Come on fellows, say something,

By the way, I no longer feel the same about some of the things I have said on this thread, especially the ones that sounded wierd. Life is teaching me more each day.

Good stuff. Well, thanks Labelle (beautiful name by the way) for following this thread. I was ditched, as you say, by NLNG. Go you mean you know Dr Ugonna? Interesting. Alatika, I hail o. well, life is good. I'm in America now, still doing my thing, published 8 books, but who's counting? Go out and buy one or all - especially my favorite, membusoje Doherty. That way I become richer So, what's happening, how naija? How runnings? Wetin dey shele generally?

Come on fellows - what will it take to revive this thread?

@alatika, life's fine, introduce yourself.

So you guys have truly forgotten me, even after so short os time?

err, @alatika, do I know you? Where are all my peeps? Opoks et all, wia unu dey?

Hey, guess who? Miss me? (lyrics from Eminem's We Made You). Holla!

The first thing to do, I suppose, is to choose. You have to know what you want out of life. When you know what you want, then you must plan on how to get it (this, I think, is what people naturally do); but as they try to act on their plan, they meet obstacles, which they then try to overcome. I think it is these obstacles that make the plans not to be followed exactly as they were laid down by the people; but even when the plans change, the original choice (that is, what you want to be) should not change. If it does, the chooser may likely never be what he chose to. He needs to keep adapting, and learning and redefining his plans.

Niyoo, in truth, thou art a wise man.

Sometimes, I imagine walking into a building and seeing written there on the wall: 'We don't tolerate small people here.' Just think about it. Ain't it simply amazing? 

opokonwa:

This statement is so true!
Especially the latter part.
Depending on whether we can make the sacrifice or not, we can achieve whatever we want.
The hard part is making the sacrifice.
This is where character is defined. And destiny made.

The question is what can you afford to sacrifice?
Friend? Friends? Family? Comfort?
Love? Your soul?
Your left-eye? Your mum's head?
Your only child? Hours of hardwork? Cheating?
Can you kill people? Can you kill shame? Can you kill yourself? etc
Or remain ordinary?

Greatness is never for the fainthearted!
The question of 'morals' comes into play, one way or another.
What you choose to guide and/or dictate your morals also comes into play.

How much pain that you are willing to take comes into play.
How much that you are willing to give up comes into play.
How far that you are willing to go is ultimately tested.

But the truth is, whatever dictates your guiding principles, motivation, etc, whether (good, evil or levels of it?), you are ultimately tested!
You make choices and you are responsible for the choices you make . . .

You will be faced with situations where you may consider making compromises or not, quit or continue, kill or even not to kill, make friends or lose them, live or die!

Die hard? You can call it that.
Life is either full of 'Die Hard' choices or you live ordinary


This could form a course work in the University.
Or even a career part, 'cause it is loaded!
But definitely not with our present curricula in our various institutions that teach us paper craps!
And teach us nothing about common sense.


Everything physical has a spiritual dimension.
The seen comes from the unseen.
The known from the unknown.
And even in the spiritual realm, there are levels of knowledge and levels of awareness depending on your heirarchy, what you do and what each spirit is exposed to.
Even spirits do not know it all.
Every hierarchy, spirit, throne or thing pointing to one Godhead who reigns over Good, Evil and all.


Your last two statements begs questions:
What do you mean by 'trading all'?
What is 'all'?
How much of 'all' are you willing the trade?
How do you go about trading it?

Finally, can anyone ever attain 'spiritual perfection'?
Ain't we by nature imperfect?
Are there levels of 'perfection'?

Will you become 'normal' in trying to attain 'spiritual perfection'? (I'm pretty sure that the answer to this is 'No' )
Is 'attaining spiritual perfection' a journey or a destination?

Guy, I am simply a 'student' who is trying to learn more via posing challenging questions.
I beg to learn from the few that knows.


However, Izi! You made points up there!
_{(sometimes I wonder where you've been all these while and the depth of what you know )}

You know that one can write books on those topics that you hinted above, even 'bestsellers'?
That is if one understands the depth of what you just wrote.
And if one can seperate one point from another (or even attempt to link the connections if any )

What you wrote is absolutely spiritual (as well as physical)
I don't even want to go into all that because it takes a lifetime of learning, practice and being to attain a level of perfection in anything.
Not to talk of 'spiritual perfection'
That one is an absurd ambition.

