno Mars)








Best Rap Album

WINNER Take Care - Drake

Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1 - Lupe Fiasco

Life Is Good - Nas

Undun - The Roots

God Forgives, I Don't - Rick Ross

Based On A T.r.u. Story - 2 Chainz

I think the Grammy guys got it all right in the rap category. Although I'm wondering who decided 2 Chainz should be nominated at all!







Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance

Jesus, Friend Of Sinners - Casting Crowns

Take Me To The King - Tamela Mann

Go Get It - Mary Mary

WINNER 10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord) - Matt Redman

My Testimony - Marvin Sapp








Best Gospel Song

WINNER Go Get It - Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell & Warryn Campbell, Songwriters (Mary Mary)

Hold On - Cheryl Fortune, James Fortune & Terence Vaughn, songwriters (James Fortune & Fiya, Monica & Fred Hammond)

I Feel Good - Phillip Feaster, Fred Hammond, Jonathan Miller & Calvin Rodgers, songwriters (Fred Hammond)

My Testimony - Aaron Lindsey & Marvin Sapp, songwriters (Marvin Sapp)

Released - Donald Lawrence, songwriter (Bill Winston & Living Word Featuring Donald Lawrence)







Best Contemporary Christian Music Song

Jesus, Friend Of Sinners - Mark Hall & Matthew West, songwriters (Casting Crowns)

WINNER 10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord) - Jonas Myrin & Matt Redman, songwriters (Matt Redman)

When Mercy Found Me - Jeff Pardo & Rhett Walker, songwriters (Rhett Walker Band)

White Flag - Jason Ingram, Matt Maher, Matt Redman & Chris Tomlin, songwriters (Passion & Chris Tomlin)

WINNER Your Presence Is Heaven - Israel Houghton & Micah Massey, songwriters (Israel & New Breed)





Best Gospel Album

Identity - James Fortune & Fiya

Jesus At The Center Live - Israel & New Breed

WINNER Gravity - Lecrae

I Win - Marvin Sapp

Worship Soul - Anita Wilson






Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

Come To The Well - Casting Crowns

Where I Find You - Kari Jobe

Gold - Britt Nicole

WINNER Eye On It - Tobymac

Into The Light - Matthew West






Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media

The Descendants - (Various Artists)

Marley- (Bob Marley & The Wailers)

WINNER Midnight In Paris- (Various Artists)

He Muppets- (Various Artists)

Rock Of Ages- (Various Artists)







Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media

The Adventures Of Tintin - The Secret Of The Unicorn - John Williams, Composer

The Artist - Ludovic Bource, Composer

The Dark Knight Rises - Hans Zimmer, Composer

WINNER The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Composers

Hugo - Howard Shore, Composer

Journey - Austin Wintory, Composer







Best Song Written For Visual Media

Abraham's Daughter (from The Hunger Games) - T Bone Burnett, Win Butler & Régine Chassagne, Songwriters (Arcade Fire)

Learn Me Right (from Brave) - Mumford & Sons, Songwriters (Birdy & Mumford & Sons)

Let Me Be Your Star (from Smash) - Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman, Songwriters (Katharine Mcphee & Megan Hilty)

Man Or Muppet (from The Muppets) Bret Mckenzie, Songwriter (Jason Segel & Walter)

WINNER Safe & Sound (from The Hunger Games) - T Bone Burnett, Taylor Swift, John Paul White & Joy Williams, Songwriters (Taylor Swift Featuring The Civil Wars)

If you've seen Hunger Games(the movie itself was a bit overhyped) then you'll agree its a beautiful song.







