KNOW YOUR CIRCLE!

You gave them your all,
and went extra miles to make them stand tall.
You put a smile on their faces,
and vowed to be with them through all the phases.
When they woke up at the wrong side,
You embraced them and let their worries slide.
You were soft and tender,
Got their back; a defender.
You called them your best friends,
not knowing it would come to a dead end.
Thoughts of them being faithful,
only to realize you were faith-fooled.
Letting you wonder what went wrong,
just like the first night you got drunk.
They rowed with you on your ferryboat,
and planned for you never to stay afloat.
You thought you knew your circle,
Such deceit as blue is the new purple.
Out of pain, you screamed;
All connections, you trimmed.
A lesson with a theme;
Pay attention and know your circle!
-Anne.




THE THIN LINE BETWEEN PRETENCE AND BEING RESERVED

Hello everyone! What do you think about pretence and being reserved? One day, someone walked up to me and asked "Are you really reserved or do you just pretend?"
Today, I'll share my view on the thin line between pretence and being reserved.
"Hey dear! You look very gentle." Martins gave his remark.
"Thank you! " Claire responded smiling. 
 They both exchanged pleasantries that fateful day before heading towards the lecture hall. Claire and Martins were classmates but didn't really interact with each other. Claire was more of a quiet person in class and Martins was really outspoken and jovial. 
     Three weeks later, they met at a resort centre. Claire was comfortable with Martins. He could never have imagined she was interested in sports, enjoyed rap music and some secular music. He found out about her love for dancing, her ability to keep long conversations going as opposed to her attitude in class. He wondered why almost everyone labeled her a pretender when she is actually a reserved person. They got along afterwards and still remained good friends after school.  
     When a person pretends, he/she acts with the intention to deceive but when a person is reserved; he/she acts calmly and isn't quick to voice out. Being reserved is sometimes misconstrued by others as pretence. 
    Often times, we really don't know someone until we've met them. Sometimes, we have the wrong stereotype about people. We judge a person by appearance as opposed to how the person really is. Appearance can be quite deceptive. We make comments about people based on what we think they are and not what they are. 
    I'm a very calm person, I really don't like talking publicly as well. I like to have my own space. I'm observant and I listen more when I'm with people . It's a different ball game in my comfort zone. I don't have a lot of friends, just a few. I really love my opinion to be heard among my friends, sometimes I'm very playful, I tease people I'm comfortable with and make sarcastic comments. I wouldn't do these publicly. I'm also good at keeping companies. I laugh really hard when people tell me I pretend. Well, I can be shy but I really don't see that as pretence. I'm actually not a loud person. I think it's the same for some of us. We're mistaken for who we aren't just because we are often times reserved.
    I think the thin line between pretence and being reserved is the "intention to deceive". The former entails being what you're not just to deceive others or make others see you as a different person. Get to know people more and find out if they pretend or just love to act on the low side without voicing out or letting people know what goes down with them. There's so much work to do when you pretend. You aren't comfortable with yourself, you don't act your wage, you go extra length to get people's attention, just to mention a few. Come on!! Why stress over pretending to be who you aren't?
"We must distinguish between acting to deceive and being calm to be reserved. "
Anne.
XO

Unemployment; issues arising!

Hello everyone!! I'm glad you created time today to check out my post. I got some suggestions of articles to put up yesterday and I'll work with that for the next couple of weeks. I think I've got this great feeling while putting up an article and posting each day isn't much of a big deal. Someone suggested interviews as well,  I promise to look into that.
Today, the topic will be basically in the direction of unemployment in Nigeria. Issues I'll write about to the best of my knowledge are:
- The question Nigerian youths pop up ; "Why Nigerian parents lay so much emphasis on University degree certificates?"
- Available jobs in Nigeria.
- The government attitude towards unemployment.
Why Nigerian parents lay much emphasis on getting a University degree over talent or skill? 
This issue always come up when you interact with a lot of individuals especially graduates. Most parents want their children/wards to be educated through primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. The truth is that they believe with that, their children/wards can secure white collar jobs and with time start earning wages/salaries. Sometimes, it turns out good and other times, the other way round. "No job! No salary!" The influx of graduates each year into the labour market is on a high rate and the labour market isn't absorb them. This is as a result of overpopulation. Now, most business-oriented individuals have come out to say entrepreneurship is the way. Therefore, skills development is necessary. I think parents should encourage their children/wards to learn something profitable alongside studying. If a talent is noticed, it should be developed. This way, employment would be drastically reduced.

