#FunGameForLaughs

I saw this on the internet and I found it hilarious and a bit too true in my case. Check out my answers in the comments section and see for yourself. Give it a try and type out your own result for laughs. 

Life is too short not to have fun, so let's go. :)

#Music ---> Two Princes - Spin Doctors (with lyrics)

This is an oldie but a goodie any day for me. Enjoy it (especially if you are into punk/rock).

T.G.I.F

Fridays, the official day of sheer bliss for any hard working employee who knows how to balance out work and fun. As much as I love my job, I simply love me my Fridays because it allows me let down my hair and socialize (by socialize i mean dancing, mainly).

I cannot overemphasize the need to make time out for rest and leisure especially when one is under pressure from work, family, society and what not. Our health and mental state of mind should never be taken for granted or compromised and unwinding is a good way to stay on top of things.

There are loads of fun things to do on Fridays after work such as going out to watch a movie, having drinks and great laughs with friends, going dancing, karaoke, and a whole lot more. Most of these fun things are often presumed to be expensive but they don't have to be. You can always carve out all of these things inside your own house and thereby cut down the expenses or even set a limit on your expenses while you're out.

Looking forward to Friday evenings always makes my Fridays at work more actively productive and fun. :) So take a cue from me and make time out to have fun tonight and then tell me about it tomorrow. I'll be out dancing tonight, most likely.

For now, kindly "face ya work". ;) ;) ;)

Cheers.

Democracy Day - Huhn? -_-

Ordinarily, the topic should have been something like "Happy Democracy Day", but it's hard to even acknowledge we are in a democracy talk less of a happy one.

Today should have been the sort of day in which we are overwhelmed by gratitude of freedom from the tyrannical rule of the military, alas this is not so because there are scarce things one can count that has brought about happiness since Nigeria became a democratic country.

I, for one, don't see myself harping on about a "happy democracy day", when I know for a fact that the country is presently beleaguered by nefarious terrorists. The #BringBackOurGirls campaign is still fresh and will remain so until we get our girls back. 😑😑

I don't see myself wishing anyone a happy democracy day when it really does not feel like we are under a democratic system. Corruption is the order of the day, we do not have stable power supply (in 2014!!!!! , the roads are death traps, the healthcare system (what healthcare system though? Smh) is is shambles, most higher institutions are facing one strike or the other, armed robbers are having field days at the citizens expenses while the police does little or nothing, potable water is as far fetched as a myth to some, I could go on and on.

If the lack of wealth were to be Nigeria's problem then perhaps I would be more understanding of our plight, but that is not the case. The root of our problems is that we have nonchalant and extremely corrupt people in power. All they care about are their comfort and those of their immediate families. Anyone else can take a hike. That's the attitude they portray and that is the fact. Why on earth would a governor (just one man) propose a bill that would ensure he gets paid nothing less than  N100,000,000 per annum as pension just for having been a governor. Do you have any idea of the amount of things that could be achieved to benefit the citizens with such a huge sum? Yet ONE  person thinks it is alright to have it all to himself.

I keep saying one thing and it is the fact that until we Nigerians get angry enough to rise with one voice and demand an end to the corruption and bullshit being doled out on us by these knuckleheads in power, nothing would happen. Change would not come, however much we hope and pray about it, unless we act.

The only comforting thing about this day is the fact that it's a national holiday. Make the most of it, the hustle continues tomorrow.

Cheers.

Renowned Civil Rights Activist, Poet & Author, Maya Angelou, Passes On.

Maya was a strong role model to millions and she left deep imprints on her paths.  Her vast wisdom was legendary and her incredible sayings will be truly missed. Below are a few of her inspiring sayings (you can add your favorites in the comments box):

        

* My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.

*I do not trust people who don't love themselves and yet tell me, 'I love you.' There is an African saying which is: Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.

 *I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

 *It's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.

*Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.

*We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.

Rest in peace dear Maya.

How random are you? #RandomMusings

Hello dear you reading, yes you. :) Hope your day has been awesome, so far? You didn't think I wouldn't drop at least a post today did you? Nah, I intend to write a post a day at least. And feel free to drop a reminder email or tweet (@survivor17) at me as a subtle reminder, like a few people have done today. LOL

I am a very random person. For example, I often break out into a dance or song in the most randomly awkward places and I always feel the better for it afterwards. I like being spontaneous, in a good way, and I think a lot of people would benefit from it if they were too, rather than bottle their emotions in.

Sometimes, I am like a free bird gliding smoothly across the sky without a care in the world. I love the freedom that comes with adulthood whereby you can simply "do you' and be yourself without holding back.