Short Form Music Video

Houdini - Foster The People | Daniels, Video Directors; Gaetano Crupi, Video Producer

No Church In The Wild - Jay-Z & Kanye West Featuring Frank Ocean & The-dream | Romain Gervais, Video Director; Mourad Belkeddan, Video Producer

Bad Girls - M.I.A | Romain Gavras, Video Director; Romain Gavras, Video Producer

WINNER We Found Love - Rihanna Featuring Calvin Harris | Melina Matsoukas, Video Director; Juliette Larthe & Ben Sullivan, Video Producers

Run Boy Run - Woodkid | Yoann Lemoine, Video Director; Roman Pichon, Video Producer

Rihanna's We Found love was definitely a captivating video, controversial yes but that just might have added to its appeal







Long Form Music Video

WINNER Big Easy Express - Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros & Old Crow Medicine Show | Emmett Malloy, Video Director; Bryan Ling, Mike Luba & Tim Lynch, Video Producers

Bring Me Home - Live 2011 - Sade | Sophie Muller, Video Director; Roger Davies, Grant Jue & Sophie Muller, Video Producers

Radio Music Society - Esperanza Spalding | Pilar Sanz, Video Director; Esperanza Spalding, Video Producer

Get Along - Tegan & Sara | Salazar, Video Director; Nick Blasko, Piers Henwood, Sara Quin ; Tegan Quin, Video Producers

From The Sky Down - U2 | Davis Guggenheim, Video Director; Belisa Balaban, Brian Celler, Davis Guggenheim & Ted Skillman, Video Producers

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?4

 

I really don't know what to say about this one. But a brother can dream can't he?



WHO IS A FRIEND? part 1

There are so many definitions of the word friend in the various dictionaries, i especially like the definitions in the free online dictionary and wikipedia. I chose to combine both parts of the definition thus

 "A friend is a person whom one KNOWS, LIKES and TRUSTS and with whom one has a bond of MUTUAL AFFECTION"
 

For me this are all the characteristics of friendship.


1)A friend is someone you know. There are certain things a person must know about the other before they can be called friends, I'm not talking about mere on the surface stuff like their educational qualifications, the number of siblings they have, their state of origin etc its things like their opinion on certain topics, their attitude towards a thing, their behavioural traits, their strenghts and weaknesses

 "A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same" Elbert Hubbard

I have a friend who has extremely radical views on the issue of abortion, boy-girl relationships and the likes, I have a friend who is always late, as a matter of fact, to get her to be  on time for an event, you probably have to tell her its 2hours earlier.... I have friends who know my favourite part of chicken


2) A friend is someone you like. Honestly, I can't imagine anyone being friends with someone they can't stand, whose every action gets on their nerves. Its not as though there are no sides to a friend that don't get you frustrated, but the likable and agreeable must exceed the unlikeable and disagreeable.


3)Trust is an essential part of friendship. A friend is someone whom you can trust, any day of the week. Someone who you know would never hurt you intentionally, would never say bad things behind your back, who would never go all out to "snatch' your boyfriend or girlfriend or wife or husband.... It really amazes me when I hear stories of how a person's "best friend" "snatched" their fiance. I guess that's why some folks hide their relationships from their so called close friends, cos deep down you know they can't be trusted.

I saw an episode of Mtv's Disaster Date sometime ago, Pauly D and had set Deena (casts of Jersey Shore) up with this horrible guy and although she was upset, when the guy said some nasty things about him, she was quick to jump to his defence, that he would never say or do such things. I thought wow, here's friendship!



4)Friendship is never one sided, there has to be mutual affection for it to exist. The best stories of friendship in the world are the ones where both sides feel the same way about one another. David and Jonathan for instance, their friendship was definitely one that should teach what true friendship means. Jonathan was willing to against his father to protect his friend, and at the time of Jonathan's death, David mourned and declared a period of mourning in the land for his departed friend. I'm sure when Aristotle  was asked "who is a friend"and replied "a single soul dwelling in two bodies", he meant these guys.



My favourite character in Lord of The Rings is Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's gardner and later friend who was saddled with the responsibility of ensuring Frodo's mission was successful. If he had at anytime turned his back on Frodo, the mission would have gone downhill, I remember one scene where even though he was hungry he gave his food to Frodo, he even had to carry him at one point. AWESOME!
You might say its just a story, but I like it.


I saw an episode of Scare Tactics (i watch way too much TV!) and a girl had set up her friend in a place where apparently there was a killer on the loose. She saw her friend tied up and the guy was about to chop off her head, she pleaded with the guy and so he gave her an option of taking her friend's place...... and without taking a beat she said yes. This was true life and she didn't know she was on camera. "what greater love exists than that one should lay his life down for his friends"


I don't know if I have friends that could do the same when faced with similar circumstances and I don't know if I would be bold enough to do so either but I certainly hope I would.

