11-11-11

This piece has taken longer than I thought...11-11-11 was a special day, not only does this kind of date occur once in 100 years but for me it had much more significance...
It's not every 11-11-11 you'll find kids marking their 11th birthday, this one, I was priviledged to share it with my niece who turned 11 on 11-11-11...
She is a very unique girl, not just cos she's turned 11 on 11-11-11 but I haven't seen an 11 year old so mature, sensitive to the needs of others and a philantrophic at heart...

The day is one Deborah would not forget in a hurry...the picnic area at Trinity College Ofada provided the perfect scenary and cool shade that drowned out the sun...

I'll let the pictures do all the talking.

The lovely cake..tastes nice too

Deborah and friends...TRICOL

More friends

CHEEZE!!!!!

Deborah

Deborah and the boys!

Deborah and birthday mate..

Deborah and Mum

Deborah & Anty Mercy

Celebrants and Mothers

Deborah, Mum and Dad

Traffic Palaver!!!

I couldn't tush this piece by giving it some sleek title like 'traffic memoirs" I just called it exactly what I experienced "Palaver"... One song writer said " palaver you dey find, palaver you go get" well I wasn't looking for palaver but it sure found me.

It was rush hour in Lagos and I was stuck in traffic, OMG!! I mean snail pace movement... I didn't know I was cluster-phobic. A distance that should be covered in no more than 25 minutes was going to take an eternity...(Lagos na wah)  In a city as boisterous as Lagos your wits need to be as sharp as a razor blade to cut through the stress.

My journey began 20 minutes too late, ''if I had set out 20 minutes earlier I wouldn't be here''..
Half way through the trip I started to look around, the street was bustling not minding the heavy vehicular buildup..not a pretty sight...

Waste Bin..

The back seat of the cab---some shocking revelation. First I noticed the crunching beneath my feet, the last occupant had probably been to the beach, because the sand I was stepping on was damp; on the other side was a half empty bottle of water and half drunk sachet of yoghurt .

Yoruba tribal marks!!

Just then, the neatly carved tribal marks on the cab driver caught my attention.I continued to stare wide eyed as if admiring art when his heavy yoruba accent jolted me "anty, effritin is ok?" I just smiled knowing I had been caught staring....meantime, the down pour kept at it as my patience grew  thin...

Its funny thought how the streets of Lagos have a way of entertaining you..

Food is ready!!

Motorists and motorcyclists continued to manoeuvre the narrow streets and whatever space they saw...now I was sweating profusely my note pad became a fan, only to realise the heating system in the car was on...oh my!! "anty na becos of rain I on am" again I smiled hiding my frustration..
I looked outside as if to find solace, then I saw them, the hawkers in the rain, on the third mainland bridge. These guys weren't bothered by the down pour we all were taking shelter from.


As we descended the bridge knowing my ordeal was almost coming to an end, without any warning I felt the car stop right in the centre of the road....."oh my, we must have a flat" I thought...''anty, make I piss"........................................that's what you get entering an old man's cab.
He insisted on calling me anty, why?

"ah, thank you".....I think he saw my confusion and decided to engage me in random conversation but that wasn't working..I'd respond in brisk pidgin and scribble in my note pad. from the look on his face I could tell what he was thinking.

The downpour reduced to drizzles and the loud chattering from nearby cars became more annoying (so the rain had drowned out the noise...) The splattering sound of water, the glitter of rain drops the blaring horns and the fresh air all seemed so beautiful.

Anyway, a pee break and 3 hours later my sojourn was drawing to an end I was almost relieved, the fact that I was pressed became more unbearable..now I got to go, I really need to go...................................rbg

Plus Size...

I've thought about writing this for  while but declined the urge. Now I'm ready...
I recently read a piece of writing on this topic and it got me thinking, I face similar judgments, remarks and glances...
Apart from the obvious fact that we are created differently, our metabolism also work differently.

The Beautiful Monique!!

All my life I've had people, strangers even tell me I need to exercise a little more(without knowing my routine), eat less (not knowing my diet) and loose that weight....hmmmm. I thought the fact that all the while they knew me to be the same is supposed to be indication that I was created plus size...not that I haven't tried to loose it... While I work at staying healthy, I'm fabulously me!!
Many plus size people I know have had their share of such judgmental statements....My advise, if you don't have self confidence or the urge to feel good about yourself, even getting the body people think you must have won't give you that confidence or happiness..