Available jobs in Nigeria. 
There are different sectors in Nigeria where job opportunities lie. Overpopulation in Nigeria is a problem because the available resources are not enough to satisfy everyone. We are encouraged to create our own opportunities and be an employer of labour instead of struggling for jobs that are not readily available. Money lies in little opportunities people fail to discover.  Discover yourself, discover your own opportunity.

Government attitude towards unemployment. 
Although, the government have done few things to reduce unemployment rate. Alot can still be done like granting loans to entrepreneurs at subsidized rates, creating more opportunities for graduates who are eligible for jobs in different sectors of the economy by retiring the old ones and recruiting young graduates, restructuring NYSC such that it favours entrepreneurship, curb corruption, implementing policies that favours economic growth, just to mention a few.  This will go a long way to reduce unemployment rate.
     If you can write articles, play an instrument, throw a ball, grab a camera, sing, dance, make cream brulees, bake cakes, plan events or do other productive things. Why not try it out today? Get your hands engaged; get yourself productive. You don't know what tomorrow holds.
Yours truly,
Anne.
XO.

Do you know what your name says about you?

Hey everyone.... Good day! Hope your week is going on fine? Hopefully yes. I talked about putting up at least a post for the next 28 days or more. I'm glad I've been consistent enough and kept my words. Big thanks to all those that have been following me up lately, I'm grateful. You can as well tell me what you're interested in and topics you want me to write via the comment box or any other means you can get to me. I'll be expecting your responses๐Ÿ˜Š๐Ÿ˜Š. Today, I'll be focusing on "What your name says about you."

  • Often times, we hear our names being called. People reach out to us by calling our names. How do you feel about yourself when you're called? What positive vibes do you get when your name is mentioned? We start to understand ourselves better when we realise how important our names are to us. Only you can make your name really special and get all the positive energy from your name when called. Your name is your identity and your identity goes a long way to tell you who you really are and what you stand for. A few days back, I took time to define my name and told myself what my name always stand for. The feeling I get when my name is mentioned.. OMG!!! See below what my name says about me๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜. You can as well tell me what your name says about you. We respond to our names when called. Yes! We respond to what our names say about us. Get the positive energy on board with your name. What does your name say about you? Have a great day! 


LET YOUR ATTITUDE BE......


Let your attitude be charming;
as twinkling stars in the sky.
Showing brightness of strength, hope and faith.
Let it bring radiance into many lives;
and break the stony-hearted to bits.
Let it exhibit the power of your existence,
by proving your worth beyond reasonable doubts.
For many will love to catch a star in their arms,
as a fallen angel from heaven.

Let your attitude be a Shepherd;
that strides across the wilderness and vast vegetation,
leading sheep into the limelight of the truth.
Let it bestow integrity on the land,
and cause unity in our midst.
Let your attitude be like a fine wine,
that others find pleasure in.
Let it point towards discipline and selfless service,
embracing 'one love'  amidst all odds.

-Anne


IS VIRGINITY OVERRATTED?