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?2

What a happenes when you make the make the peace sign in the trunk of a car? You get Peace in boot!

Thanks to flonk65 for this photo

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?1

 

 

 

 

I think we need look only at the picture to find out what exactly is going on. She's CHILIN IN MAYAMI BICH, BICHES!!! With her long sleeved shirt and long skirt on. Of kes!

MOVIE REVIEW THE HOBBIT AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

If you,like me, are a big fan of adventure, of lands unknown, of places uncharted, of sword fights...then, you'll enjoy The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey.


 The movie tells us the story of Bilbo Baggins, you remember him? Uncle of Frodo Baggins in Lord of the Rings, as a young hobbit in Middle Earth. Bilbo is chosen by Gandalf, the grey to accompany 13 dwarves on a quest to recover their home, the Lonely Mountain(Erebor)


 The movie, as we would have expected of any movie set in middle earth, has lots of ugly Orcs, Trolls, magic etc The surprise came in the form of Stone giants (the fight scene there was pretty cool), and monstrous doglike beasts. The movie was set sixty years before the first part of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy,and as a prequel to Lord of the Rings, it shows the first signs of Sauron's return, how Bilbo discovered the Ring of Rings in Gollum's home and introduces us to Gollum. We also meet the Elves of Rivendale



Some of the other returning characters in the movie are Saruman the white, Frodo Baggins and Lord Elron.


The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey, like the Fellowship of the Rings is the first part of a trilogy, the characters are no where near fully developed but that would be because the story's central character is Bilbo Baggins supported by Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the dwarves. The fights scenes weren't bad either, I especially liked the last two, where they had to battle the trolls and orcs almost simultaneously.



Any Lord of the Rings fan won't be able to help comparing the two movies and might be a little disappointed, there was way too much talk and not enough action. If however, you've been wishing for a chance to visit Middle Earth on another adventure, its definitely a good experience.



I will rate this one a 6.5 and hope The Desolation of Smaug (2nd part) and There and Back Again will fare far better(3rd part)! Luckily its still showing at the cinemas so  catch it today at The Silverbird Cinemas, Genesis Deluxe Cinema and Ozone Cinemas

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?

Thank God for phones which produce high quality photos. We are now able to capture some really crazy things we otherwise wouldn't have. I've seen pictures that made me ask questions like, what was the person(or persons) thinking, what did they hope to achieve? can someone please explain what they are doing?..... In a nutshell, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?? So I decided to dedicate a post everyday to the most ridiculous pictures we've ever come across, maybe someone can be so kind as to tell us exactly what is going on in the picture!


Here's today's picture

If you ask me what's going on here, i'd say she's practicing for the next Olympics, she's a gymnast you know! lol

Feel free to tell us what you think is going on here! And if you have any funny photos to share, do send them to abnefertiti@gmail .com and we'll be glad to upload em!

SMALL BEGINNINGS

The Good Book in Zechariah 4 v 10 stated “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin………..” ,

No one is particularly crazy about starting small or being small. Imagine how embarrassing it usually is when an older family friend reminds you of the silly things you used to do as a child or how you looked back then….. I know I roll my eyes and hope the person disappears into thin air.

The truth though, is just about everything has to start small. We forget that as children our foundations were formed, we forget that our ability to pronounce big words and spell them was simply because we learnt the alphabets and did the whole A for Apple bit….. We fantasize that we never once ate and spilled half the food on ourselves. But the beginnings of all human undertakings are untidy, they are always messy.

John Dryden did say “Mighty things from small beginnings grow”. Rome was not built in a day, as a matter of fact; the house you live in was not built in a day. I love tennis, its my favorite sport ever, anytime I watch a good match I end of jumping around swinging my imaginary bat, screaming like Sharapova….. But I have never taken tennis lessons, never even touched a real tennis ball. Lame right. I know. That’s the only thing I will ever do if I don’t take that first step of going out to buy a racket and a ball and decide to learn how to play, don’t get me wrong I have no intentions of playing professionally, but without taking a step, all I will ever do is play imaginary tennis!!! What is not started today is never finished tomorrow.

