Wednesday 31 July 2013

Why I find driving uninteresting.

I decided to start a weekly topic to talk about some of my little, scary idiosyncracies and see if I can explain 'Why I' do them.. I started last week wednesday with 'Why I blog'. This week I intend to try and explain 'why I find driving uninteresting and nerve wrecking'.

I learned the skill of driving a car for the best part of one year, if not more - I know, it's crazy-. That's why it's funny to me when people say they can learn to drive in less than a week, like: "so what am I?? A retard??" At first, I found driving interesting and felt that I would get a hang of it in the shortest possible time but I was soooo wrong. Not that I didn't understand it, cos I did, but subconsciously I found myself losing concentration and forgetting what I'd learnt. My instructor was constantly saying: "is that how I taught you?? You want to get yourself and me killed?. It was really depressing, then I stopped going for driving lessons for a while cos it felt like I wasn't going anywhere with it, I think that pleased my instructor - He must have been relieved. But trust me, I wasn't about to waste all that money I paid him - so I went back a couple of months later to continue, at the end, the best lesson I learnt of driving wasn't even from my driving instructor, it was from someone else, you know how they say people learn different things in different ways? That is very true, the instructor taught me the way he taught everyone else - which didn't work for me, I needed someone who would just hand me the keys and tell me to do whatever the hell I want. I'd say driving most accurately defines the cliche - 'practice makes perfect'.

While I'm not as bad a driver as I used to be, I'm still not a big fan of driving, I'm always thinking crazy thoughts, like, what if my car decides that it wants to act up, and then skids off the barricade and enters into the other lane?? **insert: final destination 2* lol. But seriously, driving gets complicated sometimes, especially if you're driving a manual car, where you have to press down the clutch to change gears, thank goodness manual cars aren't as common as they used to be. You have to keep the clutch and the accelerator at an equilibrium to get started, you have to change your gears higher as your speed increases, your clutch is you feet's best friend, honestly, its exhausting, and nerve wrecking, your mind always has to be on the road, you need maximum concentration, and I'm the kind of person that gets bored very easily.

I've always imagined fallen asleep on the steering wheel while driving, that is one scary thought though. Another disadvantage of driving is, driving can be perfected through constant practice, and once you perfect it, you'll never have to walk anyplace else for as long as you live, and then you stand the risk of becoming overweight, like Gilbert's mother in that movie - what's eating Gilbert Grape. You see, so maybe walking sometimes instead of driving is a good thing, no??

Lol!! I'm just kidding, driving isn't that bad infact it's quite interesting, especially if your car stops in the middle of the road because you pressed down the accelerator pedal too fast, and there're like 1million people behind you, all honking their melodious horns and creating blissful music for your listening pleasure, making you feel like you should have taken a stroll instead of using a car. Yea, so driving is really fun, if you practice enough you'll get real good at it.
That's really all I've got to say, if you're thinking of learning to drive, I hope I haven't scared you, cos honestly, it's nothing, it will take a lot more than just a 100 angry drivers screaming at you can't hurt your ego.:)

Till next time,, Keep dreaming!!

Tuesday 30 July 2013

Why not lie??

Mark Twain once wrote "A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on it's shoes"

Lets face it, lying is so easy and convenient, that it's difficult not to tell a lie, what will you rather do?? You know, the truth is exhausting attimes, and complicated too, for instance; it's a lot easier to say "I won't come for the party because I caught the flu" than to say "I won't come for your party because I do not like you and I am 190% sure that it's not just gonna be boring as hell but also a complete waste of my precious, dearly beloved time", you see, now that is the truth.

I've read a few times where the writer says "I'd rather be hurt with the truth than be comforted with a lie" honestly, I think that's just bull. Sometimes the truth can kill, so you're telling me you'd rather die from the truth than just hear a simple lie that makes everything better?? I know I'm sounding weird, but it's fact.

Another reason people lie is to make other people feel better, going back to the last example, any human being is much more comfortable believing the first reason, it's simple "I cannot come because I am ill" and the response most times is - "oh ok, sorry about that makes sure to take drugs and keep yourself warm, take care of yourself, okay??", but the response to the other "I can't come cos I detest you", most times is heartbreak and a very likely "I hate you more, and I hope you get hit by an airplane" and before you know it, tantrums are flying all around and then you have two people that hate each other as against the initial one person that hates another, so wouldn't you rather avoid all that drama??

Another reason for lying is to protect ourselves and the people around us from the hurt and the pain that the truth may cause: in our example the truth may cause immense hurt "I am not coming to your party because I detest you" now, that could make a person intentionally swallow just enough matchboxes to get himself/herself killed, don't you think? So by lying we are actually protecting. Cool right??

That being said, fact is, honesty will always remain the best policy, in most cases, we're better off telling the truth. The earlier instance happens very rarely, lets face it, its not all the time that you hate a person so much. Even though the truth gets complicated attimes, its much better to stick with it as one lie almost always leads to another, except of course, if that lie is "I can't come to your party because I'm ill". But seriously, be honest.

