Senator Me!!

Lol, its not really much of a big deal given that Im not a stranger to office, at least in high school.

But I was recently elected senator of our SGA. Unlike a normal class senator, I have the privilege of being in the senatorial committe that represents the whole student body. The legislative arm of the Student Government Association, so to speak. And there are 12 of us in that category, out of a 4000 contestant pool.
I guess this is where I shuld insert that it is valuable knowing someone. I got special exposure partly bcos of my own merit, and partly bcos the Senator-at-large for the SGA is a friend. And one who respects me as much as I do him. So I guess in this life, merit is only one partof the picture.

Anyway, this is at once a good and bad thing, tho more good than bad. I do have more stuff on my schedule :( and there is an increased demand on me to always be on  point. (cue: less sagging). I hope I can make it worthwile. But like every other thing, I will give it my best shot. After all, I have reelection to consider. Lol, acting like some Washington pal. Yall have the best times..:D luv

I Love her

I love her

I know it now..with everything in me.

But Im not going to tell her yet.

Am I afraid? Not really

Not with her.

She makes me feel at peace, not afraid.

But Im being cautious because I know how explosive our relationship can be.And Im not sure Im ready for the inferno yet. So I'll hold my peace. I almost told her last nite, and I think she felt something different. But I let it slide. I suspect she knows, but I'll not confirm anything. She just texted me. 

Here we go again....

God Speaks--to me

In different ways.


This morning, I started my day with an hour of worship. I experienced an usual manifestation of Gods awesomeness in my spirit, to the point that I broke into tears and wept from d heart. That doesnt happen often. But I thank God for his grace. I feel charged with His presence. 


I didnt have time to study the Bible cos I had to prepare for a test. But God speaks to you anyhow, regardless. And today it seems the message is for me to focus more on my relationships and associations, and appreciate them more. And the message dint even come from a typical religious text. It came from facebook, and blogsville. The first I read was how our associations and relationships are more important to our health than exercise, diet and medication combined. Another message explained the value of corporate faith and how important it is for us to take advatange of our Christian family. On another blog the opening words were "there is magic in company,  perhaps the best known means of socialization known to man." Again, it spoke to me. 


All in all, Im paying more attention to my associations. And I know it will pay off. Starting with my relationship with God. 

I will Not

I will not!

Nigeria wants me to go on another rant

I will not!

I notice what they do...and the urge is in me to cry out

but 

I will NOT!

Until the anniversary has come and gone

I wont say a bad word about Nigeria. 

I will not!

Happy Anniversary People

from those in Carlifonia with their awesome masquerade party, to those in D.C., New York, London, Spain..

everywhere they are living it up!

One love!!!

Lost Civilisations

Few Nigerians today are original...moi included. You know what makes an original in a national context? Culture, lifestyle and values that are completely and unequivocally ours.
This is something few Nigerians today know little about, though they claim to know it all. When Europeans came to this land of ours, they met with a culture clash. We were different. We were distinct civilisations, with different evolutionary paths. Not anymore.
Today, our ancestors of just the last generation will recognise little of what we say, or wear, or do. They will not recognise us as their offspring. The things they left behind, the awesome wealth of language, and dressing, and ethics of living and decorum have all gone away. Little of it remains.

What will Nigeria look like a hundred years from now? Will someone look at it and be able to see the imprints of the great men and women that spawned us? Will the Sangos, and Ojadilis and Ikengas, the black soil and sweat of the warriors of old remain alive in us, modernised, of course, and harmonised with a global culture...or will there be no trace of our rich history left. Will we have completed the transition we are making now, into outposts of Western civilisation, adopting the culture of materialism, and shallow living, and megacity traipsing individuals? Will there be a difference between Lagos of the future, and Boston of the future? Or will we all b the same?

Bcos what we call globalisation, as in the mix of global cultures and narrowing of world reaches, is really westernisation...the spread of western secular civilisation across all the nations of the world. It is the new form of imperialism. And it is leaving in its wake thousands of broken values, fractured societies and lost civilisations. So question is...where will Nigeria be then..when this chain is complete? History will ask us...did we guard our heritage..or will it join the thousands washed away by western seas?
The answer is ours. It lies in our hands. And our minds. If we will take the time to find it.
Happy 50th to Nig.