And while most plus size people get it genetically (being prone to becoming over weight ) others indulge and gain it (even this group were at a time prone to weight gain)... The question I have is, what then is a proper size?? who set it? most people even get compared to magazine cover model (not fair I'd say, alot of them eat any and everything but remain small...its the metabolism)
I'd rather that the emphasis be on ones health and well being..

I know plus size people who are healthier than alot of the magazine cover looking people... it's true...God made us differently so when He looks down He sees variety..how boring the world would be if we were all plus size or thin even..

Even Doctors are guilty of discriminatory statements too...imagine visiting a dentists and throughout the session endure his talk on how you need to loose weight not remembering to ask about your routine or life style decisions..

Recently in the US, plus size yoga classes are springing up....members say, most regular yoga classes don't address the needs of plus size people.. others say, they can relate to each other with out feeling too embarrassed to participate.

Plus size yoga

Plus size people are discriminated against and faced with psychological issues daily most of whom develop eating disorders in a bid to please everyone else.

Recent research reveal that, plus size women are more discriminated against than plus size men...even family and friends are guilty of pushing people to extreme depression...while they permit the men to have bulging pot bellies, the woman should be as thin as air... most plus size people live their lives without approval or acceptance by family..


Don't get me wrong, I'm not indulging overweight people who just splurge on food and any craving as a sign of enjoyment..... but because some of us were create bigger than others doesn't make us all gluttons..
I exercise and try to eat right, portions isn't an issue cos those who know me are amazed at how I eat but remain plus size...

exercise session

Well, I said my bit, waiting the shouts of ''crucify her''. My point is, those sleazy remarks we make about peoples size do more harm than the intended good, if you have to make a comment think of how it affects the hearer and what help you can give...............

To all my fabulous people keep it real and stay healthy!!!!....................................rbg

First of Eight!!

Recently I made a discovery, it was that, writing a lost of 100 things to do before you die isn't that easy..
I didn't know what I was up against until I set out, I got to 13 and just gave up ...."this is hard o!"

Ok starting out seemed easy but when you write out the obvious and the not so obvious and by 13 your exhausted, phew...

Number 7, visit the eight wonders of the world...you might ask how that's going I'd say pretty well for one who intends to live to see 100 years....lol

The city was Agra, the place, the magnificent Taj Mahal..

The Taj Mahal...

The Taj Mahal is one of India's greatest monuments and Historic sights, built in 1641AD by the Mughal Emperor, shah Jahan to commemorate his favorite wife (third wife actually) Empress Mumtaz Mahal.....hmmm what some do for love!!

It still looks so magnificent after over 250 years...WOW!

It took 20,000 artisans from all over the islamic world to finish the structure in 22 years...


The Taj Mahal cost Four Crores rupees (that is 40 million) white marble made the outer parts while the interior is decorated with precious stones; sapphire,turquoise, jade, lapis lazuli, emerald and many more...

Precious stone finishing...

The Tomb..

The Tomb is the centre of the Taj Mahal surrounded by a mosque and Assembly hall. It's width and height are exactly the same 55mtrs....making the Taj look exactly the same from all four sides
the trick here is, where ever you look at the Taj from it looks the same, everyone sees the same view.

Electric car..

The Taj Mahal opens to the public from 8am and closes at dusk..it is not connected to any source of electricity.. As a way of preserving its beauty and natural state, electric cars are parked a meter away to convey visitors to the site...

Now I was wowed the instant I got to the first of three entrances, the view does something to you....not something I can explain you need experience it for yourself...
Like most of you might be wondering, I was more in awe because the Emperor built this monument in honor of a wife he loved...

The Taj mahal

The architectural prowess is not like any I have seen, its splendor truly captivating..

Some proof I was there...lol!!

leaving the Taj...

I left the Taj with the hope of returning again this time to get a night time view (i hear when sun set hits the marble it glows) but in the mean time, the task of seeing;

-the great pyramid of Giza, Egypt
-Statue of Christ the redemeer, Brazil
-Manchu Picchu, Peru
-Chichen itza. Mexico
-Great wall, China
-Petra city, Jordan
_Roman colosseum, Italy

when i'm done, be sure to here all about it..................................................rbg

KARA!!

Since my move here, it's been one adventure after another..
Kara!! I can still smell it..
stale blood, animal dung, hides and skin in boiling water, wet hay burning hoofs and horns and human sweat..oughf!!! what a stench it was.