Besides, as regards the spiritual realm and its understanding, no man knows enough.
Not even spirits themselves.
There are only levels of knowledge and levels of understanding varying from one humanbeing or spirit to another.

And yes, the spiritual controls the physical.

But I guess, this discuss is not for every mind.

Alleluia, he can talk!

And they brought a man to Jesus who had an impediment in his speech. And when Jesus saw him, he was moved with pity; and he touched the ligament of his tongue, and the man's voice was restored to him, and he began to speak and to praise God at the top of his voice.

Kenosky, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, receive your speech!

One last thing: To succeed, you've got to keep believing. No matter what, keep believing in yourself.

Let's talk about humility awhile. The bible describes Moses as 'the  humblest of men'. I want to be humble as well. Indeed, I tell myself that I have started  on my way to becoming a very humble man. And why am I humble? I am humble because I know that all I have and am are God's gift.

The Songist said in the 131st psalm, 'Yahweh, I am not proud.' I say the same thing, too. I say it when my supervisors say things like, 'Waow, you're awesome!' 'Do you know you impress me?' 'My God, you're great!' Here in America, even if you mess, poo, poo; they will say, 'Awesome; my, how great!' Na wa for these people-o!

Anyway, I will keep a level head. I will never get proud. I want to be like Moses. I want people to say, 'Kuwena is the humblest of men.' And I want them to mean it, too.

Alfa and Izi, I congratulate you both on your brilliant posts. Izi, you particularly noted that there may be a dialectic between humanity and economy, in your words, 'trading humanity for cash.' I support your argument.

I have been in the USA for a little over a month now, and in planning my life here, I have made strong decisions. These decisions are going to guide my actions in the coming years. And these decisions have been consciously favoring cash over humanity.

I think that one starting out as I am, with time as his basic resource, cannot afford to have thriving relationships as well as thriving businesses. You have to choose: Do I want to have intimate friends and spend time in romance? Or do I want to work long and hard and save up money? For me, I want to work long and hard and save up money.

Know what I do these days? For each pay I receive (and up here, you do not have to wait for a month to end to receive a pay check) I split it in five. I take a fifth for personal use; I keep a fifth stashed away in the bank, and I use three-fifths for what I call radical investment.

The logic is this: Bill Gates is the richest man on earth. I want to be very rich too. He has five people in his family (himself, his wife and his three children), but I am only me. So I sacrifice the other 'four'  in my 'family'; I save my 'wife' in the bank, and I invest my 'children'. And if I do this for the next 28 years of my life (I'm thinking I may not marry till I'm 55 or so), I will end up a billionaire (in US dollars).

But what is radical investment? For me now, it is doing everything to get all my manuscripts (six completed, one with AuthorHouse, and one still being written) published and marketed all over the world. In this way, I will get royalties. I also will, in time, invest in shares. And ultimately start the Catpar Inc.

For me here and now, FOCUS is all I rely on. There practically is no time for anything else. In my world, it's all work. No television, no friends, no parties; it's all about the Cubs, going to the library; working on my book; speaking with the publishers; attending Kansas Writers' Association and planning my marketing strategy. It's all about becoming the next Oprah or Dangote.

So, Izi I do believe you. You've got to choose. You cannot have 100% in relationships, and 100% in businesses with time as your only resource, when you're starting out. Or what do you think?

For marketing purposes, I'm keeping this on the first page.

I greet everyone warmly. I'm somewhat excited today. I put the final stop to my sixth manuscript, The World of Enemies, and have begun my seventh, Witchcraft and Wickedness. What this means is that I have the following manuscripts finished: Ninety Negro Numbers; The African Verses (that is now with the Publishers); A Planner Defiled a People and Two Other Plays; Membusoje Doherty; Small Small So Say, and The World of Enemies. And now I have begun with the seventh, Witchcraft and Wickedness. I am hopeful that Witchcraft and Wickedness will be finished latest by October.

