It's usually me doing the interviews, but i got a taste of my own medicine when cognito studios (www.cognitostudios.blogspot.com)wanted to feature me in their "creative people" series. I was surprised by my own reaction as the days leading up to the photoshoot for the interview approached. I was a tad shy, a little giddy with excitement and very, very nervous! But when the lights came on and it was time for action, viola! Yours truly came through shinning. Morale of the story? Just do it!I hope you enjoy reading the interview as much as i enjoyed giving it.
COGNITO: So i want you to give a little insight into Omonaikee, who is she? What does she do?
OMONAIKEE: My name is Omonike Odi, i am behind the brand “Omonaikee”. Omonaikee is a multimedia platform that provides media content on print, audio, video, radio, live, online and social media. All messages are prepared to motivate, inform and empower a target demographic.
COGNITO: Along the road to where you are today, what were some of the significant events that helped shape you?
OMONAIKEE: I grew up hearing about talents in church and about how God gives each person an ability and He will hold us accountable for how we have used these gifts. That stayed with me. What it did for me at an early age is that it helped me realise what unique abilities i had and as i grew older i became concious about how to develop and deploy them in every phase of my life. There was also a conciousness to use them positively and use them to share the benefits of my relationship with God with other people. That was significant in shaping the way i use my abilities today.
COGNITO: Who is Nike in the next 5 or 10 years?
OMONAIKEE: In the next 5 years, Omonaikee is a global brandname and in the next 10, it is a global company headquartered in Nigeria and Nike is it’s CEO. It’s my BHAG; my Big Hairy Audacious Goal.
COGNITO: What message would you give a young lady who feels useless, bored but has dreams and aspirations, and doesn’t know how to go about making them a reality? She feels helpless to make her life meaningful?
OMONAIKEE: This is the best question you have asked me so far because i am passionate about young people and women and i am all for people going after a life that accomplishes their potential. There are usually 3 reasons why people dont make their dreams a reality.
The first is the issue of time. For people who are tied down by the demands of a job, a marriage or kids; they should celebrate what they have achieved so far be it a mortgage, work experience, precious kids or life experience. Next, they should ask themselves if they are waiting for time to make itself available to them to pursue their other dreams and realise that it will not come. Very often we have to negotiate with the demands on our time in order to create time for what’s important to us, so start negotiating with a full night’s sleep, a full time job, or a full time nanny.
The second reason is the lack of money. I find that if we will only do all that is within our power both financially and otherwise, we will get farther ahead than where we are right now. One question i have had to ask myself is : “Nike, have you done everything you can?”. Not having money shows you what you do have. It also shows you what your spending priorities are and where to put money when it comes.
The third reason people very often don’t achieve the life they want is they haven’t discovered themsleves. Self discovery is at the beginning of every accomplishment. Each person needs to look closely at themselves and find what is special or different about them. They need to look at their environment and background and find what opportunities it presents to them. They need to identify their interests and see what they can do to explore it. Then they need to think hard about what they want to be based on these resources God has put in and around them. Next, they need to take advantage of the external opportunities to develop or utilise their innate abilities, then use the results of that to build the life they want and become what they want.
COGNITO: Who inspires you today and why? One or two people
OMONAIKEE: I am inspired by a lot of people for different things. For instance, i am inspired by my friend Cobahms Asuquo because he has a pure heart and that quality magnifies everything he does with his heart, into an impact. I am inspired by my mentor, Fela Durotoye because he has a lot of compassion and wants to help people. I am inspired by several others because they are sincere like Pastor Sarah Omakwu or are strong characters like Funmi Iyanda or are selfless like my mum.
But generally, all the people who inspire me have one thing in common and that is personal achievement. I am inspired by personal achievement especially when it is achieved against daunting odds or disadvantage. For example, i am inspired by the resilience shown by Steve Jobs in the last 7 years of his life when he lived with pancreatic cancer. In those years he still pursued his dreams even till the end. It taught me that whether life is long or short, a lifetime is enough to be you. It is enough to become who God wants you to be.
COGNITO: What is your favorite quote? Explain how it inspires you?
OMONAIKEE: I like several quotes because i love the written word and i both consume and create it, some of it is on my blog at www.omonaikee.blogspot.com. But the ones that go beyond inspiring me to shaping me are the words of the bible. My favorite verse is Psalm 32:8 and i quote the New International Version “The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life, i will advise you and watch over you””. It inspires me because it shows me that every season of my life good or bad is a path but God is divinely leading me through the best combination of paths to get to where he has lovingly assigned for me. Those words are beautiful.
Another one is in Ephesians 2 :10, paraphrased, it says that we are all the work of God’s hands and that we are recreated into a life lived with Jesus as it’s owner so that we can do those good works which God planned beforehand for us and take those paths which God prepared ahead of time that we should walk in and live the good life which God prearranged and made ready for us to live. These words have a lot of creative power.
