Where is Lady Guide?

To think that I would deserve a blog post! Waoh, my head is swelling! Many wishes had poured in through different channels and I was commending Afronuts for his attempt to reach me on the phone today which was so impossible because I was at the UN office all day not knowing he has done something greater! He did made a blog post about my birthday with the "good old day" picture appearing with the post. I am so overwhelmed! Thank you so much Afronuts!!!


Also "big thanks" to Histreasure, Lara, Dee and Zena for their birthday wishes! Thanks my darlings! It is still my birthday blogsville so the gifts and the birthday wishes can still pour in. I was overwhelmed by the wishes that poured in via facebook. Thanks Geebee, Parakeet, Afrobabe, SolomonSydelle, Sokari, Spicytee, Jaycee, Jarrai, Myne Whitman {She even sent me a gift!} for your FB messages! You all made me feel loved and I appreciate this gesture a great deal.


It won`t stop there, July 19th is my marriage anniversary. Waoh 3 years and I am now a confirmed off shore wife! Hubby must meet me halfway probably with a parachute in the air for the celebration! We have come a long way! Glad I am to have a wonderful partner and friend. It is being a journey to cherish and celebrate.


Has anyone seen or heard from Lady Guide? Her last post was January 2010 and that was a very strange occurrence. Not our Lady Guide, she updates regularly. Tomorrow happens to be Lady Guide birthday and I wish her the very best of day and many happy returns! Lady Guide, you are missed and I hope you are doing very fine!


Another wonderful blogger and friend Bill Hess, who factored the payment of my cats neutering and spraying operation is having his birthday tomorrow! Happy birthday Bill Hess and many many happy returns! I am still trying to figure out how and when I can make it to Alaska to see you and your family! have fun on your day!!!


Something tells me that blogger histreasure and a few other close bloggers will be celebrating their birthday tomorrow but I am trying hard to recall if this is true... if you are a July baby and today, tomorrow, next tomorrow and the rest of July is your birthday, just know you are loved and have a fabulous birthday!


I am currently in New York and I visited DC to have a relaxing weekend with Sokari. And guess who I met? Solomon Sydelle and Catwalq! They are fabulous! They represent and I was so glad to have made the journey and to have met these wonderful progressive Nigerians! Solomon Sydelle did not look one inch like a mother of three. She looked sweet sixteen! And Catwalq, sexy is the word! Please can someone echo to Vera, the multiple Nigerianbloggers awards winner ( congratulations by the way) that I must see her before I leave the states? Yeah, thanks for delivering the message!

Here and there

Here: For the rich, the famous and the influential:
I read in a magazine just recently of different weddings of the rich, the famous and the influential in Nigeria. Pastor Okotie and wife, Quincy’s daughter, Governor of (which state now) daughter and last and the one that I will talk briefly about here is Halimat Dangote!!!

Picture taking from Bella Naija's blog

I read that the wedding was elaborate and a lot of dignitaries attended. Well, what do you expect of a daughter of a business mogul? A man that owns so many conglomerates in Nigeria. He surprised the daughter by given her an open cheque to shop for her wedding. I read that she went to France, Dubai, London and where else to buy her wedding gowns, shoes, etc. It was reported that she spent about N50, 000,000 (50 Million Naira) on her shopping.

Waoh, I cannot pretend that is not a lot of money. I looked again to be sure I saw the right figure and thought to myself that the press might have exaggerated but Dangote is rich and they might get the figure right. It feels good to be able to afford the good things of life. At a moment I was like why didn’t I have the same opportunity? Why couldn’t my parents be rich? Then the answer came to me: Though I am not physically rich but I have all it takes within me to be rich.

Though not in her shoe but I feel such money could have been put to a better use. Perhaps no other better use can come to mind since she was born into money and all. The material and cash gifts received at her wedding are enough to even feed her new family forever.

There: for the “mis-purpose”, the mis-led, and the “mis-followed”:
I read somewhere too that the Director- General of Nigerian Stock Exchange Ndidi Okereke-Onyiuke, was planning a dinner an event organized by her “Africa for Obama” group. The initial aim I heard was to raise money for Obama’s campaign. For what purpose I asked but could not get any answer. I wonder why they set out to do that knowing fully well that they did not meet any criteria stipulated by Obama funding raising initiative.

Anyway, they had the dinner and raised over 100million. The dinner cost some people N2.5 million for a platinum table. After raising the funds, I was not to wait forever before I saw another newspaper caption that “Obama disowned the group!!!” Then Ndidi announced in another newspaper that the money raised was not for Obama’s campaign but to “mobilize” support for Obama election.

I don’t know how to translate this nonsense. Why do we need to raise money in Nigeria to mobilize for Obama’s election? Are we sending delegate to be going from house to house in USA asking black American, Africans or Nigerians living there to please go out and vote for Obama? Is this a black thing? Aren’t we going to even put Obama at a disadvantage if we go all out screaming he is black, he is our own blah blah blah? Are we racists now? What benefit do we wish to drive from Obama being the president- free visa or what?

A controversial human rights lawyer Festus Keyamo has since petitioned the group via EFCC. I read this morning in the Nation Newspaper that Ndidi has being arrested by EFCC for questioning over the purpose fo the dinner and what they intend to use the money for. We so much like “O wambe” in Nigeria hence the dinner. I just wonder if our “O wambe” can’t be more purposeful like raising money for the orphans, the sick, and the disadvantaged. I have seen other groups for Obama in Nigeria such as Obama Initiative for Africa and some expensive sign post with "Vote for Obama" and his picture on it. I just don't understand our intentions any more “o wambe” means party.

It doesn't Matter

It doesn’t matter whether you can buy me expensive gifts or not

It doesn’t matter whether you can take me out and spoil me or not

It doesn’t matter whether you have money or not

It matters not, whether we have kids or not

It doesn’t matter whether we can afford the best in life or not

But it matters:

That we keep being friends

That you keep being a partner

That you keep being yourself

That you love me for me

That I trust you and love you

And he sent this to me:

My angel, its been a year since we both agreed that "WE DO". Its been a year of trying hard, a year of ups and down but most of all a year of discovery, the discovery of what LOVE means. And here once again with renewed vigor, with the understanding of what it means to love you and be loved by you I here by renew, upgrade, update and reload that vow again;I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU. Now tomorrow and when its just me and you at the other side of age and graying I will continue to love you. You are my world, my everything, my ARIKE EDU.
D MAN!

And I said to him:

My dude, I don’t mind being single, I don’t mind being alone, I don’t mind not having anyone to refer to as my “husband”, I don’t mind what the society would think about my beliefs BUT given you up would have being the greatest error in humankind history and I am happy I averted the error!!!

HAPPY “ONE YEAR” WEDDING ANNIVERSARY TO YOU AND ME!!!