I have this group of friends, I don’t know if I tell them enough how proud I am of them, but I am. After school each one of us went back and started a whole new chapter, forgetting everything and starting small. It must have been a difficult decision but they all made it. Maybe as students of Plato we all realized that the beginning is the most important part of the work.

I don’t care how impossible it may look right now, but without starting it won’t look any easier. Lao Tzu said “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step”. Don’t wait till the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect….. There will never be a time when its conducive to begin a new endeavor especially when you are at a certain age, but the longer you wait to begin the longer you have to wait to get to the end. Now it seems like I went back to school just yesterday, but I can see the finish line not too far away.

Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step - Martin Luther King, jr . We can’t all start a business with 1million dollars, we don’t all have some cousin who will help launch our careers by signing us to his record label or featuring us in his movie…. Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you can start. Dangote didn’t wake up one morning and was one of the richest men in Africa, 2face Idibia’s humble beginnings back in the plantation boys days was hardly an indication of where he would be today.

It’s hard, I know. I’m always the one that’s all talk and no action, but whenever I’ve put myself out there in pursuit of a new endeavor, it’s been worth it. Go get your degree, start that business, send out your Cv. Just move even if all you can do is crawl, then crawl. If you have a dream, then you have what it takes to accomplish that dream because the dream and the dreamer are always matched.

And so as Rita Bally said “Start wherever you are, and start small”

                        “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end shall greatly increase” The King James Bible Job 8 v 7

SOME EXPENSIVE STUFF

There are a number of really expensive stuff out there that I would like to buy when I'm rich and famous. The most expensive car, the most expensive house, the most expensive wrist watch....... but there are some things even I find to be a bit ridiculous. The price tag on some of these items make me wonder if they have some other functions aside the most obvious ones.


Here's a list of the most expensive and most ridiculous stuff I found. Get out your calculators and start the conversions

THE MOST EXPENSIVE UMBRELLA - Yes, an umbrella. The umbrella is made of "premium crocodile skin" and was created by Billionaire Couture and was designed exclusively for men. It's water proof and designed to withstand even the toughest of winds. This umbrella will set you off a cool $50,000 dollars. I do hope when you forget this umbrella at a shop somewhere it gets up and follows you home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE MOST EXPENSIVE PEN - Let me first say that this pen wasn't designed for writing. If a pen isn't exactly made to write, what is it then, a hair scratcher? The AURORA DIAMENTE FOUNTAIN PEN is the most expensive "writing instrument" in the world, only one is made a year. To get one it will cost you $1.47million....... It apparently has over 30 carats of diamonds on a solid platinum barrel. For a list of the 10 most expensive pens in the world www.skitzone.com/2010/top-10-most-expensive-pens-in-the-world/

THE MOST EXPENSIVE DOG COLLAR - So taking your dog to the spa, buying it designer clothes and treating it as you would a child is no longer enough. At least that what the guys at I Love Dog Diamonds think, they created the AMOUR AMOUR DOG COLLAR, a 52 carat diamond featuring 3 tiers of diamonds in a chandelier design. It contains 1600 diamonds and will set you back $3.2 million. For other also very expensive dog collars, go to http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2010/04/worlds-most-expensive-dog-collars.html . I love my dog, no be for mouth ooh

 

THE MOST EXPENSIVE FLOWER - Valentine's day is around the corner, and florists will definitely have cause to smile. But after doling out close to $200,000 for the Shenzhen Nongke Orchid a smile may not be the expression on your face.

 The man made flower made by scientists in china,  it was bought in 2005 by an anonymous bidder.



THE MOST EXPENSIVE NAIL POLISH - Hey ladies, the next time you think you've spent a lot of money on your manicure, remember the world's most expensive nail polish goes for a whooping $250,000. AZATURE NAIL POLISH contains 267 black diamonds, it adorned the fingers of Kelly Osbourne at the 2012 EMMY'S. She stated she hadn't touched anything all day, if I ever had this on my fingers, I can guarantee I'd have my hands locked in a safe somewhere!