QUOTE
“Whether life is long or short, a lifetime is enough to be you. It is enough to become who God wants you to be.”- Omonike Odi (CEO, Omonaikee)
Original interview published on: http://cognitostudios.blogspot.com/2011/10/creative-people-profile-7-omonike.html
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October 24, 2011
September 28, 2011
THE SteveHARRIS INTERVIEW
Hey everyone, i need to introduce you to someone who i think is absolutely inspiring, he has a good heart and a right spirit. His atitude toward working under someone and his personal story of overcoming life’s challenges show that having a functional relationship with God can bring you into the life you want. He will be a good influence on you,that i promise. He has gone from being a college drop out and to a corporate sell out... meet SteveHARRIS!
Omonaikee: I read somewhere where you said you didn’t have a clue about what you wanted to do till you were 27, and now some years later you’re an accomplished speaker, consultant, author, husband, father, radio host, Naija Diamond,UN/YFP Young Ambassador For Peace, CEO e.t.c. So from that point what was the defining moment that set you on the path of being a corporate sell-out?
SteveHARRIS: Thanks Nikita, I never had a clue that I’d be privileged to do what I do today or have the sort of impact on the lives of people that I’m blessed to have. I guess once I got kicked out of school, I determined to prove to myself that I wasn’t the dropout my Alma Mater made me out to be. I guess you could say the Dropout part of me motivates the “sellout” part of me. I’m also driven by my personal mantra “it’s not what you don’t have that limits you, but what you have and don’t know how to use”!
Omonaikee: You wouldn’t describe yourself as the typical college dropout we think of - the one who dropped out because they couldn’t afford tuition or whose parents weren’t supportive, or was that you?
SteveHARRIS: Nah, that wasn’t me. I’m humbled that my parents did their best to provide for us. I guess I wasn’t cut out for my course of study (Industrial Mathematics). But don’t forget that I dropped out of school twice (from UniBen and Madonna University!) Go get the book for details! But I would say that I had something in common with most people who may experiencing a “dropout experience” (in school, career, finances etc), and that’s low self-esteem.
Omonaikee: What type of a college dropout were you? What was happening in your life at that time that led you to that place?
SteveHARRIS: Well, I’ve always considered myself as a pretty smart guy, but I guess it was just a case of putting a square peg in a round hole, and then add to that, victimization from lecturers, then you have a recipe for disaster! Lol!
Harris identifies Fela Durotoye as a key contributor in his process. He says every experience he had with Fela was such that he would treasure forever, he talks about his mentor and former employer here...
Omonaikee: In John Maxwell’s book, every one communicates but few connect, his writer Charlie Wetzel writes a chapter about his experiences with John, in your book you devote an entire chapter to your experiences with Fela Durotoye, help us understand why it was important for you to write that chapter.
SteveHARRIS: For me, it was imperative that I write about FD, as God used him as a signpost, if you will; to point me in the direction of my purpose. He took a chance on me, built up my confidence and inspired me to believe in myself. I consider him to be a mentor, teacher and father figure.
Omonaikee: You’ve had a very close relationship with Fela, one which you would refer to your work as “service” and working for him as “serving”, why did you see what we would call a work relationship that way or in those terms?
SteveHARRIS: Well, as you know, FD and I have a multi-faceted relationship. Too many young people today take liberties with their mentors by being “familiar” where they lose access to the mentor’s grace. Even Elisha was described in Scripture as the one who “poured water on the hands of Elijah” and Joshua was described as the “servant of Moses”. Now, I’m not saying that you should act as a servant, all I’m saying is true and faithful service is first, a matter of the heart.
Omonaikee: Fela Durotoye worked with Folusho Philips at Philips consulting them moved on to set up Visible Impact consulting with his blessing, you’ve also worked with Fela Durotoye and have gone on to set up EdgeEcution, what is your perspective on working for other people, learning the business and leaving well?
SteveHARRIS: I think it’s very important. Though I need to clarify that I had absolutely no intention of starting my own business while working with Visible Impact. As far as I knew, my assignment was to build the organisation and serve FD, and in doing that faithfully, my dreams would naturally come true. I was super happy being there and it could have only taken a divine summons from God to pry me away from FD and the Visible Impact family. But having said that, I believe that motive is important. Most people want to come and “learn” from you, but in reality, they want to take from you and not to give to you. There’s only so much you can get that way. Sure you can get the “how to”, but you’ll never get the spirit behind it and that’s actually what creates everything else. I believe that too many young people are in a hurry to “hammer” if I may use the term. I see so many of them say to me, “I’m the CEO of This, That and The Other” and unfortunately, they seem to be going nowhere fast. Now, there’s nothing wrong with being entrepreneurial, the challenge is “have you built a track record?”, “to whom have you submitted yourself to?”, “where are your mentors”. It’s sad to know that most young people don’t want to pay the price of sacrifice. You can’t be celebrated without sacrifice.