I want you all to buy The African Verses when it is out. The website is likely to be fixed up by the end of this week, and rigorous marketing will start, which will basically be publicity for the book which will come out much later (say by November). But even before the book is out, you can begin to place your orders. The book is very likely going to sell for 15 dollars a copy, and if you  have a credit card, make sure you have sufficient funds in it. If you do not have a credit card, however, simply go to any bank (Intercontinental, Zenith, UBA etc.) and get a MasterCard, or any other credit card. Then you will be able to buy the book online, and have it shipped to you. You will be able to buy either through my website or through the publisher's website. But I prefer you buy through mine, for obvious reasons. 

I am counting on you all to support the book, and to be my chief marketing officers there in Nigeria. If you want to buy in bulk and sell in bits as well, feel free to go through my website (www.theafricanverses.com). It is likely to be active as from Monday next week, because the publishers contacted me today about it.

God bless you all as you support The African Verses. Marketing ideas are welcome. 

@izi-n-bizi, I'm sorry; I really do not know him beyond the thread, as you assume I do. I'm sorry.

I am not too broke to pay bills, dear Jisi. Internet service is 100% free for me. I can access the Web from everywhere: Rhatigan Student Centre; Ablah Library; Elliott School of Communication; my dorm suite, and even my own room.

Most other things are free for me as well, because I am a GTA.

As for Kenosky being dumb, I wonder as well.

As part of marketing puffery, I'm keeping this on page one.

And please, buy my book when it is released, probably in the middle of November. I decided to publish The African Verses first. And the publishers are arranging for me to have a website to go along with it; I think I'm going to call it www.theafricanverses.com.

I'll keep you folks updated. Please, buy that book when it comes out. It's the smallest of all my books, I think: 145 pages or so. Watch out for it by say, November 15th. And then MAKE SURE you buy two, each.

AlfaPrime, you have a point there. I have been oscillating in my thinking. I did have the dream I earlier described, and I interpreted it as a call to return to a previous way of thinking; but days after the dream (and since Ugonna did not respond to my email, anyway) I have spent more time thinking, and all I said doesn't seem to be a good idea, afterall.

I mean, look at it this way: We all have just one life to live, and in my opinion, we are to live our life in the way we can best actualize our dreams, and make the world a better place. In my particular case (and you must forgive me if this does not go down well) I think I can do better for myself and the world here in the USA. Barely three weeks of being here, I have so fallen into sync with the culture that I find it hard to imagine living elsewhere. In short, my dear people, I am happy; as happy as a man should be. I love my current life. I love what America does to me, what it gives me: a sense of radical individuality (a cunning sense of being entirely on your own, yet not at all lonely; feel me?); it also gives me a 'can-do' attitude; most of the things I could only dream about, I can now do them. (By the way, the publishers tell me that my first book will be out in say, four months, as I have signed the documentation and begun the contract already.) America makes me feel alive.

I no longer think it was Ugonna that appeared to me. Maybe it had something to do with my psyche or something, or maybe that was nature's way of telling me to help Chima in some way (from here), and I intend to do so. Friends tell me through email that the guy that ran off with my 400 thousand bucks is back in Kano, and they can help me recover the dough. I have been doing all I can through email and stuff to see that Chima gets that money. I believe that with 400,000 naira, he can get a better shot at life.

I do not think I will go ahead with returning to my former way of thinking. Somehow, too much water has gone under the bridge. It really does not seem practical to, because of Ugonna, spend thousands of dollars returning to Nigeria and wedding her. If I loved her all that much, I should never have left her in the first place. I guess I was not very sound in thinking I could abandon life here because of a pretty face.

I do want to concentrate on making money. I love working for money and stashing most of it in the bank, living frugally, and watching my money grow. It's the sweetest game you can think of. I love feeling rich; I love knowing I have millions stashed somewhere. I love the sense of power it gives me, and somehow I know I love this sense of power more than having a wife and a family. So yes, Opoks, now that I think of it, I do think I would choose to start a Catpar Inc. over and above marrying a comely princess. Yes, sir!

And as for Christianity, I think my leaving it was not really out of anger with Yahweh. I may be wrong, but I think it was a point of evolution for me. These days I have been going to Church here every Sunday. But somehow, the spark is no longer there. For example, when it is time for the Creed, and I hear them say it, they look to me like some brainwashed zombies reciting something that 'keeps them caged'.