Kara!! the gory sight hunted me for days, it still hunts me.

As we alighted the car I had no warning what to expect, my crisp white slippers hit the muddy floor and OMG!! what did I expect, sparkly white floors? after all this is an abattoir.
As we tip toed trying to make our way further in, all I kept thinking was how bad my slippers were (I mean what was I thinking?? white slippers to an abattoir?) As if to put me out of the misery of wondering, ''ago lo ano!! kuro lo ona!!'two men pulling a bull wearing rubber boots, the splash of muddy water on me got me angry ''ago lo ano!! kuro lo ona!!''  (out of the way) that's the apology I get?? arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhh!! my slippers! I felt I heard jeering in their remarks,
''anty you sef why you wear am come here''

bull taken away to it's death...

looking around I felt stupid, everyone had rubber boots...hmm, my bad









At the slaughter floor it was a battle of wits, the poor animals how they struggled to live, but none was able to win...they were  defeated by the strength of five strong men and the ropes that help them down.....

In a few moments they became pieces of beef on the floor and on tables waiting to be sold...

the beef!!

We continued in search of our customer (when i say customer, in Nigeria once you continually buy things from the same person you become his customer and he your's) ignoring the beaconing from several butchers waving their bloody hands and knives in our direction---''madam, anty I go sell beta for you''


It was then that my aunty paused to give me my second lesson, don't buy the meat already dressed and displayed...why?? "they let it sit in water so it swells and looks healthy'' hmmm
lesson one was never wear white slippers to any Lagos market!!

slaughter floor! point of no return!!

Besides the seeming chaos I saw at first, the next few minutes showed just how organized they were...finally we located our customer with the help of another butcher (healthy competition i must say)



While we waited to be served, I couldn't help but notice and inwardly lament the poor sanitary condition there.. I could see probably a million maggots under the table and animals and humans passing their own waste in nearby waters...

Men at work..

We placed our order and in minutes they went to work... one group handled the offal, another the hoofs and hind, the last dealt with the beef.... the speed and dexterity with which they worked got me envious... not that i want to be a butcher but I wish we all displayed such expertise at work.

One thing I was grateful for were the meat vans at least the meat gets transported in style...I watched as meat was hauled into the back of one van..the thought of my next meal having beef in it scared me...

Eko meat van!

Like the community that Kara is, they have it all..from tailors to sew the polytene suits they wore to protect their clothes, to cobblers attending to rubber boots that needed mending--food vendors, medicine sellers (what I like to call mobile pharmacy)

hoofs and horns

Here, nothing ever went to waste, hoofs and horns were roasted into bone meals (for animal feeds), the blood was also gathered (whatever for......i'm thinking animal feed) the skin (komo) is mostly sold and eaten, shoe makers hardly ever get anything.

waiting for their turn..

As we made our way out, kill in hand, I look back remembering the stench that was to follow me home, the tight road and slippery floor...it all went well, i had survived my first abattoir visit................rbg

Big Leap...

"Eko oni baje" "eku kale; eku gbadun; eku everything".....the words that greet me these days (not that I mind) cos I have a soft spot for yoruba language I'm not bothered that everyone I meet just feels I should speak it.
Recently the saying "life is a choice" became more real to me seeing how I made a choice that still suprises even me.

As I walk the streets of Ojodu/berger; the blaring of high life from the speakers at the corner shop beckoning to prospective buyers distracts me,I didn't notice the okada racing towards me until he emptied the water gathered in the pot hole beside me...the women displaying their wares on the pedestrian walk leaves no choice but exposure to the racing okada's, keke marwa, not forgeting the danfo's and cars....phew, I feel exhausted just typing this.

The yellow colour that flood the streets is no campaign gimmick but the danfo, commuting people to their various destinations...
Done with my bussiness at Ojodu, I hail a bike (okada) and the bargain for commuting me was getting intense when I decided to budge and pay the fee he requested."oya, madam enter" I wonder why I'm expected to enter a bike..well, that a thought for another day.(I mean, who can argue in the scotching sun?)The jolly okada ride was a breath of fresh air..I mean literarily! except for the odour of sweat oozing from the riders coat..(good thing i was wearing a strong perfume.)
Another worry for me was the plastic helmet clad to my jaw..I could hardly breath; even thinking of the heads that have worn it before me sent cold shivers down my spine, what a day!