Harris also has a lot to say about the role God has played in his life...
Omonaikee: You started and completed this book in three months, was this biography painful to write, what emotions played out as you wrote from chapter to chapter?
SteveHARRIS: I must admit, it was a bit of a tear jerker for me, since I had to unearth previously repressed memories and feelings. But you know what? Writing proved pretty therapeutic for me (had to be my own Dr. Phil). But writing made me appreciate all what God has done for me when I look back over the last 6 years, I can see the hand of the Lord, leading and guiding me when I thought all hope was lost.
Omonaikee: Your book reveals your journey of self discovery that was kick started by academic failure, now you’ve come full circle from college drop out to corporate sell out, from dropping out of University to giving talks at the same school, from your peers getting ahead to turning to you for business cutting edge, what has that process from there to here changed about your view of God?
SteveHARRIS: All I can say is “God has a sense of humour”. He uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise” or more verbosely put, “He incorporates the mundane to discombobulate the cerebral”. I’m deeply thankful that He’s turned my “mess” into my “message”. Don’t ask God for a testimony if you’re not ready to face the “test”! God is faithful. I lost hope several times, backslid plenty, took up vices, but He never let me go. I owe Him everything!
Omonaikee: Most college graduates aren’t corporate sellouts, so obviously it’s not the degree, can you share what you think IT is?
SteveHARRIS: For me, it’s just pure grace from God. But coupled with that, I guess I’ve discovered my assignment and I intend to be the best at it as I can.
Harris has had two lives, in one of them he went through a dark time where he didn’t see the possibility of the today he has now, if i ask him what he would say to someone who feels that way about their future today and how they can turn things around, i can almost hear him say:
“IT’S NOT WHAT YOU DONT HAVE THAT LIMITS YOU, ITS WHAT YOU HAVE BUT DONT KNOW HOW TO USE . We should be more introspective and stop complaining about what we don’t have, and start focusing on what we do have, no matter how small we perceive it to be”- SteveHARRIS
Omonaikee: I read somewhere where you said you didn’t have a clue about what you wanted to do till you were 27, and now some years later you’re an accomplished speaker, consultant, author, husband, father, radio host, Naija Diamond,UN/YFP Young Ambassador For Peace, CEO e.t.c. So from that point what was the defining moment that set you on the path of being a corporate sell-out?
SteveHARRIS: Thanks Nikita, I never had a clue that I’d be privileged to do what I do today or have the sort of impact on the lives of people that I’m blessed to have. I guess once I got kicked out of school, I determined to prove to myself that I wasn’t the dropout my Alma Mater made me out to be. I guess you could say the Dropout part of me motivates the “sellout” part of me. I’m also driven by my personal mantra “it’s not what you don’t have that limits you, but what you have and don’t know how to use”!
Omonaikee: You wouldn’t describe yourself as the typical college dropout we think of - the one who dropped out because they couldn’t afford tuition or whose parents weren’t supportive, or was that you?
SteveHARRIS: Nah, that wasn’t me. I’m humbled that my parents did their best to provide for us. I guess I wasn’t cut out for my course of study (Industrial Mathematics). But don’t forget that I dropped out of school twice (from UniBen and Madonna University!) Go get the book for details! But I would say that I had something in common with most people who may experiencing a “dropout experience” (in school, career, finances etc), and that’s low self-esteem.
Omonaikee: What type of a college dropout were you? What was happening in your life at that time that led you to that place?
SteveHARRIS: Well, I’ve always considered myself as a pretty smart guy, but I guess it was just a case of putting a square peg in a round hole, and then add to that, victimization from lecturers, then you have a recipe for disaster! Lol!
Harris identifies Fela Durotoye as a key contributor in his process. He says every experience he had with Fela was such that he would treasure forever, he talks about his mentor and former employer here...
Omonaikee: In John Maxwell’s book, every one communicates but few connect, his writer Charlie Wetzel writes a chapter about his experiences with John, in your book you devote an entire chapter to your experiences with Fela Durotoye, help us understand why it was important for you to write that chapter.
SteveHARRIS: For me, it was imperative that I write about FD, as God used him as a signpost, if you will; to point me in the direction of my purpose. He took a chance on me, built up my confidence and inspired me to believe in myself. I consider him to be a mentor, teacher and father figure.
Omonaikee: You’ve had a very close relationship with Fela, one which you would refer to your work as “service” and working for him as “serving”, why did you see what we would call a work relationship that way or in those terms?
SteveHARRIS: Well, as you know, FD and I have a multi-faceted relationship. Too many young people today take liberties with their mentors by being “familiar” where they lose access to the mentor’s grace. Even Elisha was described in Scripture as the one who “poured water on the hands of Elijah” and Joshua was described as the “servant of Moses”. Now, I’m not saying that you should act as a servant, all I’m saying is true and faithful service is first, a matter of the heart.