So fucking Bad!!!

I wanna go to Nigeria...

so ...

fucking ..

bad!

But a lot of things are keeping me here, and aside that my dad doesnt think its a good idea bcos we live in ABA!! and these days the town is about as safe as a lion's den.

But I still wanna go, maybe stick to Lagos and Abuja and just get to Aba one time or whatever..I dont even wanna think that much about it..I JUST WANT TO GO!!

I want to just go without my dad's permission, but somehow I tend to think that jinxes me. Like I'll get into trouble and stuff, and then my dad will say "i told you so" while i cringe in humiliation. Imagine if dey come kidnap moi...lmao!

I'll prolly wait till next summer (2011) and use visa renewal as my valid excuse.

That said....I wanna go SO FUCKIN BAD. 

Last week..and my coming 21st

Why does knowledge walk hand in hand

with melancholy? 

For the past few weeks, Ive made some life changing discoveries. And with them, Ive had some ivy league headaches..

But now, im moving into a realm of activity that is more than everything Ive ever known. Someone say a prayer for me..hope things turn out well..

Im thinking of what to do for my birthday..its in less than 2 weeks. I dont v that much money. God forbid that my 21st birthday will flop! Chukwu ekwena. What I have in mind to do is to fly back to NYC, pop drinks, have a party and stuff..then come back to school after the weekend. Now, that is what I WANT to do. Theres no telling what money will force me to do. And you only turn 21 ONCE!! Someone say another prayer real quick lol.

Howz life treating you all?? If ur on twitter, add me @eldivyn. I keep it coming! thanks... ;)

Dont Touch It

I understand that 

humans

have an inborn tendency to bunch things in a category

it helps us be more effective

in identifying stuff.

But dont do it with me. 

In real life maybe, but here on blogsville

I WANNA BE FREE

Dont try to figure me out

or expect certain behavior from me

#ihatedatshit

Just read and learn, or teach or commend, or agree or Not

dont think of what or who I am.

Its not important.

Its a no-go area.

DONT TOUCH IT

FILE!!!

Wayfarers- The Star Beings

Im really in a philosophical mode, if I must admit it myself. But we all know that phase, that comes and goes, when you suddenly begin to question every angle of reality, to seek out the deepest meaning in life. 

I came to a realization about the nature of beings, and the physical world sometime today. It began when I began to think of elements, and how we all got here. And from the nature of things, I realised that all matter is made up of the same components, protons, neutrons and electons. The different combinations, and processes give rise to different elements. But its all the same. Us, animals, plants, earth, all of us, are neutrons, protons and electrons, combined in different ways, and giving rise to different emergent properties. (I learnt this in biology class). 

But philosophy takes normal knowledge, and expands it. If we are all made of electrons, protons, and neutrons, then it is accepted that we are all made of the same stuff as all matter. And where did all this matter come from. Aside the question of God and creation, as opposed to evolution, the more immediate source of all the protons and neutrons and electrons we observe today are from the primordial stars that birthed this universe. We all spewed from stars, and started our journey as mindless atoms, all be it programmed from the start to combine in certain ways to derive different things. If this is the case, we are all connected. We are all the same thing. We are everything, and everything is us. And we all came from the stars. And need the sun's continous energy supply to keep us moving. So we all are star stuff. Electrical particles, held together by energy. Star stuff, harvesting star light continually. And religion was born when we looked back into the night sky. And as the local eyes and ears and mind of the cosmos on earth, we began to feel within ourselves the pull of our origins. We began to wonder where we came from. How we came this far. And who put us here. We felt inside us that we were part of a greater whole, a more complex organism, the image of the cosmic God, in whom all things live, and move and have their being. And so it became that the heavens have become the most venerated place in human consciousness. Thats where we call home. And it is true. We are all star stuff, contemplating the stars, billions of organised atoms tracing the long path by which we arrived at consciousness on earth. So we worship the heavens, and gaze at the stars. 

(In case you dont realise it, this does not negate belief in God). God is the eternal ONE. the spring of all things, the unrelenting source of energy and power on which all things depend. He said, the heavens declare my glory, and the expanse of the skies speak of me. Turns out it was truer than we realised. The next time you look up into the heavens, appreciate the universe that you are part of. You do not live in it. You are it. You are everything, and everything is you.