Finally I alight after several close calls, the pounding of my heart could almost be heard a mile away. With trembling hands I pay the guy his money.."madam, your hand dey shake?!" the annoying grin on his face was evidence that he was conscious of all he did on the ride..
Lagos!

The huge contrast between this city of dreams and the tranquility of my previous aboard stares me every passing second but live through it I must!!.
With every passing minute I say to myself as if in amazement; I can't believe I'm here!!! I took a big leap!...........................rbg  

The city of dreams...

ok, I remember saying I was taking a month break to get things into perspective, well I felt the urge to write this.
September is kinda like when I do my spring cleaning, my thoughts, wardrobe and evaluating my life and charting a course for where i'm going. All I can say for now is September has been great i've made lots of life changing moves that will manifest in time. I might even be moving cities, I mean moving to another city no matter how temporary. The countless hours spent trying to get things right only to realize you have absolutely no control over them.
I've said too much already so until my next update which will probably be in another week or two, believe in yourself and pour out what u're carrying to ur circumstance.

rbg

Good bye August!

As the down pour halts I'm reminded of a grand orchestra  closing a symphony; I can almost hear it, I canalmost touch it; the happy tears of a great perfomance trickkle down your cheek as the applause rise loudly and just for that moment you are lost in the music.

August came and is gone like the first day I feel over whelmed, it's gone so quickly, almost missed it's moments. It had it's share of tears and ovations just life the orchestra and when the time comes to say good bye, the chill that runs throug my spine is not for moments lost but for those lived...

I had some good laughs and some tears too..most blessed by the rains it brought with it, maybe now we'd all get a break! (from the rains). Sweet August you'd be remembered for breakthroughs and ground breakings, new things and new hope; tough decisions and not so wise ones too.

One thought I'd like to leave you with is, whatever you did in August, the regrets, the silly decisions, the out right dumb mistakes or the genius stuff you were able to pull off, one should have an attitude of doing better cos there's always room for improvement...

This is the least you could be, alot of other opportunities await you, God doesn't give you just 1 or 2 chances, He gives you another chance! Imagine if you had just one chance at anything..most of us blew it already.even if it were two chances, we might just fail at the next try.

August is gone withit's worries, I dust off myself from theground where I fell face up looking for the next ladder to climb cos September is bringing with it an EXPLOSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy New month, it starts now!!....................................rbg

Evangelion!!!

I startedoff this piece with nothing to say; no title, I mean no words to say what I intended to....I just let the message drive me..I'll be as brief and conciese as I possibly can. The after writing I got the perfect title 'EVANGELION'.....(pronounced e-van-ge-leon)

Evangelion means good news or better still, good news from the batle field. The word of God lies in the good news, if you don't hear it you cannot function in it, so I'm speaking the word so you hear it. 

Each of us is born in to something, some go through life not knowing what their purpose is whle others discover it and live it fully.

We were created to do the Lord's bidding(for His pleasure He created us.) He gave us options, life and death,'choose life' He says to us, that we might live.

You are sole architect of how your life turns out and eventually ends. 

The goodnews here is, God made the first move all we need do is meet him half way........

Christianity is God reaching out to man after the fall, God's redemtion plan is for all who turn to Him and accept the life He offers; everyone, I mean everyone has that chance of a God-filled life; hope is only lost when one crosses to the other side of eternity...

I remember the words of the savior, ''you must be born again'' He tells the religious ruler. There's a pattern to do this; first believe in your heart that Jesus came in the flesh, He died on the cross, He ressurected after three days and ascended to sit at the right side of the Father and will come again. It doesn't end there; you are then expected to confess these words with your lips..(with the heart we believe and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation).

It's not enough that we go to church and do all the right stuff, this is what God wants us to do, make this confession and watch God transfom you.

As an ambassador you speak for your home counrty; well, that's what I'm doing offering the same life;eternal life to as many as would receieve.

Call me a Jesus freak or pastor I'm ok with that, I'm just a messanger in my place of assignment.

Seperate yourself from what you do;God sees you differently, He sees you through the eyes of Love. John3:16 ''for God so loved the world that He gave His onlybegotten son, that whoever believes in HIm shouldnot perish but have eternal life''

It's never toomuch for Him to cleanse, you sins don't repel God, He wants you just as you are..

make a decision today,accept Jesus into your life and let the new life beging ''if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new'' 2 corinthians 5:17...............................