Omonaikee: Fela Durotoye worked with Folusho Philips at Philips consulting them moved on to set up Visible Impact consulting with his blessing, you’ve also worked with Fela Durotoye and have gone on to set up EdgeEcution, what is your perspective on working for other people, learning the business and leaving well?
SteveHARRIS: I think it’s very important. Though I need to clarify that I had absolutely no intention of starting my own business while working with Visible Impact. As far as I knew, my assignment was to build the organisation and serve FD, and in doing that faithfully, my dreams would naturally come true. I was super happy being there and it could have only taken a divine summons from God to pry me away from FD and the Visible Impact family. But having said that, I believe that motive is important. Most people want to come and “learn” from you, but in reality, they want to take from you and not to give to you. There’s only so much you can get that way. Sure you can get the “how to”, but you’ll never get the spirit behind it and that’s actually what creates everything else. I believe that too many young people are in a hurry to “hammer” if I may use the term. I see so many of them say to me, “I’m the CEO of This, That and The Other” and unfortunately, they seem to be going nowhere fast. Now, there’s nothing wrong with being entrepreneurial, the challenge is “have you built a track record?”, “to whom have you submitted yourself to?”, “where are your mentors”. It’s sad to know that most young people don’t want to pay the price of sacrifice. You can’t be celebrated without sacrifice.
Harris also has a lot to say about the role God has played in his life...
Omonaikee: You started and completed this book in three months, was this biography painful to write, what emotions played out as you wrote from chapter to chapter?
SteveHARRIS: I must admit, it was a bit of a tear jerker for me, since I had to unearth previously repressed memories and feelings. But you know what? Writing proved pretty therapeutic for me (had to be my own Dr. Phil). But writing made me appreciate all what God has done for me when I look back over the last 6 years, I can see the hand of the Lord, leading and guiding me when I thought all hope was lost.
Omonaikee: Your book reveals your journey of self discovery that was kick started by academic failure, now you’ve come full circle from college drop out to corporate sell out, from dropping out of University to giving talks at the same school, from your peers getting ahead to turning to you for business cutting edge, what has that process from there to here changed about your view of God?
SteveHARRIS: All I can say is “God has a sense of humour”. He uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise” or more verbosely put, “He incorporates the mundane to discombobulate the cerebral”. I’m deeply thankful that He’s turned my “mess” into my “message”. Don’t ask God for a testimony if you’re not ready to face the “test”! God is faithful. I lost hope several times, backslid plenty, took up vices, but He never let me go. I owe Him everything!
Omonaikee: Most college graduates aren’t corporate sellouts, so obviously it’s not the degree, can you share what you think IT is?
SteveHARRIS: For me, it’s just pure grace from God. But coupled with that, I guess I’ve discovered my assignment and I intend to be the best at it as I can.
Harris has had two lives, in one of them he went through a dark time where he didn’t see the possibility of the today he has now, if i ask him what he would say to someone who feels that way about their future today and how they can turn things around, i can almost hear him say:
“IT’S NOT WHAT YOU DONT HAVE THAT LIMITS YOU, ITS WHAT YOU HAVE BUT DONT KNOW HOW TO USE . We should be more introspective and stop complaining about what we don’t have, and start focusing on what we do have, no matter how small we perceive it to be”- SteveHARRIS
September 03, 2011
My best life
For a while now, i have not had the time nor the readiness to indulge inspiration so when i was finally able to seat down and let it take over, i ended up writing a 1,147 worded article and i was elated! I’ve read it more than twenty times and it’s almost perfect. There’s always something to edit at every read. Someone said the editing is the most important part of writing. It shows professionalism when you can convey a lot of meaning in simple ways and get a point across in fewer words. When i write i aim to make a connection; that alone inspires my intellect to find expressions that leave the reader and writer herself in admiration.
Well, i think i've got my mojo back and no writer’s block fashioned against me shall prosper. Lol! After i was done editing, i called my editor friend and mailed it to him with excitement. Only days ago, i had payed him a visit at his office to talk about me. He is kind of a mentor so i decided to name him Master Shifu. He had a midget for me and we talked over a few of my prospective stories. “Dejavu” he said, “Nike we’ve talked about this before, Just do it!” . Yes like my footware namesake i was just to do it. So do it i did. I made two phone calls for interviews and blogged. Then i surfed new blogs and bingo- i found it! Something someone wrote made me think gravely hard and two hours latter i had a two paged article. I called it “the writers curse”, it’s my current source of pride and joy.
“Have you read it” i asked repeatedly after my yahoo said mail delivered. One thing i’ve learnt to live with is the reality that not all my friends are happy to be my beta readers. They don’t want to hurt my feelings but they just find proof reading a long script of text daunting. But Shifu would be glad to. “Have you read it?” i asked again. I think he got exasperated at some point.