Ur part and Mine

Theres nothing here that is new. Nothing I havent said before. Nothing anyone doesnt know. If they're Nigerian.



All Im saying is that we owe it to ourselves and our motheland


to think on things like this-not with the hearts of academicians, or intellectuals. But with the heart of a son. A daughter.


Nigeria deserves better.


In a few weeks, our country will be 50. Half a century of what? Growth? Development?


I wont be a naysayer by implying that we've not made progress in our national life..because we have. There were a little over sixty million people in this geographical space in 1960. Today, we're almost triple that number. We've certainly grown. After compensating for inflation, the per capita income of Nigerians has grown over 300% form its 1960 levels. The percentage of the population that is literate has risen. The number of cities has at least doubled. The number of millionaires (in dollars) has more than quadrupled. We've certainly produced a few billionaires, something we never had in 1960. We've certainly developed. There are more cars, businesses, houses, and more money in the country than there has been in a long time. We have the biggest telecom sector, economy, and military in the region and the most diverse culture in the continent.


But all these are not necessarily a good indicator of where we're supposed to be at 50. These are not the things that will make us the giants it is in our genes to be. A nation with our abundance in natural resources, our richness in culture, our diverse and resourceful population, our ubiquity in the global society, our spirt, our energetic young folk and our accomplished intellectuals and industrialists has no business being in the state we are in. Period. So why are we in it?


Before you supply the ever ready answer: leadership, think twice. Who is the leader in Nigeria today? No matter how corrupt our political elite is, they are microscopic when compared to our number. There are too few of them to hold Nigeria in ransom, yet they do that successfully. Why? Dont say, it doesnt concern me..im not politically inclined. Everyone is. Even right now, that little urge is rising in you to pay attention, to investigate, to ask questions, to think more deeply. But just as quickly, you are confronted by the difficulty of not knowing what to ask, or who to ask it, or most importantly, what difference it will make. So you convince yourself that it doesnt matter, it doesnt concern you. You give up even before you have started the battle. At the same time, thousands of other people are doing exactly the same thing. Taking the easy way out. Talking but not saying the right words. Thinking, but not thinking the right thoughts. Or choosing not to think about it at all. You realise that God gave you talents, and abilities, and a destiny. But have you asked, why did he see it necessary to package me for Nigeria?? You think Nigeria is not part of your life objectives, so you focus on making it, and raising a family and living your life. And you forget that one day, at some point, you will be confronted with the reality that your life was tied to our nation for a reason. Maybe you will find it out when you are somewhere in the world, and your nationality becomes the only issue seperating you from a fulfilled life. Or when your children will ask...daddy, mummy, why isnt our country our home? Or maybe even when we get to this heaven that all of us tout, and God asks, what did you do with the mission I entrusted you. Because one thing I know is sure, our fate as a people, is tied to the fate of our nation.


When wiill you do ONE thing to further the fulfillment of Nigeria's need? When will you volunteer that time, that effort, that money, that information, and pass it on and do something to say...this is for Nigeria. It doesnt have to be great. Its the little actions that count. Patriotism goes beyond wearing Nigeria's colours on your back. It involves having Nigeria's cause in your heart. Elections are coming up in 2011. Who do you think will be a step ahead or a step backward for us? What have you done to ensure that the right person has his name out there. There are countless groups whose aim is to rally young people, to support good causes in nigeria, to educate, to help, to lobby. How many have you joined? How many have you supported? Home is where the heart is...how big is your heart? Only big enough for your family? your village? your home city?


All Im saying, is that Nigeria has so much more potential. But where is that potential? Its not in the land, or sand, or oil or gas. Its in you. And me. And all 150 million of us. There are over 40 million Nigerians aged 18 to 25. We have a HUGE young population. Our young men are building Nollywood, and our entertainment industry, and are increasingly building our business industry. When will you join in the fun? Who knows if you are the next Wole Sonyinka, or Dangote, or Adenuga. All of us cant be politicians. But all of us can be leaders of Nigeria. All of us have what Nigeria needs. And we need to start delivering!


Happy Anniversary...


An Nigerian-minded


El Divine.