I'm a box of randoms. I am me. Those who know me love me and take me as I am. Reaching out to people randomly gives me indescribable joy, I often imagine how Santa Clause feels. (Yeah, he's not real ofkess)

Sidenote: I see myself doing a random jig right here in the office, before the close of work today, to the music my colleague is blasting. #DareToLive :)

How random are you????? :)

(Another sidenote: I'm collating pictures of real people with brilliant smiles. I have some amazing ones already. Do send yours in to bukiotuyemi@gmail.com if you want to light up some faces. Watch out for Smiles Part 2 ;))

Come on And Give a Smile Out - #RandomMusings :)

I smiled at a random stranger yesterday. It was a warm smile that I felt the urge to share with this little stranger and the result gladdened my heart. She was a wee toddler seated at the back of a car in traffic looking so bored. Her face lit up and then we played peek-a-boo from the distance. Lol.

Sometimes, life's issues get so weighty that we can forget to smile but it shouldn't be.

A genuine smile is like a comforting but invisible hand that caresses one while reassuring the person.

So hoard not your lovely smile, but share it and make the world a better place.

p.s. Feel free to send a picture of your best smile to bukiotuyemi@gmail.com there is bound to be a second part to this post as I have gotten amazing responses since this one. Cheers and keep smiling. :)

Misty Blue #Day43 #BringBackOurGirls

It was raining beautifully when I initially tried leaving the house this morning. I say tried leaving because on a whim, I dashed back inside and gave my son an extra warm hug and two kisses. To be honest, I needed the warmth and strength I drew more than he did.

Today is Children's Day and it also just happens to be Day 43 since our #ChibokGirls were snatched away from their school by ferocious terrorists in Borno State, Nigeria. I cannot imagine what their poor parents and siblings are going through, knowing their loved ones are in the nefarious hands of monsters. I struggle not to get into their minds mentally, in where they are probably hoping each day would be The Day they lay their eyes on their beloved girls. No parent should have to lose a child under any circumstance.

As grateful as I am for my parents and my children, I cannot bring myself to celebrate this Children's Day with the knowledge that there are over two hundred children still missing and as many families are hurting.

Their only crime was their quest for education.

I am however hopeful that they would be found and brought back home to reunite with their loved ones. Hope and faith are all I have left. In whatever mental state they are, their return home alive is more important to the world. We will love them and help them heal. We would all support their families and help them get through this unimaginable trauma.

I ask you today to spare a thought and several prayers for our #ChibokGirls.

#BringBackOurGirls
#GiveAChildASmileToday

R.I.P Beautiful Lydia - #BringBackSanityAndPeace

A beautiful lady with an even more beautiful heart. Death did not care about her brains, wits, beauty or passion for justice. Death snatched her away from earth in a vicious and nefarious manner.

Lydia was among the medical students that died in the Jos twin bomb blast on the 21st of May, 2014. I could rant and rave at the terrorists and our lax government here, but i won't.

This is a post about how the world has lost another good one. This post is a reminder that no one knows when death will come calling, hence the need to do good and leave a footprint worthy of emulation in the sands of time.

Her tweets showed her to be an awesome character. She lived life, she fought for justice.

Now she's gone. Who will fight for her and the many others who have lost their lives for simply being "collateral damages in a senseless and needless war"?

#RestInPeace
#BringBackOurGirls
#BringBackSanity
#BringBackJustice
#BringBackPeace
#UnitedWeStandDividedWeFall
#Nigeria

Time will tell.....................

I am a firm believer in fate and faith. As much I love my life being organized and planned, I always leave anything after that to fate. I've been blessed enough not to have to struggle hard for much and even the few times I have been faced with life-threatening challenges, I got through each dreadful phase knowing there was a light at the end of the tunnel and it was so.

So fret not, at least not much or to the point of hurt. I say this because I know there's always calm after each turbulent storm and a rainbow after each heavy rainfall (even when you cannot seem to find one). Like the picture above says, "relax, breathe and be patient".

 I am a Survivor of a great many things which I would probably be sharing on this blog as we go on, so trust me when I say hang on and have faith no matter how dire your situation is.

@survivor17 (twitter)

Be AllHeartsAlways

Good morning all. Rise and shine, it's a brand new week. I'm just glad I'm alive and well today and you should be if you are as well.

I implore you, as you go into this week, to endeavor to reach out and affect the lives of others positively. There is no big way nor small way to do this, just do it to gladden their hearts.