When i write something i think is genius, i can't wait to share it with someone and hopefully talk about it too. Shifu was my prey of choice and i was on his neck till he gave me a tired “but i said i will read it na" and a placatory "i have skimmed through"
“Sowee” i said with a rose cheeked smiley for animated effect.
“Your eagerness is endearing. Don’t sweat it”. Now i was beaming. I hope it gets published soon.
So why hadn’t i done this before? Work. Living. Too tired or too much going on to chase fleeting inspiration. But when i do get to do stuff like this, i feel like i’m doing the job i was made for; the one i am working other jobs to have full time someday. It’s times like this i feel like i’m living my best life.
Well, i think i've got my mojo back and no writer’s block fashioned against me shall prosper. Lol! After i was done editing, i called my editor friend and mailed it to him with excitement. Only days ago, i had payed him a visit at his office to talk about me. He is kind of a mentor so i decided to name him Master Shifu. He had a midget for me and we talked over a few of my prospective stories. “Dejavu” he said, “Nike we’ve talked about this before, Just do it!” . Yes like my footware namesake i was just to do it. So do it i did. I made two phone calls for interviews and blogged. Then i surfed new blogs and bingo- i found it! Something someone wrote made me think gravely hard and two hours latter i had a two paged article. I called it “the writers curse”, it’s my current source of pride and joy.
“Have you read it” i asked repeatedly after my yahoo said mail delivered. One thing i’ve learnt to live with is the reality that not all my friends are happy to be my beta readers. They don’t want to hurt my feelings but they just find proof reading a long script of text daunting. But Shifu would be glad to. “Have you read it?” i asked again. I think he got exasperated at some point.
When i write something i think is genius, i can't wait to share it with someone and hopefully talk about it too. Shifu was my prey of choice and i was on his neck till he gave me a tired “but i said i will read it na" and a placatory "i have skimmed through"
“Sowee” i said with a rose cheeked smiley for animated effect.
“Your eagerness is endearing. Don’t sweat it”. Now i was beaming. I hope it gets published soon.
So why hadn’t i done this before? Work. Living. Too tired or too much going on to chase fleeting inspiration. But when i do get to do stuff like this, i feel like i’m doing the job i was made for; the one i am working other jobs to have full time someday. It’s times like this i feel like i’m living my best life.
August 27, 2011
Ooowe Emmmmm Geee!
Soooooo long time no write..... and seriously i miss writing and blogging and doing me sooo much that i had to make the decision to ignore certain commitments this weekend just to get some me-things done! But let’s not make a big deal of it, right? I left and now I’m back so here’s to hoping you love me like i never left!
Been blog surfing during my hiatus though and certainly enjoyed checking out some blogs. One fashionista, friend and blogger gave me a sunshine award- YAY! Have always wanted some kind of blog award and would have grovelled, begged and bribed someone to give me one if she hadn’t, lol!), so thank you to Uduak of finally me for passing along the sunshine award! YAY!
I learnt a lot about blogging while i was away. I learnt from bloggers like The Third World Profasional, For Style Sake and Finally Me that blogging can be a fun way to chronicle the sunlit glow of the life of a young, fashionable, adventurous unmarried girl! I do admire these girls.
I totally love For Style sake blog for the sentimental plot which like salt removes the putrid tasteless show- offiness of personal fashion blogs. For Salewa and Segi, two sisters who started their blog to preserve their sisterly bond in a common love for fashion, blogging obviously isn’t just for style sake. I also love Finally me for the free- spirit and sweet heart behind all her posts. Third world profashional is something else. I will read her journal of adventures served with a mix of slangs that switch between expressions from Ibo land, Lasgidi (Lagos), QC (Queens College), Aberdeen (Abz like she calls it) or Londres (French for London)! I read somewhere about blogging being a helpful tool to expose the world to the culture of a people and her blog does good evangelism for the Nigerian penchant to expressively draw you into the world of their experiences with a use of language that explores sounds, tones, inflections and even other languages just to convey more than words to you. Nigerians are very entertaining in that sense.
I learnt from Myne whiteman writes and My Feisty Pen that it’s ok to approach your blog from a professional angle and display your work for connoisseurs, collectors and art- lovers to admire. That it’s ok to use it to validate your talent and build your portfolio, your audience and popularity. Of course i love my feisty pen for her sheer writing talent (i will read your novel, personal interview or blog girl, just keep it up) but Myne Whitman takes it further by being an online mentor to other blogger/published – writer hopefuls and if there was a professional blogger, she gets close; she responds to every comment, checks out the commenter’s blog and even remembers ancestor blogs i never met or heard about!
From Sisi Yemie i learnt that reading pidgin can be as much fun as hearing a Nigerian comedian crack jokes in pidgin. That wafi “crase” can come across in written words without you having to see a dramatic expression or hear a voice pitch back and forth in the same sentence like a hijacked baseball.