Phew! What am I saying? AlfaPrime will kill me for this; I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, AlfaPrime, but I just can't seem to feel religion anymore. It's not as if I don't love God or stuff, but maybe I was not destined to end up a Christian. O dear, what am I saying?

I guess I better shut up. Anyway, no hard feelings. I'm sorry; oops, Stannesi will kill me for apologizing over and over again. Phew! I guess I gotta run.

Later, folks. Bye.

I'm so sorry.

Perhaps then, I do have two people living inside of me; I'm so sorry.

No hard feelings, okay?

Gotta run now, folks.

Talk to you later.

Sorry once again. No hard feelings, please. I'm sorry Jisi; I'm sorry Izi. I'm sorry everyone. Okay now, no hard feelings.

Jisidaisy, pardon me; kinda got carried away, I guess. But it will not be about Ugonna; I promise.

pak:

[size=18pt]@Kuwena

Happy Independence day [/size]

Exactly. And I went for a Fourth-of-July party yesterday. BBQ, apple pies and lots of coffee! Yay!

Something very serious happened to me last night. I had a curious dream. Princess Ugonna, the only girl I have dreamt of marrying, appeared to me in all her beauty. (Pardon me if this seems like boasting, but Ugonna is as beautiful as they come. Even Agbani is not more beautiful. I beg you to believe me on this one; I know what I am talking about.)

Anyway, like I was saying, Ugonna appeared to me, in my dream. She did not seem very happy, and we had a testy discussion.

Princess: So you have reached here at last, right?
Me: Yes, princess; as you can see, I am live in the US of A (and I smiled cockily).
Princess: And why are you here?
Me: Come on, Princess; America needs me. A man has got to go to where he is needed.
Princess: So America needs you; is that what you are saying?
Me: Yes. Would you have me repeat it?
Princess: And are you the only one America needs? What of Chima, your brother? You think America can't need him too?
Me: Princess, what sort of talk is this?
Princess: No, I am serious. Look at all the help you got while you were in school, and there Chima is, struggling on his own. You care only about yourself, and sit there saying America needs you. Tell that to Chima. Tell him that America needs him too.
Me: (sighing) You don't have to be like this, Princess.
Princess: (hisses) Excuse me! America needs you, indeed.
And she walked away.

I awoke. What could the dream mean? I began to think. What have I been doing? Have I been selfish as Ugonna says I have? And I think I have. It has always been me; always about me; only me. I was the one that went to school on Chevron scholarship; I was the one that worked with Intercontinental; I was the one that got a US visa; I was the one that came to America; I was the one who got a job in the first week of arrival here at 8 dollars an hour to do what I love doing best; it has always been me.

I was the one that, because of losing NLNG, became so angry with everything, including Yahweh, my best friend. That same Yahweh that helped me throughout the time I was in IMSU; the Yahweh that protected and saw me through. O Yahweh, what have I done? Yahweh, Yahweh; my Yahweh. O Yahweh! Indeed, I have been selfish.

My brothers are suffering. The first born is 32 years this month, and as far as I know he is still struggling; he never did graduate. The second son is 30 next month and, though he did graduate, he does not have a job as of today. Then talk of Chima. O! Chima's case is the most touching, probably a story fit for a home video. This is a boy that never saw his father. His father died on April 1, 1986; Chima was born on April 2, 1986. And six years later, his mother died. Now he has done what I did; he has run away from his uncles and is trying to see himself through IMSU like I did, though in his own case he has yet to win a Chevron, or any other, scholarship for that matter. Ugonna's words haunt me as I think of these things.

It may be true that America needs me. But I am not an American. I am a Nigerian, deny it though I might. My passport does not bear the proud eagle; it bears the insignia of ECOWAS, and my visa is valid for only two years. It may be true that America needs me, but my brothers are back home suffering, while I stay here eating chicken sandwiches and banana muffins. It may be true that America needs me, but Africa is imploding, with her best minds being drained off abroad. It may be true that America needs me; but there are, I am sure, certain people back in Nigeria that need me more. Ugonna's words in my dream haunt me to recall.