All these Damned Rights...

   that people are bringing up from left, right, and center. Where did they all come from? The time has long gone when proponents of individual rights claim the freedom to do what they want while being guaranteed protection under the law. Today, people are coming up with new rights that they all claim are backed by the American constitution. It is no longer enough for the law to grant them legal protection or the right to legal tolerance of their beleifs, in the sense that they will not be committing any crimes with their beliefs. 
Today, people have also gotten this weird idea that the constitution also guarantees them what I call "positive tolerance" or the idea that we should joyfully agree with people we disagree with. No one wants to hear a dissenting opinion. Give one, and the all too they wont just call you a 'hater' but will accuse you of obstructing their rights. Hello?..the constitution ma guarantee you the right to spew your opinion but it says nothing abt anyone giving it respect.
   Another new right these people have gotten into their head is that there should be such a thing as politically correct tolerance. No one calls anyone retarded anymore. Its wrong to say black, or nigger, or African-American depending on context, time period, or who is saying it and where. The recent fiasco about a mosque in ground zero, or the koran burning are a recent example. Earlier I thought that ethically, the proponents of mosque building on that spot should reconsider. But if they do that now, they would be feeding the idea that Islam is under attack in America, and this goes against the fundamentals of American liberty. So as of right now, Im in support of them building whatever they want to build there. If u dont like the idea, go opposite them and build a strip club. hey...its a free world. 
In the same way, everyone has been on the case of the pastor that wants to burn a koran in florida. Like, as far as am concerned, he should be left alone to do what he wants with the book he probably bought with his money..ah!
All these damn rights , and no backing for them. The fact that a book is holy to you doesnt buy it the reverence of others. If it does, its just an added bonus. Its not a requirement. 


OAN: God has been good to me in the past few days. He really has been. And so Im putting it here, if you think God doesnt exist..you're on a terribly long thing.! 

Where the colours at??

They say ur clothing reflects ur mood and sometimes, personality..

these days, Im wearing less and less of coloured clothes.

Its mostly blacks, browns, navy or whites.

The only place I still have some color is in my shoes...and that is just ONE red shoe. The rest r blacks, browns, more blacks, and whites.

Where did the color go??

cos as far as i can tell, nothing changed in my mood or personality. 

I don talk finish oh...

A Fashion self conscious

El Divine

And yet we say

Everywhere I turn

I see people ready to give away

their all

to be like the next person.

And yet we say we wanna be ourselves

It used to be that u needed to wear shoes to give them character

or search ur mind to bring up things to share to the world

Nowadays shoes come pre-loaded..u can buy already dirtied shoes

at an incredibly expensive price..

Top Ten Places to Visit Before I Die

Ive been mentioning tid bits of the fabulously fantastic places I want my eyes to gaze upon and my feet to stand upon before I go the way of all life, and pass on. Buh now, I wanna share the top 10.

1. Paris

I dont care much for the Eiffel tower. Its the wine, the fashion and the wonderful women that Im more concerned about.

2. Hong Kong

If you love shopping, and you dont have HK on ur list, ur on an incredibly long thing. These people's malls, from what I hear are awesome, have good prices, the city is bustling with life, and they dont close for any holidays except Chinese New Year. Def shopping HQs.

3. Rome

I like the land of the classical age. The jewel of Europe. I feel like I can go down there and see all the sights that make Christianity, Julius Ceaser and Latin such bastions of classical culture.

4. Edinburgh

Its a very beautiful city. Enough said.

5. Egypt

Land of the Pharoahs. I want to go there for a honeymoon tour.

6. Mecca

I seek understanding of Islam and hope that one day, I will go to their holy land. It will be a long time before I do that tho.

7. Jerusalem

Who doesnt want to go see the land of Christ's birth? Well, I do.

8. Spain

I think its the most romantic place in the world.

9. China

I think I have a lot to learn from that country. They have an awesome culture and language. Besides, if their meteoric rise is any indication, China will soon be destination of choice. Why not be a regular by then?

10. Argentina

the only south american country in my top ten

there are lots more. But these are my top ten.

Peace out. El Divine.

Igbo Kwenu

Since the end of 

THE CIVIL WAR

The people of the core South East, the Igbo

who are the third largest tribe

have never advanced to very high positions in the Nigerian military

UNTIL NOW

Major General Azubuike Onyeabo Ihejirika

is the new Chief of Army Staff

It took 40 years....