It would be nice to get comments throughout today sharing how you helped make others smile today. :)

Enjoy your day.

Road Trip Experience #RandomMusings

I was invited to a 90th birthday party in the beautiful city of Ibadan and I jumped at the offer for a few reasons. First of all, the invite was from someone special and I love it when children celebrate their parent's age milestones elaborately whilst they are alive rather wait to throw a huge funeral party after their demise.

Then of course I needed to get away from the chaos of my lovely Lagos for a wee bit. Nothing clears ones head and psyche than a change of scenery away from the norm, however brief a period it's for. This probably explains the aggression some Lagosians exhibit. (I kid, NOT) Holidays and get-aways are not a part of our culture, even though they are very essential for the body and mind.

My main fear in all this is the state of our roads. To say our roads are deplorable is a gross understatement. I've avoided traveling for a while now due to this fear. I cannot fathom how and why major highways have been left to rot despite the huge number of lives that ply it daily. Then again, our leaders do not really give a damn about our welfare, so go figure.

Anyway, my delight at honoring the invite and my need for a getaway triumphed my fear of our sad roads so I went for it. I was glad I did too. I loved the scenery and the amazing little villages we saw on our way. The party rocked. Yorubas throw a mean party with great music, great food and flowing drinks. I danced so hard and had great fun that by the time I got to the hotel, I was totally knackered.

I was told coming to Ibadan without eating "amala" was as close to a crime as you can get so I made sure I ordered a plate for dinner and I thoroughly enjoyed every morsel I could take in.

I woke up this morning feeling really refreshed. The bed in the hotel (Davies Hotel, Bodija) was simply divine. I felt like taking it away with me, it was that lush.

Overall, I'm glad I made this brief trip. I feel way more relaxed and calm. Off I go now to battle our ever failing roads back to my base.  Have a lovely Sunday.

The Final Straw..............

What represents the sole snowflake that tips your avalanche over? The proverbial "final straw" comes in various forms. No matter the things we are faced with daily or people even, it often takes the one thing to make us realize we are done with staying in the shadows of mediocrity when we can do far better than we currently are.

Now I'm talking about really being pushed to the wall unfairly and not merely out of intolerance or impatience. These things could be in forms of emotions being toyed with, standards not being met at work or in the society, overbearing relatives, etc (you get my drift). I am a firm believer in standing up for what is right and enforcing it. I can't condone injustice in any form and if we had more people averse to injustice and more receptive to giving and receiving love, trust me, we would be better off as earthlings for it.

For me, the final straw that birthed my online awareness campaign tagged #AllHeartsAlways was the sight of a young boy hawking wares under the scorching sun that fateful day, shortly after i relocated to Nigeria. My heart broke that day. I was in an air-conditioned car and still felt the blazing sun, how much more this young lad hustling hard to get 'small money'. I beckoned to him and handed him a some cash and when he tried to give me something off his wares, I stopped him and asked him to go and get a very cold drink. The expression on his face was indescribable. You'd have thought i had either sprouted horns or huge wings and a halo. If the situation was not so pathetic, it could have been funny. Then he burst into tears, tears of relief and appreciation at being appreciated I would presume.

Sigh. Sadly I couldn't engage him further because it was right in the middle of a busy road fraught with traffic and hoodlums. Alas, he is just one of hundreds of thousands of needy people struggling to survive. He was my final straw and the wake up call I needed to go all out for others as always and encourage/re-orientate others to being caring and concerned for other people as well.

The need to show love and care for the needy around us cannot be overemphasized. I hereby encourage you, yes you reading and sharing this post, to be #AllHeartsAlways.

What will represent the sole snowflake that tips your avalanche over?

Change: Start Simple, End Victorious......

As many people clamor for change daily, only a few actually work towards achieving these changes. Change can only occur when we start looking inward and acting right towards those around us. Thereafter we must educate and re-orientate others around us.

I believe one of the major problems we human beings have is our lust and thirst for material things. Items which we cannot take out of this world when we depart from it. I have never seen anyone buried with their house, car or wardrobe full of clothes. I have never seen the point of acquiring vast wealth fraudulently and at the detriment of others.

Greed and corruption stems from being materialistic to the point of being lackadaisical to how it affects the next person. We can scream blue murder till we lose our voices, ranting and railing against our leaders but the truth is these leaders are from amongst us. They are a product of the society, as we are.

In order for us to get things right, we must all come together to change our mindsets. It would help if those leading in the religious and entertainment sectors can help spread the message of goodness and pure love rather than preach and spread anything contrary.