 

MOST EXPENSIVE WEDDING CAKE - I love cakes, everybody knows it. However, to my dear future husband $35,000,000 is way too much to spend on our wedding cake. PIRATES FANTASY contains a 10 different sapphires with one on each layer, it also contains 10 pieces of jewelry...... On second thought, Dear future husband, just buy this and forget about spending money on jewelry ever again. Including the wedding ring! A list of the most expensive cakes www.therichest.org/the-most-expensive-wedding-cakes-in-the-world

MOST EXPENSIVE T-SHIRT- So you spend a few bucks on a Ralph Lauren Polo and you think you are all that, here's a better way to show how loaded you really are. Buy, just for $400,000, a SUPERLATIVE LUXURY T-SHIRT. The t-shirt has 16 diamonds with 8 of the diamonds being some of the rarest to find black diamonds in the world. It was designed in January 2012 in London by SUPERLATIVE LUXURY

MOST EXPENSIVE FLIP FLOPS - Some of you guys know this as "bathroom slippers", but for the tush ones, like my humble self, they are called flip flops. And for a mere $18,000 you can own a pair of  CHIPKOS FLIP FLOPS, these flip flops are hand painted by a renowned Los Angeles contemporary artist, David Palmer who says “The work is inspired by nature, and language, and the invisible connections between things, I create images that reflect my fascination with an increasingly complex world.”
Hopefully, when I click the pair together (just like the Ruby slippers in the Wizard of Oz) it will magically transport me to any destination I choose!
But its for a good cause, each sandal purchase expands a Costa Rican national park by one hundred square feet, thereby protecting the habitat, species and resources within that land area in perpetuity."
I think that's a very good way of spending 2.8million naira. don't you?

MOST EXPENSIVE DOLL - Just when you thought barbie dolls were too expensive, then you are in for a shocker.  The most expensive doll comes in at $6.25million. The doll called L'OISEIEUR (THE BIRD TRAINER) is a doll, that plays the flute and wears "renaissance clothes" I certainly hope it does laundry and the dishes as well

MOST EXPENSIVE PILLOW - If you just happen to have a  spare 500,000naira ($2,800) lying around the house you cold purchase the world's most expensive pillow. The EIDERDOWN PILLOW, is made from the down that lines the nest of the Common Eider’a large sea-duck native to the northern coasts of Europe, eastern Siberia and North America. St. Geneve assures their customers that the down is collected with as little harm to the fowl as possible. Eider flock to the safe areas provided by the down collectors and their nests aren’t disturbed until the birds have left.
Also the pillow never gets old and never gets dirty.............  I hope!
 

10 + 1 THINGS GIRLS WANT(from thoughts in a diary)

Last night I had a short conversation with a friend and he mentioned the age long saying that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Don't know about that, it could be right or not!



I do know however the way to a girl's heart. These are some random things guys hardly ever think about when thinking about what a girl wants......Let me quickly say what a girl truly wants differs by far from the usual stuff. And before you give me grief about a woman being different from a woman, A WOMAN IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE, A GIRL.Here are 10 plus 1 random things (based on my time with the girls) we absolutely love. In no particular order

CHOCOLATE - Do I need to explain why? A friend mentioned how he met a girl who said she preferred bananas to chocolate! Bananas. Really. Bananas......My first thought was maybe she was a model or had a medical condition that barred her from having sweet things! Or may she had gone BANANA'S.


SHOES - There is something indescribable about the connection between a girl and her shoes. I've often heard it said that if you give a girl the right shoes she can take over the world. Maybe. No matter how perfect a dress is, without the right pair of shoes it might as well be gym clothes. Ask Cinderella! Get her the perfect pair of shoes and she won't forget in a hurry!



CAKE - I don't mean the usual cake on her birthday or valentine's day.... I mean a cake for no apparent reason. Send her a TGIF cake and she'll love you for it. And if it happens to be a chocolate cake.....


PIZZA - No one appreciates a well made pizza more than a girl, she's rubbing her hands in anticipation before the delivery man arrives.....
P.s, did you know that pizza delivery guys/girls are some of the most loved people in the world?