I love When I Move Back To Naija mostly because she is a dear friend. From her blog i learnt its ok to pop in and out of blogville because the real living is worth so much more than a few gratifying comments.
I also love Corner Shop with Adiya because she plays by the book leaving comments and all and since one good turn deserves another i started leaving comments on hers as well. Though she’s moved, the concept of her blog is sooo original. Publishing small business is something you’d see on TV formats but she is totally original doing it blogging too.
Finally my best blogs of all time are from two girls who have taken blogging to the nth level. I used to follow Bella naija’s blog from 2007 and i easily converted to a daily visitor when she turned her blog into an online fashion/entertainment website. I also used to follow Favoured girl’s blog from way back, in fact my favourite place to go used to be A Girl’s Journey Down The Aisle. I loved it because it was selling the brand of influence called good.
So, many thanks to all this bloggers for entertaining, edifying, sharing, inspiring, adding sunshine to a boring and demanding work week, cracking me up, making me smile, adding to my lexicon of street lingo and conundrum of social culture e.t.c... you get the gist! More than passing you a sunshine award, i thought I’d let you know how you make the sun shine. Abi?
So it was my birthday while i was away, i turned 27 and i seriously don’t feel as old. Inside i feel ten years younger but it only takes me a minute with a 17 year old to feel my age! More seriously turning 27 increased my restlessness about the race between time and the fulfilment of my dreams where the passage of time seems to be winning. I have made up my mind that the next three years racing to the big three-0 will be nothing like my last three. I feel more settled, i have matured as much as i probably need to and i am as prepared as I’ll ever be so the appointed time is now!
I intend to do something with my potential and turn my reality from “i want to do” to “i do” and this blog will be a platform for you to follow up on what i am doing in each of my target areas and also keep me accountable about getting omonaikee more out there than it currently is (by the way, omonaikee isn’t just the name of this blog; it’s the name of my media company and the essence of my brand). So get ready to see content in interviews, music, radio, television, and project and published!
From me? Expect more. So much more.
Been blog surfing during my hiatus though and certainly enjoyed checking out some blogs. One fashionista, friend and blogger gave me a sunshine award- YAY! Have always wanted some kind of blog award and would have grovelled, begged and bribed someone to give me one if she hadn’t, lol!), so thank you to Uduak of finally me for passing along the sunshine award! YAY!
I learnt a lot about blogging while i was away. I learnt from bloggers like The Third World Profasional, For Style Sake and Finally Me that blogging can be a fun way to chronicle the sunlit glow of the life of a young, fashionable, adventurous unmarried girl! I do admire these girls.
I totally love For Style sake blog for the sentimental plot which like salt removes the putrid tasteless show- offiness of personal fashion blogs. For Salewa and Segi, two sisters who started their blog to preserve their sisterly bond in a common love for fashion, blogging obviously isn’t just for style sake. I also love Finally me for the free- spirit and sweet heart behind all her posts. Third world profashional is something else. I will read her journal of adventures served with a mix of slangs that switch between expressions from Ibo land, Lasgidi (Lagos), QC (Queens College), Aberdeen (Abz like she calls it) or Londres (French for London)! I read somewhere about blogging being a helpful tool to expose the world to the culture of a people and her blog does good evangelism for the Nigerian penchant to expressively draw you into the world of their experiences with a use of language that explores sounds, tones, inflections and even other languages just to convey more than words to you. Nigerians are very entertaining in that sense.
I learnt from Myne whiteman writes and My Feisty Pen that it’s ok to approach your blog from a professional angle and display your work for connoisseurs, collectors and art- lovers to admire. That it’s ok to use it to validate your talent and build your portfolio, your audience and popularity. Of course i love my feisty pen for her sheer writing talent (i will read your novel, personal interview or blog girl, just keep it up) but Myne Whitman takes it further by being an online mentor to other blogger/published – writer hopefuls and if there was a professional blogger, she gets close; she responds to every comment, checks out the commenter’s blog and even remembers ancestor blogs i never met or heard about!
From Sisi Yemie i learnt that reading pidgin can be as much fun as hearing a Nigerian comedian crack jokes in pidgin. That wafi “crase” can come across in written words without you having to see a dramatic expression or hear a voice pitch back and forth in the same sentence like a hijacked baseball.
I love When I Move Back To Naija mostly because she is a dear friend. From her blog i learnt its ok to pop in and out of blogville because the real living is worth so much more than a few gratifying comments.
I also love Corner Shop with Adiya because she plays by the book leaving comments and all and since one good turn deserves another i started leaving comments on hers as well. Though she’s moved, the concept of her blog is sooo original. Publishing small business is something you’d see on TV formats but she is totally original doing it blogging too.