Then we have the task of teaching our children, the younger generation,  the right things and ensuring they adhere to these learnings. Some parents do not even know to teach their children the simplest things like saying "please and thank you'. If you get too busy to train your child right, then we would only keep spinning in this vicious cycle of moral bankruptcy in which we have found ourselves.Teaching them is not enough really, they must see us live exemplary lives without compromise in any way as well.

I believe we can bring about positive changes in the world we are in today. I am not entirely deluded to imagine a world without evil, but bringing it to the barest minimum is what I aim to do in my own little way.

Are you ready for positive changes in our world today?

Be #AllHeartsAlways

Let Love Into Your Hearts Again. R.I.P #Aluu4

I recall the horror washing over me when I watched the #Aluu4 video over a year ago.

I recall the helplessness on their faces as they were dragged and beaten and mocked and tortured by a mob.
I recall the hope in their eyes that perhaps, just perhaps, a miracle would occur and ONE person would step in and save them.
I recall the painfully outstretched hands pleading for mercy and begging for their lives to be spared.
I recall the rage, venom and madness that overtook the murderous crowd as they pummeled these young men to death.
I recall imagining what their parents would go through, knowing “fellow Nigerians” murdered their children in cold blood.
I recall crying and cursing at the injustice behind the savage act.
I recall my shock and disbelief at the fact that in that crowd were human beings as well, yet they acted as beasts.
I recall wondering how we got to such a low point in humanity and how such hatred and evil has came to reside in our hearts.
I recall seeing faces of women and youths and men, people with families as well yet they stood by and did nothing.
I recall my utter disbelief and shock at the fact that even the police who were on the scene did NOTHING TO SAVE THOSE FOUR YOUNG MEN.
I recall wondering why they did not shoot into the air to disperse the crowd, why they did not call for backup and if they did why it never arrived before the tragic end.
I recall wondering how ALL those who partook in the lynching as direct murderers and as onlookers slept that night.
I recall pondering on how they could live with themselves afterwards.
I recall the lingering horror that remained with me for months despite the fact that I did not watch it to the gruesome end, I couldn’t.
I recall thinking eagerly that surely, with video evidence there would be justice for the families of these innocent ones.
I recall putting my effort into a mini campaign of awareness about the evil in lynching suspects and even convicted criminals.
I recall that up till now, a year after, NO ONE HAS BEEN CONVICTED OF THAT GRUESOME COLD-BLOODED MURDER.
I fear for what we, Nigerians and human beings as a whole, are becoming.
I vow to do my best to enlighten as many as possible on the ills lurking in the hearts of people.
I vow to do my part for humanity and get justice for helpless victims in any way I can.
I vow to raise my children right and teach them about good and evil and consequences.
I vow not to sugarcoat the truth to those I reach out to and to ensure they know that abnormal things cannot and should not be taken for normal.
I vow to do my bit for humanity and for our beloved country Nigeria.
What would you do?

(Twitter: @survivor17)

For Stephen Sutton - A Pure Heart.

Hi everyone, I hope you've had a lovely day.

So a few days ago, I was drawn to a story about a 19 years old young man named Stephen Sutton. Stephen was diagnosed with bowel cancer at the age of 15 but he did not let that stop him from living a selfless life. At some point, he made up a bucket-list (i.e. a list of things to achieve before dying) top of which included raising money for charity. From his initial plan of raising ten thousand pounds, Stephen raised the bar to a million pounds as a result of the amazing responses he got from strangers willing to be #AllHeartsAlways in helping him achieve his dream.

I was really touched to read his story of passion, selflessness and bravery. It wasn't the money, so much as the love he shared and the strength others drew from his story.

Sadly, Stephen Sutton succumbed to the cold clutches of death this morning. He left his mark in the world by being selfless. I believe his life was exemplary and worthy of emulation by all. Give a helping hand as often as you can.

R.I.P. Stephen Sutton.

Testing. Testing. Testing.

Hello everyone, this is just a trial run to see how this works and how far I can go with it. I'm presently stuck at work waiting for hubby to pick me up, so I figured, why not do something productive for ME? Voila, here I am.




Being AllHeartsAlways is inborn for me and I believe it is so for everyone, if only we would succumb to our instincts to actually care selflessly about others. I know the world would be a better place for us all if we care and share more than we do at the moment. I also know that a lot of genuinely good deeds often turn sour and causes regrets, nonetheless this shouldn't deter us from helping others and reaching out in every capacity we can.

What goes around comes right back around and even if it doesn't, still be AllHeartsAlways. Have a lovely week ahead.