Some of my favorite quotes

“If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in character. If there be beauty in character, there will be harmony in the home. If there be harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. If there be order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.” - Confucius

“Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them; but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight.” - Helen Keller (1880-1968) American Writer

“Democracy, like liberty, justice and other social and political rights are not given. They are earned through courage, resolution and sacrifice.” - Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma

“Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.'” – Anonymous



Wednesday, November 23, 2005


There is definitely a lot to be happy about :-) Posted by Picasa

Variety is the spice of life

My life is all within a 2km (i.e. about 1.25miles for my American folks :-) radius – from home to school and back… Everything that happens to me is in one of those places. I wake up in the morning, take my bath, go to school – a 3-minute walk – work there for some hours, attend some classes, and then I’m back home in the evening. What a boring life!

What would I do differently if I had the chance? Go visit interesting parts of the city perhaps (a car of my own would definitely help), hang out with friends that are not in the same cycle I’m in (I don’t know any such people in this city :-)… some variety in this boring and hectic cycle I’m in.

My chance seems to have come though – I’ll be traveling to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with family! Yippee! Finally I’ll get to eat correct efo riro and pounded yam with all the required orisirisi inside :-), amongst other “wonderful” things. I’ll make the most of the break and really rest, and hopefully come back very well charged and ready to take on the challenges of my boring cycle for the next 3 weeks of school.

Variety is definitely the spice of life…

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Many questions... Any answers?

Hmm... I know some people will think I am crazy, but I miss home a lot now more than ever. A lot of my fellow Nigerians would wonder what there is to miss in that land of ours, but I have come to realize that there is truly no place like home, and home is where the heart is.

I read about the happenings in my country, and I wonder what it will take for us to get our collective act together... What will it take to turn things around? My fiancé gave this analogy - "the dirt that has piled up over 30 years on a kitchen counter cannot be cleaned off in a day, even with the most powerful antiseptic/cleansing detergents... it will take a lot of persistence and patience to get the kitchen counter gleaming again" - and I add that you might even have to replace the kitchen counter cos it might be impossible to get it as clean as it should be.

Does this mean our case is hopeless? We can't buy a new Nigeria... we can only repair the one we have. Sometimes it is cheaper to replace than repair, but what do you do when repairing is the only option, like is our situation now?

I know all these questions have been asked over and over, and I ask yet again - what can be done? It is whispered that our country is governed by idiots, but how do we get rid of them and ensure that the right visionary and selfless people get there? How do we ensure that their best intentions are not sabotaged by the individuals that are to help implement their strategies? How can the collective consciousness of over 125million people from over 250 fundamentally different tribes be harnessed towards the single goal of creating a better Nigeria?

Ok... I think I'll stop asking the questions and try come up with some actionable answers. I do have one answer already though - I will continue to maintain the traits I believe are reflective of a good human being:
  • honesty

  • respect for all people (never do unto others what you don't what them to do to you)

  • integrity

  • professionalism (anything worth doing at all is worth doing well)

  • high ethical/moral standards (always do what is right, even if no one else does)

Some would say this is easy for me to do because I am not starving, and it won't change anything anyway... but I say that my prayer is that I be able to maintain these standards whether or not I have food on my table, and it definitely makes a difference as I go about influencing the people within my circle of influence to do the same. It is a slow process, but it is a process definitely worth starting.

Until I ramble again...    

"Look into my eyes and tell me what you see :-)" Posted by Picasa