If there's any thing I can do to help in this life changin decision, I'd be glad to...................................rbg

the big red 'L'

Who ever said the cars in driving schools should be beat up? (at least the ones I see around Abuja and other Nigerian cities are) Maybe it's a criteria for running a driving school?? I don't know, I'm just looking to get some clarity here.
The first question on my mind this morning as I walked past one such vehicle is, who gives these schools license or permit to operate? do they carry out an inspection of their facilities?? do they even test the operators of these schools to know their ability?? probably not..it's like any pavement or pedestrian walk that has some trees around it becomes the driving school, so you walk by a couple of ''beat up'' cars parked together, each with a 15 inch plate and a big 'L' painted in red; and that's supposed to be inviting?? whatever happened to good advertising not forgetting safety..I'm sorry but I'm not easily convinced.
I've seen students made to push the car or even wait for the tutor while he attended to personal issues.....

I learnt how to drive not from the driving schools but my teacher was pretty good...I was lucky to learn from someone who knew exactly what he was doing and who knew what road signs meant and what the high way code looked like.(lol)
My point is, the first two days it was hard enough concentrating even though it was just us two in the car, so this gets me  wondering how the students in these driving schools do it I mean how they are able to learn anything with three other people watching and criticizing their every move..and how much can three people learn in a few hours, or is it part of the plan to get people to do less daily so they stay on and pay more?? (am I making any sense?) anyway like someone just corrected me if the students aren't willing to be clustered they probably won't be.
How come the road safety officers or VIO never stop such cars, am I the only one that sees something wrong with it?? (ok maybe) these guys are supposed to be responsible for the safety of road users and check the road worthiness of vehicles but NO, they don't see them, isn't the road safety supposed to approve operations of driving schools? I know the road safety and VIO issue drivers license.
Call me naive but non of these questions have been answered and I fear they won't be in the near future.

can you see the 'L' ???

I'm just an advocate for proper driving lessons, the more drivers we have that get adequate training the lesser the accident rate..In Abuja there is an average of about 4 to 7 accidents daily. The fact that you own a car doesn't make you fit to drive it..do you know the rules?? do you know the rules??

Recently I asked a driver what the white markings in the middle of the road meant and to my astonishment he was indifferent giving me some explanation that made no sense at all, this is coupled to his stunt-like, action movie-like driving that almost got us run over twice; then I began to panic...i could feel the cold sweat run down my spine, need I say more? I almost flew out of the car as soon as I go to my destination...phew what a relief.

The morale behind this piece is not to spite the road side driving schools but to get our authorities thinking, who said organizing and equipping them would be a bad thing? maybe then the patronage would improve......just be sure you're getting your monies worth and your conscience satisfied as you board that beat-up crowded car in the name of learning to drive............................rbg

Women are from mars, Men are from Jupiter

Ok we had this lengthy discussion in my office today...four guys and three ladies...one married man, one married woman.
I can't remember what brought it up but it became heated when the issue of women being subordinate to men came up...submissive is the word you're looking for i suppose!

Submission, one dictionary defines it as "the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person" The Bible also says wives submit to your husband but later adds that you submit one to another....so we all submit; get it!! (I hope)

Anyway, the discussion winded down to character and what a courtship period should be..well after a 30 minutes discuss, we concluded the following: courtship is a time for:
- discussion..talk, talk, talk...
- decision making..what are u're plans? what do you want out of the marriage?(i mean that's where a courtship ends isn't it. )
- discovery (knowing and accepting your partner for who they are.) don't accept what u're not comfortable with, cos it won't go away.

We also learnt that people can pretend but they always leave vital signs, these signs tell you who they truly are, so, if you look carefully beyond the image your partner is trying to portray you'll get to know them for who they really are. Look beyond face value look for more and I bet you'll see it.

Ok, another quick one is, guy or girl, if you have low self esteem or you continually lower your value standards just to accommodate someone, you might not get the best of them cos you're squeezing them  to fit a mold you created.
Well I got to go now, I'd be back with a more researched and precise version of this....soon..........rbg

Techno junkies !!

Gone are the days when we wrote long winding sentences in letters trying to get our thoughts across...I remember receiving a letter from a friend, it took me at least 4 days to read and digest it's content (no joke!). till this day we call it 'the epistle'
well now, it's either lmao, lol, brb...etc these alphabets most times not skillfully arranged are supposed to express our thoughts??? i really can't say, u fill in the blanks. most times it's a herculean task deducing what the encoder meant. Anyway, that's not my focus today.