TO LOSE WEIGHT - As much as girls likes cake and chocolates and pizza etc, she really doesn't want to get fat, she even wants to lose weight. If you figure out a way to make this possible. PLEASE, I BESEECH THEE, let me know.
P.s, she doesn't want to be told she's getting fat too. So be VERY careful with this one.


LADIES NIGHT - Did you think only guys need a night out with their boys. She might not need it as often, but she does want to hang out with her girls, it doesn't even have to be at night, it could be an entire weekend as long as its "just us girls".Make it happen and thank me later.


MEDI-PEDI - Nothing eases stress like a good spa date.(notice how a medi- pedi became a spa date?)And before you ask what language I'm speaking in, a medi pedi is a manicure and a pedicure. She'll be beaming for weeks......



HER FAVOURITE SONG - Or songs. Request her favourite song on radio, make a tape of her favourite songs and play with her in the car (what other car would she rather be in). Seriously, duuh! LOL


HUMOUR - She wants to laugh, I'm talking tears streaming down, holding her tummy, rolling on the floor, kind of laugh. She won't be able to do this at a comedy show, she'll just giggle cutely, so buy her a tape of the funniest jokes you've ever heard. The next time you see her, you'll know what I mean.


BE MESSY - As much as she wants to be a lady, she wants to be messy. I saw an old boyfriend a week ago and I remember each time we would go out on a date, he'd insist on getting me a take home pack. I didn't realise this at the time and I don't know if he did too, but I saw a movie where a girl returned from a date and her friend asked if she was hungry, she replied that she was starved because she was too much of a lady to 'dig in" at the restaurant...... A girl wants to crack a bone and suck out the marrow, she wants to sit on the floor with the food and eat every last grain.

Did I mention she doesn't want to get fat?


And finally, the plus one. This is probably the only thing that just might have anything to do with you.
SOMETHING SHINY - As much as she wants the engagement ring because she loves you and wants to marry you..... she also wants the diamond. Have you ever wondered why her's  is the one with stones? Diamonds, they say, are a girl's best friend.



I know you are probably wondering why certain things didn't make the  list. Stuff like the shopping sprees, the trips overseas, peruvian hair etc etc. If you are wondering, then that's why. Because you knew, and this list is to tell you what you didn't know.

 Feel free to add to this list, its by no means conclusive. What and who made me the one stop shop for all things women?





 

THE THING TO DO

Everyday we make choices, what time to get out of bed, a choice on what to wear, what to eat...... Simple everyday choices.


Then there are those choices we don't make as often, what electives to take in school, who to vote for in an election, where to have the next vacation......


Another class of choices include who to allow into our circle of friends, who to marry, our mentors.....

Mostly conscious choices...... some you reach only after weeks and months of debate, of weighing the pros and cons. Sometimes independently, sometimes as a group or unit.


The other day I was in a bus and I had paid my fare waiting for my balance. On receiving my balance I called the conductor's attention back because I felt he had given me 20naira extra on my balance, it was then I realised that I was wrong, that was the exact balance.


The person sitting next to me said "so if it was his 20 naira, that's how you would have given him truly. Do you think if it was yours he would be in such a hurry to return it to you?" I just smiled and said nothing(I hate having conversations with strange guys in the bus)


I did consider later what the guy said, that the conductor wouldn't have been so quick to return the extra but that wasn't my concern. Not because I was the most honest of people, it was merely the right thing to do.



We sometimes make wrong choices because we allow other people's possible or perceived choices, if faced with the same scenario, to affect ours. We think, if it was the other way around, what would he have done, what would she have said.......


I once heard a story of a soldier who on making it past enemy lines, realised his friend was still trapped behind enemy lines. He went back alone in search of his friend and both made it out alive. Barely. His friend confessed to him years later that if positions were reversed, he wouldn't have returned for him. The soldier replied that he knew. His friend was shocked and asked why he did it anyway, he said it was because he was confident that he would be able to make it back alive even if he returned. To return for him therefore was not based upon what would have happened if he had been the one trapped but on his ability to make it back in one piece!