One post per day for the next 28days or more๐Ÿ˜Š๐Ÿ˜Š. I'm excited!! I'll try my best to accomplish that. A friend threw a quick question at me yesterday, "Is Virginity overrated?" I was asked not to think from my religious point of view. Weird right?? Obviously. This story will explain my answer. You can deduce my answer when you're done reading. Okay...It's not going to be from my religious point of view as well. LOL. So let's ride on.
 "Whore..slut...bitch..hoe!!!" Ade screamed at Ajoke.
"Didn't you pluck the special fruit? Now I'm a whore?? Nonsense!!" she yelled back at him.
She shook her head as she lamented putting her index finger in her mouth.
"Of course! I can remember I was warned," She uttered in soliloquy.
She stamped her feet quite a few times on the ground and shouted while snapping her fingers."  Ade!! You'll pay for this oo." She picked up her scarf from the sofa angrily, gazed at Ade for a few seconds before heading towards the bedroom. She hissed intermittently as she packed her belongings. She paused for a while to think of what had befallen her after all the years of sacrifice. He used the slightest opportunity to pounce on her and beat her up. She could never have imagined. She was his cook, his cleaner, his sex partner and has earned the title wife-to-be over the years without any introduction to both families.
"Arrggghh... Ajoke!! aye mi o, " she spoke in Yoruba language with her hands on her head.
She recalled how they met and the first night she spent with him. She was still a virgin when she met him and could vividly remember the night she was deflowered.
    She was in her final year in university and was on Industrial training in a pharmaceutical company when they met each other. It was a sunny afternoon when she went to deliver some dermatology products to a pharmacy store. He was smartly  dressed in suit with a well groomed hairstyle and she couldn't resist his sweet fragrance.
"Good afternoon madam, " he greeted smiling at her.
Ajoke raised her head up. She noticed his beautiful set of teeth.
"Err.. Afternoon... " she mentioned. Lost in words, she managed to shake his hand that was stretched towards her.
" Can I meet you? " Ade requested. His voice lingered something in her that she couldn't explain.
" Balogun Helen Ajoke is my name... uhn... Still a student.. Having my industrial training at lifeline pharmaceutical company ".  She pointed eastward to the organization as she answered nervously. He handed his business card to her and introduced himself  as Ogunlana Adeola.  Soon afterwards, the chemistry between them clicked and they became an item. Months went by and their relationship got serious. He bought beautiful gifts for her and made her feel special. She finished her University education  with a second class upper degree and Ade was very proud of her. She seldom visited him at his house because of the nature of his job and her tight schedule in school.
    A day came and they both planned to spend the night together since she was done with school. She got to his apartment in the evening and met a sexy gown on his bed. A note on the bed read "wear this love". She imagined herself in paradise hoping it was a start of something new. She took off her jewelries, had her bath, put on the short skimpy gown, sprayed an expensive perfume all over her body, applied a jelly-like cream on her feet and looked at the mirror observing her body and facial expression.  She intentionally  exposed the slit of the gown seductively and her light-skinned thighs could be obviously seen from afar. She crossed her legs scanning through a book on his bed as she eagerly waited for Ade. The only part that caught her attention in the book was the sentence "sex is like a fine wine or scotch" . The urge was intense and immediately she noticed  the door was opened. "Yes! Ade is back!" she whispered to herself. Ade locked the door and put off the light in the living  room. He hastily walked into the bedroom and was speechless when he saw Ajoke laying  on his bed. He rushed quickly to her before she could utter any word, kissed her forehead and immediately hurried to the bathroom to have his bath. Ajoke was a bit nervous until Ade assured her to remain calm. She felt his bare chest and moved towards him. Soul to soul, skin to skin, she gave him her all. He thrust into her forcefully, she screamed as the hymen got broken and blood let out of her. She felt she gave her purity to the love of her life. Ade embraced her with a warm hug. She rushed immediately to the bathroom to clean up.  The soothing relief it brought to her was unexplainable.
     After the experience, Ajoke would brag to her friends that virginity is overrated in africa and she felt there isn't any big deal about it.  Although, her best friends thought contrarily aside for religious reason,  she still go as far as stating "Sin is sin. All have sinned and come short of his glory." Years have passed and now she's sent packing from a man's house, a man who isn't her husband. A man she has helped financially, emotionally, physically and socially. Her mom warned her earlier but she was deeply in love with Ade. She weeped tirelessly as she recalled everything.
Nothing can keep a man that doesn't want to be kept; not giving your virginity, being a great cook, good at chores or getting pregnant. It is different strokes for different folks. What rocks your boat might not rock another. It might work for someone else and not for you. Be wise!
Lately, feminists have made it clear that virginity isn't a measure of a woman's worth.
Feminists came up with the argument "Why keep yourself to give your husband your virginity when he isn't keeping himself to give you his??" Rhetorical.
The idea of virginity being overrated or not is objective.
.
Don't bet on stability, everything changes. Think smart! Act smart! Play safe. Have a great day.

EACH DAY


Each day is a new blessing,
a renewal of the mind.
Each day brings a new promise,
an assurance of a life worthwhile.
Each day is a new opportunity,
an avenue to take charge of progress.
Each day is a new beginning;
to start afresh a blissful story.
Each day is grace-filled,
God's unmerited favour at work.
Each day is a stepping stone,
a platform to success.
Each day is a new achievement,
a goal to be reached.
Each day is a victory ;
conquering all odds.
Don't just go through each day,
Grow each day!
-Anne