I was thinking of what to say today and someone suggested the GSM/smart phones and other technology craze we seem to be experiencing. He was out with friends and  he ended up watching them ping all through the evening (what a boring outing that must have been).

we had this exact one in my house.

Before 2001 in Nigeria, telephones were exactly just that that, TELEPHONE!! the ones that sat by the stool in your living room, and they all had a universal and quite annoying ring tone..little wonder when old folks talk they say..."i'll ring you later" it's cos of that old telephone they're not over it yet....lol

in the begining..

Now we don't just have cell phones we have smart phones that don't only make calls and send sms but have other perks added to them..there's the Blackberry or BB iphone's and ipads....and the list goes on.

Whatever gizmo's we find we want to acquire, they've become like accessories to our outfits most of which we end up using only about 30 to 50% of it's capabilities (that's even for people that are a little smart) I don't mean to be insulting but really, do u need a BB, an ipad, a mac, and an ipod???common i mean if you're able to effectively use one you'll see how improvident acquiring the other was.....are u feeling me? (maybe not :D)

now..

Typical scenario: three guys chilling suddenly, ping! and like a light bulb their eyes light up and in an instance no one on the table is talking everyone is bent over pinging...is that your idea of spending time with friends?

scenario two; (i actually experienced this somewhere in Abuja) two ladies exit a store chatting both busy on their phones (pinging of course) and like clock work they stop in the middle of the road typing away till someone (me) walks inbetween them and says; "see how BB has turned you into mad people"......not exactly what i said but what I wanted to say...
I'm sure you get the gist now. It's not wise if you're using a gadget just cos it's in vogue or everyone is having it...pls have better reasons for buying stuff.

This technology is a way of enhancing human activity including communication not eliminating or replacing it. Then there's social network; good or bad?? it's still being debated. from twitter to facebook, to 2go, to im to buddy to netlog, to linked....others are hi5, myspace, blogger, badoo etc the list is endless, i found out there are hundreds of social networking sites world wide (even the list on wikipedia is not exhaustive). It's disturbing that most people become addicted to one or more social networks that if they are away from their phones for a few moments they might not survive.You don't look smart or intelligent just cos you have two phones and an ipad, it's what use you're able to put one of them to that makes you smart!!


As we continue to face the bizarre and unlikely things people subject themselves to for gadget/social network sake; remember to keep your communication lines open, don't let technology steal the gift of meeting people, make conscious efforts to have conversations; (like a friend will say, stop forming busy and talk to people)..conversing frequently will improve your people skills.

I own a pliris1 it's an android phone and I bet you that's all I have (for now) and making the most of it too, I'm still finding out more things I can do with the phone...........I also enjoy healthy uninterrupted conversations not just on the phone but in person...........rbg

oh the joy of rest!!

When the first moments of excitment passes and the euphoria begins to die that's when true rest unfolds.
It's just like the start of a weekend; you start off with excitement but  as you begin the chores; lundry, erands to the market, house cleaning,cooking, washing the car and fixing that ruffled closet that momentary peace begins to elude you and you almost loose the joy of seeing the end of another working week...you actually begin to worry about the new week ahead.(sound familiar??)

What we mostly describe as rest is only a momentary display or experience of tranquility...
There is a rest that is prepared and we can only enter it if we choose to.
Who prepared it you might say? The one who holds the earth in the palm of His hands, whose footstool is the earth...The one who discribed Himself as "I AM" He is all you want and need Him to be.

Rest is not the absence of war as I have come to realize, but the peace one enjoys in the midst of it all. It is only the prepared rest that offers such peace. When Jesus was leaving the earth He left us His peace... "not as the world gives"... that tells me the world offers a form of peace; "He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies" ...that is a position of rest unlimited even in circumstances that seem other wise.

Saturdays are rest days for me and as I punder on the nap I need to be having right now and the chores left unattended, I can only recall and meditate on a rest that is not superficial, a rest that doesn't leave me wondering or anxious for what I have to do; but that rest that assures me everything is ok even in the tangled situation....
I have entered into the prepared rest...have you?...................................rbg

The hair 2

My shampoo and conditioner

Hello beautiful people; yes you!! You have to identify who you are to gain access to certain levels and break out of several mind sets..
I am beautiful and so are you.