Whoa! The soldier made a choice to save his friend knowing his friend would not have done the same.The day after I heard the story, I was heading to my house when I saw my neighbour's recently washed clothes on the floor, I honestly did not want to pick them up because I knew he would have merely walked on by, then I flashed back to the story and asked myself what the right thing was? It was to pick up his clothes and put them back on the line, so that's what I did. I walked back and did the right thing (even though I was really annoyed)

Choices should never be about what the other person would have done, it should be about the right thing to do.

 

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

The cliche's on attitude abound. For me, they are downright annoying; attitude determines your altitude, attitude = 100  yada yada yada

Many times I think those lines are just ways the Zig Ziglars and those other motivational speakers get us to buy their  books and pay to listen to their seminars.

However, I learnt differently these past weeks. As a law student who sometimes wonders why she is studying law at all, I have days when school is the last place I want to be. I'd really rather just sleep. A few weeks ago I cast my mind back to a statement an old teacher made to me, "anything worth doing is worth doing well".


I decided, hey, I've come this far already, might as well "put my back into it". My strategy; a change of attitude.  I decided to wake up on every school morning with the attitude of someone going to pick up a check for a million bucks.


What a dramatic change!


I not only had more energy, I became more excited than ever before about school. The amazing thing also was that, not only did I feel better, I apparently looked better. The first time I tried this new attitude thingy, I remember my brother dropping me off at the busstop with me brushing my hair in the car and doing a rush job of applying some makeup. So, under normal circumstances, it wasn't a day when I felt I was looking my best. Surprisingly though, all my friends said I looked really good, hot even!
The very wise Dalai Lama said

"It is very importanat to generate a good attitude as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come"

That gave me a whole new perspective on having the right attitude. I believe the same can be applied to any endeavor whtsoever one sets upon. Work for instance, even if you absolutely hate the job, as long as you are stuck there and haven't gotten your dream job, get a new attitude. Find a new reason to be excited about going to work each day, asides the fact that you get paid. As Maya Angelou said

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude"

Whenever not so great things happen to me, I always have this attitude of "it happened for a reason, here's a chance to learn for tomorrow" and stuff like that. It dawned on me that possibly that's one of the reasons I'm never depressed or hardly unhappy. I always find a way to see a bright light in any dark situation. It just might be one of my biggest flaws but I choose to see it instead as me having the right attitude.

Thinking back to the first time I wrote an entrance examination for the university, I passed the exam, even passed the cut off by miles, but I had not entered some other information(not due to any fault of mine) and that disqualified me. I was extremely unhappy, inconsolable even because I felt it was unfair and I had been cheated. Then I thought to myself that who knows what would have happened if I had gained the admission, I might have been involved in an accident on my way to classes or some other bad thing might have happened. I realise now that I had simply decided to see the positive in a negative situation.

"You cannot control what happens to you, rather you can control your attitude towards whatever happens to you, and in that you will be mastering change than allowing it to master you" Brian Tracy

Turns out those motivational speakers weren't messing with us whenever they'd emphasize the importance of having the right attitude. The difference in being happy or sad, satisfied or discontent,is really in having a positive or negative attitude.

LITTLE THINGS (PART 2) CONSEQUENCE

Finally, I decided to complete the little things series....... but I just might revisit it sometime soon. Again!

Let me begin with a quote

 "What we call the little things are merely the causes of great things, they are the beginning, the embryo ....... A black speck may be the beginning of a gangrene, of a storm ....."

A few months ago my phone was stolen, out of the bag I was carrying. How come? I didn't close the zip (the reason I didn't is a story for another day)


One time I had this really cute cream and brown bag, I forgot a piece of cake in it overnight and by the next day rats had eaten their way through the bag to get to the cake. The bag was ruined!!!


Imagine this, you bought a new TV set: flat screen, LED, 3D, 110 cool inches bla bla bla, then after taking the time to read the manual you chose to ignore the fact that you would need a stabiliser. Pray Heaven forbids high voltage (especially if you live in Nigeria)


Or say, the brake fluid of your car leaks a little bit everyday and you decide it isn't a big deal....... to that, I call the words of Benjamin Franklin " A small leak can sink a great ship"


You are dating a guy who almost seems perfect except for the fact that he has no control over his temper and ever so often he screams at you at the top of his voice even when he ought to have let it go. Sweetheart, ignore it if you choose, but I see a black eye and broken nose in your future.