Till next time,, Keep dreaming!!

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Why I do this

I needed to write this short piece, not just for you my dear friends to read, but also for me, to remind myself of the reason I do this. I started this blogging journey exactly 5 months ago. March 24th, it's July 24th today. The plan was simple at first, just write. I'd say that's still more or less the plan, and even though I'm not as active as I know I can be, I'm grateful to you guys, cos I never expected that so many people will be interested in this, but you are.

I always thought to find a place where I can put my thoughts down, a place where I can just write in a way that 1. I'd be doing it for myself and 2. At least someone else order than me will be reading. But well enough, now, it's not just 'someone else' reading, it's 'some people else', so thank you.

To be honest I didn't even envisage that I could keep it up for this long, but I have, and right now this blog is something that is very close to my heart, it's now part of me, it's something I'm constantly thinking about, and I'll continue to constantly think about it, even though I do not post anything for a full month - something I'm not planning to do anytime soon -.

One can argue though, that my unwavering interest stems from the fact that I'm not as occupied as I used to be, or that I have more free time than before, that may be true, in fact, I can't guarantee that by say November, life will not serenade me away with some of it's other mellifluousness, but the truth is I'm now so attached to this blog that I will always find a way, come what may - or what November, in this case, lol!-.

I do this cos I love to do this, it brings me happiness. And I do this because you're involved now, it's no longer just me.

Anyway, that's really all I've got to say, I'm very grateful to all of you for your continuous interest. Thank you, thank you very much. God bless you guys. Bye.

Till next time,, Keep dreaming!!

Monday 22 July 2013

Power of Positive utterance

"Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your
words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habis become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.” - Mahatma Ghandi

One cannot over emphasize the need for positivity. Being positive is being a light in a world of darkness. When you are positive you attract friends. When you're positive you shine. You become the most attractive.

I came across a story yesterday, I think it's just a folklore anyway, about 2 men who visited a seer - those people that claim to see the future - so they will know what destiny holds for them, so when they got there, the seer's prophecy was that the first man will become a king, while the other will become a servant. The first man felt so elated by the seer's utterance that he started jubilating and throwing parties, the other man, who the seer said was going to become a servant was distraught. He then decided to move to a neighbouring village and work very hard. He got a farm where he worked on tirelessly, with every stroke of the cutlass on the farm, he uttered - "I am not a servant". His utterances worked for him as eventually his farm became really big, and at about the same time, there was a big famine in the village where he came from, the village where the seer told him he was doomed to become a servant. People of that village heard about him and went to him, they asked him to give them some food, in exchange, he will become their new king. So the man who someone said will be a servant became a king, all because he refused to be a servant, and he said it out loud.

My point is, your utterances determine how far life will take you, I hear people say a lot of negative things, the truth is this - negativity kills.

Till next time,, Keep dreaming!!

Saturday 20 July 2013

When Love Is Not Enough 2

 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” -Bible



I asked what the  meaning of love was the last  time, I really don't know, what I know is we all need love, every single one of us, it doesn't matter how macho you think you are. love is essential, Iit is the sticky stuff that keeps us all together. It's what restrains us from tearing apart some persons we have a different view with.

I don't know much, but I know we need to love more, we need to acccomodate more, to smile more, to enjoy life, to live, to be happy.
I don't know much, but I know love breeds happiness, a person who loves freely, is a person who is happy. we all need love.

Love isn't just tennis, no.. It's much more, way much more. Love is what drives out hate, they aren't compatible, love and hate, therefore, to get rid of hate, you need love.

Till next time,, Keep dreaming!!

It shouldn't hurt to be a child



source
Usually, I try not to get involved with issues pertaining to my country, Nigeria, here because it gets exhausting for not just  me, but for you too, believe me, i know what I am saying. that being said, sometimes, I have no choice.

Some time ago, on this blog, I talked about child marriage, about how some countries see nothing wrong with childrren getting married, well unfortunately, my own country has joined that league. Quite disgusting, though I have nothing to say to the  lawmakers who support such barbarism, I think social media has said enough to them.

What I'm interested in knowing is why? Why will a sane, able bodied man concsiously decide that he wants to marry defile a 13 year old? What joy can you derive from it? Childhood is sacred, Childhood is when you learn right from wrong, childhood is when you learn to become a person. When you tell a child to get married you are asking that child to bypass the most sacred stage of her life, asking that child to automatically become an adult, taking the child's rights away, stealing her right.

There is no excuse for this  backwardness, these people hide behind religion to do things that aare wrong, they contort their religion to justfy their perversion, there is no excuse. Only paedophiles are interested in little children, and I'd hate to believe that Nigerian lawmakers are paedophiles. The more I write about this, the more it annoys me. #childnotbride

Till next time,, Keep dreaming!!