Now to the business of the day; I promised showing you the hair products I use they are very few and inexpensive, remember what works for me might not work for you so use the transition period to experiment on products and make your choice.

  THE PRODUCTS:

Both the shampoo and conditioner contain tea tree oil which helps unblock hair follicles, has anti bacterial components and stimulates the scalp to promote healthy hair (to mention a few benefits)
I got the shampoo and conditioner at a store in Abuja for less than N500 each... remember to read the ingredients to be sure of what you're buying.

leave in hair mayonnaise

Because your hair needs to stay moisturized at all times you need a good hair cream or oil. I use shear butter mixed with any hair cream/oil of choice. I use shea butter cos it's organic(natural) and has replenishing components. you can also use shea butter to steam your hair.
The key is to use oils that don't clog your pores your hair require clear pores to enhance growth. Olive oil is also good for the hair, like tea tree oil

 Leave-in hair mayonnaise/cholesterol locks the moisture in the hair it also helps soften the hair like a leave-in conditioner..(you may or may not use this depending on your hair type and texture)

 organic shear butter

 

 

 

as hair treatment not salad dressing :D

Ok easy on the mayo....while you try to avoid mayonnaise as salad dressing your hair can use its richness..simple apply a good amount to damp hair, massage into the hair, cover hair with a shower cap and wash out after 10 to 20 minutes..so the next time you walk by that bottle of mayonnaise on the stall, think hair!

Fruits like avocado pear, lime or lemon are good hair care products that can be used as rinse-out conditioners.
 you can achieve healthy hair if you put your mind to it.

Stay beautiful.............rbg

The hair..1A

my Afro attempt.

corn rows

 So I started this journey five months ago...it hasn't been easy and I aint getting lots of support by the way. But, its a cross  I'm bearing.

Well caring for natural hair is not as expensive and difficult as we make it all seem...
By the way, before the relaxer we all were doing well with the glorious hair God gave us...until we started seeing it as 'bad hair', 'nappy hair', 'kinky hair' and all the other bad names you can think of. Who ever said natural hair was bad hair, I mean who decides which hair texture is good or bad?!!!??? (I thought so too) I used to have what you could call a full head, but after about 14 years of relaxer and product build up my hair became thin, weak and scanty that's when I decided to cut the length by half and start the transition!!

 

 

laid back

 I'm not trying to get everyone to go back to their natural hair, I decided for myself.All I'm saying is, embrace who you are and don't let some synthetic hair define your idea of beautiful hair, after all God gave it to you as your crowing glory! And even while perming your hair aim for healthy hair.

braids...

more braids

Caring for natural can be achieved with as little as two products or as much as you want and can afford.The basic things you need are, a good shampoo, conditioner and hair moisturizer of choice...(see it can be that simple). A quick note, try to use products that contain lots of natural/organic ingredients..How do you know, it's easy.....recently I learnt a new way of choosing my hair/cosmetics, just read the content and if the first 2 to 3 ingredients are chemicals then the product isn't as natural as made to appear. The idea here is, a product contains about 60 to 70% of the first 2 or 3 products on the list..

another afro!

 To transition from perm to natural hair you have two options;
a) do the big chop ( BC) or cut off the perm and start the new growth OR,
b) transition for a period by allowing the new growth get to your desired length before you cut off the perm...(that's what I'm doing)

the kinky.... :D

 Make your transition period fun, the moment you decide to go natural start treating you hair like it's all natural, read stuff and begin testing products you will use when you are completely natural..also never comb your natural hair when dry...always dampen the hair.. Look for support systems for your new choice and plan your hair regime.
Also, wear protective hair styles while you are grooming the new growth(i like braids and kinky..i also attempt corn rows often) but also allow the hair breath between styles...(like my attempted afro styles :D) Avoid  heat application to your hair as much as possible (driers, hair straightener etc) let your hair air dry. Always use a wide tooth comb no matter how tempting the tiny ones look..

more kinky.

I'd do another piece showing you my hair products to give you an idea of what I use. I also use fruits and vegetable in my hair...
Writing about this is a coping mechanism for me, it rids my mind of those who want to ''rain on my parade''...My BC (big chop) is in December when I'd be 9 months transitioning, I'm looking forward to it....keep being beautiful and love how you look!! ................................rbg