I saw the movie Contagion a few nights ago, it was about a new disease that had begun to spread at such an alarming rate that the whole world was gripped in fear, the best scientists in the world could not trace the roots of the virus. Lots of people died and serious money was spent before a vaccine was created. At the end of the movie we discovered that the virus was from a pig, a chef had touched it, didn't wash his hands, shook the hands of a lady ..... that marked day one of the existence of the virus.

All this happened because the chef failed to wash his hands. Amazing!




Choosing to ignore or failing to pay attention, to the little things will cause you to lose big things or suffer great loss.



I'll just end here with what Barton Bruce said

"Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things"

THANK YOU

I mentioned as part of my new year resolutions, being thankful. That's exactly what I want to do, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has been a part of this blog, one way or another.  Its a long list so I better get to it.......

MR AND MRS AJEWOLE, you pay for Internet.... When it boils right down to it, that's  primary.


OLANREWAJU AJEWOLE, you are a brother indeed. no one has been of greater support to me than you, always posting my blog posts on bbm, facebook and anywhere possible. three gbosa for you ma men!


ABIOLA AJEWOLE, the naughty girl I call sis, you support me without words. Don't think I am unaware oo. I see you wella


TOLU DARAMOLA, truth be told I started writing again because of how often you harass me about my blog. I hereby adopt you as a brother!
 

BUKOLA AJEWOLE, big sis, a silent supporter..........


TUNDE LAWAL aka Sir Teelaw, you made me the 4th musketeer


KIME AMOS, i was shocked when you mentioned how often you return to the blog hoping for a new post.


OLAJIDE AJOSE, for all the times you asked about my blog.


OLUCHI UZOMA, Lulu. You harass me about this blog every chance you get.


VANESSA, queen vee, just because you always leave a comment........


MICHEAL ZUOKEMEFA, well done mikelo, my sure paddy


JIDE aka Purkin Jay, you just might have set the ball rolling


KUNLE KESHINRO, you are too cool, you ask about this blog always


SEUN ADETITUN, for the contacts and always being willing to help


AJUA YANKEY, you jumped on a bike with me to go see ID Cabasa


ONONIKPO JENNIFER, i no longer call you friend, i call you sister. You always come through even when you think I am just being lazy. You don't know what you do for me


OLAOTAN AMOSU, you said you saw talent.......



MBANEKWU MERCY, for the pillar that you are



VICTOR EDIALE aka Baba Dudu, thank you




WILLIAMS ZINO, a friend to cherish. You helped even though you weren't sure what I was doing



TOLU aka Swaggertolz, you helped publicize this blog



FOYINSOLA AGUDA......


AGBANI WHYRE, for so much effort and the many contacts

Because you believe in me, I stand tall. I won't let you down

And to

PAUL ADE MARTINS, mr marco martinez. You endured my questions and the further questions.
If all the famous guys were like you..........


I.D CABASA, you allowed the honour of getting to know you. Without any hassles


RUBY GYANG, i have no words.........


TOSIN BUCKNOR aka toptosyn aka Area mama, you were my first interview, you didn't even know me


MO CHEDDAH, for your quick response

To the ANONYMOUS(ES) who leave those cool comments, we are together!

I really could go on and on and on and on and on and on......... Big shoutout to everyone who supports this blog even without me knowing it. I pray you receive support in everything you do and everywhere you go.

DEBOURGEOIS is by no means where it is going, not even close........ not by a long shot. But you guys are the oil in the wheel.

Thanks for taking the time to even read the posts, somedays I'm not sure I make sense but y'all get it.

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, welcome. I appreciate you  a lot.

If you don't have a support group, (in the words of Jay Z), I feel bad for you son. Some of these folks form a huge part of my support group, they keep me going and sometimes have to kick me in the backside to get me moving. These guys may not know my dreams, my hopes, my aspirations, but they wanna make sure I get wherever I am going! What more could a girl ask for?!


DEBOURGEOIS says a big thank you to you all. Its another year, lets do it again.

YES WE CAN!!!