Finally my best blogs of all time are from two girls who have taken blogging to the nth level. I used to follow Bella naija’s blog from 2007 and i easily converted to a daily visitor when she turned her blog into an online fashion/entertainment website. I also used to follow Favoured girl’s blog from way back, in fact my favourite place to go used to be A Girl’s Journey Down The Aisle. I loved it because it was selling the brand of influence called good.
So, many thanks to all this bloggers for entertaining, edifying, sharing, inspiring, adding sunshine to a boring and demanding work week, cracking me up, making me smile, adding to my lexicon of street lingo and conundrum of social culture e.t.c... you get the gist! More than passing you a sunshine award, i thought I’d let you know how you make the sun shine. Abi?
So it was my birthday while i was away, i turned 27 and i seriously don’t feel as old. Inside i feel ten years younger but it only takes me a minute with a 17 year old to feel my age! More seriously turning 27 increased my restlessness about the race between time and the fulfilment of my dreams where the passage of time seems to be winning. I have made up my mind that the next three years racing to the big three-0 will be nothing like my last three. I feel more settled, i have matured as much as i probably need to and i am as prepared as I’ll ever be so the appointed time is now!
I intend to do something with my potential and turn my reality from “i want to do” to “i do” and this blog will be a platform for you to follow up on what i am doing in each of my target areas and also keep me accountable about getting omonaikee more out there than it currently is (by the way, omonaikee isn’t just the name of this blog; it’s the name of my media company and the essence of my brand). So get ready to see content in interviews, music, radio, television, and project and published!
From me? Expect more. So much more.
May 30, 2011
PRINCESS DIARIES- Part 1
It is far from reality to believe that the wedding gown of a bride’s dreams does not exist until she is ready to walk down the aisle. The Cinderella truth is that way before that magical moment when she is propositioned and a white diamond set in silver is pressed to a place of rest on her dainty finger, a staff of doves, mice and fairies have been working on her entire bridal trousseau!
And if you are a fantast like me, then your wedding fantasies began long, long ago in a faraway kingdom animated by Disney. First there was Cinderella and then Jasmine and Ariel, and all the other Disney princesses that came after,but the inception of the idea of a wedding dress was implanted in my mind by the character “Lisa Dowell” in the movie “Coming to America”. Back then, i thought Lisa’s wedding dress was very ideal but now when i think about it, i can almost hear Joan Rivers of Fashion Police, in her raspy voice and a snicker describe it as a monstrous, lace contraption made from pink bedspreads in the era 20BG (Before Gaga).
Next to Lisa's dress,was Giselle's- hers too fairy tale to be true. It was in the movie “Enchanted” and i was enchanted by both the cartoon and live versions of the wedding dress except it worried me that the dress was not only aspiring to show- stopper status but was intended to be a bulky nuisance as well.
And now, several fairy tales later, i am stuck with a vision of walking down the aisle in 20 pounds of tulle, rhinestones, beading and ruffles and one innocent man is going to part with a pretty penny to buy a wedding dress which has progressively evolved in my mind since being six years old!
So the next time you ask a girl what she wants to look like on her wedding day, you’ll understand when she replies; "just like a princess”, you’ll understand why she is taking forever to find a dress and why she is willing to break the bank to do so.
Searching for that wedding dress with the magical essence to imbue it’s wearer with royalty and turn her into a princess is another matter entirely. The quest for this “perfect dress” very often turns the calmest, even –tempered girl into Bridezilla. Most brides go through a plethora of white garments before finding “the one”! The rigor is almost as difficult as hitching the man itself.
Maybe it’s the thought that all eyes will be on the bride or maybe it’s about that moment when the groom sees her approaching from the opposite side of the aisle in all her bridal beauty or maybe it’s about looking her most beautiful on that one day. I don’t know for sure, but for brides, the pressure is on to wear something wowing.
Undoubtedly, when it comes to feeling like a bride, it’s all about the dress. And whether a girl decides to be the Princess bride, the Cinderella bride, the Diva bride, the Goddess bride or the Innocently sexy bride, today’s bride will have all the experience and guidance of the Princesses before her handed down one Disney movie at a time.
And if you are a fantast like me, then your wedding fantasies began long, long ago in a faraway kingdom animated by Disney. First there was Cinderella and then Jasmine and Ariel, and all the other Disney princesses that came after,but the inception of the idea of a wedding dress was implanted in my mind by the character “Lisa Dowell” in the movie “Coming to America”. Back then, i thought Lisa’s wedding dress was very ideal but now when i think about it, i can almost hear Joan Rivers of Fashion Police, in her raspy voice and a snicker describe it as a monstrous, lace contraption made from pink bedspreads in the era 20BG (Before Gaga).
Next to Lisa's dress,was Giselle's- hers too fairy tale to be true. It was in the movie “Enchanted” and i was enchanted by both the cartoon and live versions of the wedding dress except it worried me that the dress was not only aspiring to show- stopper status but was intended to be a bulky nuisance as well.