Wednesday 17 July 2013

When love isn't enough 1

"I've been thinking a lot lately. A lot about you and I, about us.
I don't know if you love me as much as you say..
I mean, I know, you tell me you love me, but do you, really?"


That's an excerpt from a short story, the speaker eventually asks the subject to come away with him, to which of course, she refuses, and yeah, he confirms she doesn't really love him as much as he 'wants'.

Isn't that pretty much the way things work? Can we really, truly be loved as much as we want? And is there a limit to love?

I'm not even concentrated on two people in a relationship, I'm talking more of neighbourly love, brotherly love. I mean, do we truely, honestly have each others back? Will you stand behind your friend even if it puts you in danger?? Will you even stand behind your friend irrespective of whether or not there is eminent danger? Do you even have a friend to stand behind? Is your 'friend' really your friend?

Now, I've met some really loyal people, at the same time, I've met people who really don't care, I can't blame them, I mean, what's the point, What is the guarantee that these people you decide to love and give your everything will do the same for you if the tables turn??

What is love??
Affection? Fondness? Like? Friendliness? Acquaintanceship? Pretence? An Achilles hill? Hate? Or is it nothing but tennis?
I think I should let you be the judge of that. I'll continue next time?

Till next time,, Keep dreaming!!

Friday 5 July 2013

Capital punishment

Capital punishment, basically, means the death penalty, i.e, legally killing a person who has committed a crime, mostly murder, but in some countries rape and treason are also considered to be capital offences.

The idea of killing another person in the name of the law is difficult for some to take in. Honestly, it really is extreme, and that is why there are so many advocacy groups against it. Their arguement being that it is ethically wrong to take another persons life, no matter what he/she has done. I agree with that to an extent, but not for too long.

We all know the world is not always filled with the kindest and friendliest of people, there are certain individuals that are bad - for lack of a more substantiative word. Some folks just aren't good people.

Talking about bad people, The Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting readily comes to mind, I'm not American but I was left cold staring at the tv screen on the day of that fatal incident, it just made no sense.

But imagine, what if the monster that killed all those blessed little children had not turned the gun to himself? What if he had been arrested by police? Will any sane person advocate for him to remain alive?

Certain offences just aren't forgiveable, some families are still distraught over that incident up till this moment, almost 8 months after.

Children bubbling, with their whole lives ahead of them murdered in cold blood by a psychopath and someone will say it's unethical to sentence him to death?? No, that can't be right. We need to look away from liberty a few times, else, we lose those very ideals we enjoy from it. Wouldn't you agree?

Aluu4 is also a another reason why capital punishment cannot and should not be overlooked. It's the story of 4 young boys studying in the university of Porthacourt, Nigeria, gruesomely murdered by some citizens/animals of the aluu community in Rivers state, for an alleged crime - they said they stole a laptop computer - just imagine. How trivial. They were murdered in the most horrific fashion, suspiciously it was all caught on camera (you could google 'aluu4' if you want, it's not a pretty sight though, it's gory). Even God knows - and may HE forgive me if I'm wrong - that anybody who could murder another person in such a horrible manner, does not deserve to be called a human being.

My point is, certain crimes are mild, and it is ridiculous to imagine that anyone will be sentenced to death for them, but then again, certain crimes are just sad and painful and extreme, that nothing else will suffice except the death of the criminal.
This is what I think about capital punishment.

Till next time,, Keep dreaming!!

Wednesday 3 July 2013

Skill Over Swag.

This is something I had to address eventually, I just feel it's one of the responsibilities I owe this extremely weird generation of ours, seeing as I own a blog, and I'm young, relatively anyway.

Nothing annoys me, or okay, Not much annoys me more than seeing or hearing or reading of young people go on and on and on about how much swag they've got, I mean, seriously? You have all that swag? Wow! You must be like a millionaire or something.

I don't even know what swag means and the dictionary does not help either, it tells me it's a LOOT, I'm pretty sure these folks aren't bragging about how much they've stolen. But based on the context of popular use, I'd say it may mean: an illusion of style, emphasis on the word 'illuson'. Flip side, skill is the ability to do a certain thing with the finesse it requires to reach perfection. A skilled person is a person with the ability to do a particular thing and do that particular thing very well.

I think it's heavy misplace of priority to rate swag over skill, imagine you're given a choice between the two options, honestly, which would you pick??

This is the reason why these older folks think that we are a lazy generation, they even pity our future, and who wouldn't?? Despite the fact that we have things ten times easier nowadays, we still waste all our time on trivial, undistinguished and irresponsible acts. I've read somewhere that swag will not pay your bills in a few years time, it most definitely will not, only the skills that you acquire over time will.

Your style does not, and cannot, and will not complement your skill, however, your skill can and will complement your style. You can only claim to have something that you actually have, you know??

Which would you rather be remembered as?? The guy who had all that swag or the guy who had all that skill? Choose wisely.

Till next time,, Keep dreaming!!