Ugonna is very beautiful, and she is the only girl I have dreamt of marrying. She appeared to me in a dream today and begged me to help my brothers, and she made me think. As soon as I got up, I sent her an email. I reminded her of those days back in IMSU when I teasingly called her my wife. I used to say, 'Ugonna, na me go marry you,' and she would laugh and say, 'So that we start soaking garri together, abi?' And I would laugh and call her a wicked girl. I used to say I would show her; I would show her that if she agreed to marry me we would not be soaking garri. And I was determined to show her. Though I have not. Instead, I have run away to America, leaving her back in the Motherland, with her parents, the King and Queen of her autonomous community. But today I sent her an email, asking her to recall; and then begging her to let me, let us both dream again, that she could be my wife.

Ugonna is very beautiful, and she is the only girl I have dreamt of marrying. I am waiting for her to respond to my email, and I want her to say yes. If she says yes, I will return to Nigeria when my visa expires. I will not cling on to the USA, though I love this country well enough. If Ugonna says I can dream again, of those times when I took her to Crunchies and watched her across the dining table; of those times when she came to my hostel room and said, 'Is this where you live?' even as she screwed up her nose; of those times when we went to Stations of the cross, and she waited up for me afterwards so we could walk home together. If she says we may dream again, then I will come back to Nigeria, and I will marry her.

Ugonna is very beautiful, and she is the only girl I have dreamt of marrying. If she says yes, then when I return to Nigeria I will seek out my brothers and help them. I will call them to me and bless them with what Yahweh has given me. I will help Chima to graduate and get a job; I will not let Ambrose get the better of him, or any of the other two. I will lend my voice and my hand to the cause of liberation, through prayer and doing what I know to be right. And it will be with Ugonna. Because she is very beautiful and is the only girl I have dreamt of marrying.

And what is more? I will be a Christian again.  

When I came to the Jobs forum and could not find this thread, I was happy. I thought it was a logical excuse not to post anylonger. I didn't even search for it. Then I came today and saw the thread and said, 'O dear; here we go again. This thread! Why can't you die away and stop tempting me to post!' But one day I will be strong enough to forget it completely; one day.

Phew! That said and done, I just want to post today on the Grace of Humility. What is humility? The Bible tells us that 'Moses was the humblest of men'. And it praised that virtue in him. Through humility, Moses was able to guide God's people to the promised land, flowing with milk and honey; through humility, he was able to engender in them a viable fear of Yahweh.

I like to consider myself a humble person. The songist said in Psalm 131, 'Yahweh, I am not proud.' And I share his self perception. I too tell Yahweh: I am not proud. Believe me, Yahweh, I am not at all proud. And Yahweh believes me; he believes me because I speak the truth. I am not proud.

These days I am always crying; tears are always in my eyes. When I walk from my dorm room to my workplace, there are tears in my eyes; when I leave my workplace for the library at four in the afternoon (when we close) to work on one of my six manuscripts, there are tears there still. I am crying because I feel so blessed. I am crying because I know how grateful I am to be here. I am crying because I am so happy.

I greet people as I walk along. Many of them were born here, and so they take this mighty nation for granted. But I do not. I cannot. I cannot take the kindness of my bosses for granted; I cannot take the splendid technology for granted; I cannot take for granted the fact that I love my job. These days I recall what Aniffy says about his job. He says he can do it without pay, and I know how that feels. I love being a mentor (tutor, counsellor and instructor) to the Cubs.

But who are the Cubs? The Cubs are young children between the ages of 13 and 17 who are the poorest of America's poor. They are Latinos, Blacks and first generation white students that are considered high risk education people (that is, people who might fail at higher education). As a mentor to these young ones, I am to try to inspire them to believe in themselves; to tell them that their poverty, race or background does not have to stop them from going to college and doing well.

I love them. I love them very much, and I see myself in them; I too had to go through a lot to get through college, and I often tell them my story, and inspire them with it. I love it when they show signs of improvement. I feel I am making a valuable contribution in their lives, and what is more I am paid well for doing this. I am grateful, and so my eyes are often watery.

And it calls for humility. We should all be humble.


Prayer:

O God, help me to understand that all I have and am are your gift. Teach me never to take them for granted. Teach me to be humble and appreciative for all your gifts. Help me to say like the Psalmist, 'O God, I am not proud'; and let me truly mean it. Amen.

And yes, I think I'm very much like the Rowan tree.

I'm thankful to hear something about Kenosky. Thanks, JISI.

But where is kenosky?