But its

real.

IGBO KWENU!

Long Live the Republic.

Happy 50th.

I fail to understand

why a church that claims

JESUS

as its patron and example

will burn a 

QURAN.

For what????

GOD FORGIVE THEM FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.

Amen

Nigeria @ 50...thank you lord

In less than a month, Nigeria will be 50. whoop whoop!!! It is no small achievement, and there is no reason in this world why we should not have a wonderful celebration. 

We are not the worst hit by difficult times. We are not the only poor country with too many resources. We are not the only country with a lot of corruption. We just happen to feel it more than others cos we've been in a better place, and we miss it. But there is a lot to thank God for in Nigeria. From 1960 to now, we have seen growth and growth has seen us. 

Lagos today is a sprawling, large city..being compared to NY and Mexico City. Lord we thank u for Gidi, all the fun in it, all the babes it shapes, and the money being made.

Thank yu for Abuja, the unity gem that all of us have loved, especially for its gas meat and pot bellied politicians with fat contracts. Lord, I say eshe oh..

For Wole Sonyinka, and his Nobel, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie, Buchi Emecheta, Philip Emeagwali, and so on for their intelligence and good ambassadorial spirt, eshe. 

For President Goodluck Jonathan and the PEACEFUL elections of 2011, I SAY THANKS. 

For Mohits, and M.I. and Banky and co, and Jim Iyke, and Genevieve, and Rita and Pat...all of Nollywood, and our entertainment scene. Thanks

Lord, for all and all..our young people, vibrantly making their own way. For our bright future,, even though our government is killing us. For the happiness that makes us laff when we wanna cry, for the losses and gains, and trials and pains of being Nigerian in the US..all these I thank you for.

And when that day comes, let me find the means to go for Anniversary celebs/my birthday in New York, that I may welcome my adult years in style, and Naija's middle years with as much style my melancholy tots for her can allow. All the same..God bless us all, and Long live the Federal Republic. 

Changes..Moving on

And when I think about my life, I realise that I have come a long way. As a person. It shows in my interactions, and though processes. Gradually Im putting away childish things...Im stepping into the life I used to dream of.

Buh i v yet a long way to walk.

On sunday, I will preach to an audience for the first time. What will I say? I have not been the most exemplary christian. Buh my pastor says no one has been, and the word is God's not mine.

I dont even know what to say to people. Not that I dont hv things to say, buh they may not understand. God, talk through me.

My homeboy is in a mess, and really needs some money to put himself in order. Its not a large sum, a thousand dollars, buh when u dont have it, everything becomes a large sum. He should talk to his family..I wish I could help.

Im still confused about how best to make the changes to my major. Double major? A total switch? Minor? what am I to do. A brother knoweth not. And now i have need to learn c++ programming language. Like where do i begin? If someone can tutor me, I will pay. tho I dont v much but i dont v too many choices.

Im about to make a major move in a dangerous area. It will be rewarding...if I pull it off. I hope I do, so help me God. A 'friend' of mine says "a nigerian guy who uses God in every sentence should never be trusted". Is it true? Most Nigerians use God in their sentence, muslim n xtian. I do it too, cos Im committed to my God. All we all not to be trusted? Is there a reason he said that? Is the reason valid? Is he just generalising, based on one person's actions? I wish I knew, but I dont want to argue. I'll just let it be and try to make myself who I should be. The only opinions that matter are mine and God's (there I go again).

What to do for my birthday? Its less than a month away, I tot to do it in NY, and so have a chance to also go for independence celebrations. Is it worthwile? Or do i do it here? Buh their clubs are kinda nasty. SMH...what to do? what to do? mschew...im outta here mehn.

Peace out

El Divine

Brad Pitt Rocked My Tie!

Okay, maybe it wasnt exactly MY tie that he rocked, but we apparently share the same taste for this tie. Here is my faithful DKNY tie (sorry i couldnt get a better shot)
and here is it rocked by Brad.

Its one and the same

Funny I even pair it with a grey suit as well.

Big ups Brad! You're learning well!

Pls #ff me on twitta @eldivyn

El Divine