And now, several fairy tales later, i am stuck with a vision of walking down the aisle in 20 pounds of tulle, rhinestones, beading and ruffles and one innocent man is going to part with a pretty penny to buy a wedding dress which has progressively evolved in my mind since being six years old!
So the next time you ask a girl what she wants to look like on her wedding day, you’ll understand when she replies; "just like a princess”, you’ll understand why she is taking forever to find a dress and why she is willing to break the bank to do so.
Searching for that wedding dress with the magical essence to imbue it’s wearer with royalty and turn her into a princess is another matter entirely. The quest for this “perfect dress” very often turns the calmest, even –tempered girl into Bridezilla. Most brides go through a plethora of white garments before finding “the one”! The rigor is almost as difficult as hitching the man itself.
Maybe it’s the thought that all eyes will be on the bride or maybe it’s about that moment when the groom sees her approaching from the opposite side of the aisle in all her bridal beauty or maybe it’s about looking her most beautiful on that one day. I don’t know for sure, but for brides, the pressure is on to wear something wowing.
Undoubtedly, when it comes to feeling like a bride, it’s all about the dress. And whether a girl decides to be the Princess bride, the Cinderella bride, the Diva bride, the Goddess bride or the Innocently sexy bride, today’s bride will have all the experience and guidance of the Princesses before her handed down one Disney movie at a time.
May 16, 2011
ALWAYS SISTERS, ALWAYS FRIENDS
Girls have a special ability to form strong bonds with each other. From childhood when they have Best Friends Forever (BFFs) to their teens when they want to dress alike, girls are just wired to bond. These emotional ties are created by the free giving of self to self and sometimes the resulting sisterhoods can endure beyond the instances of the initial attraction, transcending childhood and womanhood into progeny. Then friendship has become a legacy.
But sometimes Best Friends Forever can become Worst Friends Ever. If by a cruel twist of fate they have a crush on the same boy in their teens or by the evil scheming of a horrid Grinch they turn against each other in adulthood, BFFs do break their girly oaths to be friends forever.
The reasons vary and often are unspoken but if we strain our ears we would hear little girls in grown up bodies, wordlessly saying to each other , “ I am breaking up with you, my best friend because...
...I am now a married woman”.
This is the most common reason one BFF about to tie the knot, will break up with the other. Somewhere in between the “Here comes the bride” and the placing of the sacred bands of gold on the honorary ring finger, your BFF will be hit, no knocked over by the realisation that her unmarried friends would be a bad influence on her married life. They would only make her lust for her late- night partying ways, her infrequent cooking and junk –eating habits and give her all this bad advice. At the very moment she contracts this paranoia, you may well be tip toeing around her wedding white being the perfect maid of honour but she has your evil plans all figured out.... so out you go!
And then there’s the “i earn a fatter pay check now” break up line.
Your childhood friend has landed a job with a fat salary and she’s making every effort to flaunt it in your face. She has upgraded herself into the “IT” girl with all the latest gadgets, designer bags, designer clothes, designer jewellery, designer vacations, designer hair, designer accent, and etcetera. Like the typical victim of new money, she’s too busy getting caught up in the material world to be human enough to relate if you’re broke or can’t pay the air fare for another friend’s wedding or can’t catch up with her commentaries on the latest gadget!
There’s also the irritating “I am more into my man and less into you” line.
This one is so cliché. Your BFF has found herself a new accessory. He has a baritone, a wall for a chest and makes her feel more woman than little girl! How can you compete with that? And it gets worse! Lover boy doesn’t get you or like you. Now BFF is beginning to sound like him and though she used to think you were hilariously funny, lately she stopped laughing at your jokes and even said once that you talk too much. Also, she has told him about the way you both used to make fun of him in the “toasting” days, murdering any chance of him getting to like you anyway!
And there’s the “I’ll never forgive you for doing it first” break up line.
This one happens to some sister who used to see her BFF as the baby, the junior or the late bloomer and suddenly has to face the horror of watching her friend take the first steps into womanhood ahead of her. The one who considers herself better, takes a blow to her ego and feels her superiority is put in question when her younger or less experienced friend takes the rite of passage into engagement, marriage, or employment before her.
Oooh and there’s the “i have moved on” line.
Erhm, this one happens when one girl feels all that frolicking and Best –Friends- For- Life stuff was childish. She’s a grown woman now and to settle any doubts you might have of her maturity, she rids herself of you- the childish, girlish friend of her childhood. She feels she’s outgrown you and like an unmatching colour with her outfit, the concept of BFFs don’t fit into her world.
Now this one really gets my blood boiling but it’s called the “when it’s your turn you’ll understand “line .
Happens when one friend gets to experience something you both have been curious about like getting married, sex or child birth. You’ll know it’s happening when your BFF, who is every bit your pair in an obnoxiously condescending way says something like “what has happened for me will happen for you one day” or “i can’t tell you, when it’s your turn, you will know”.
And i mustn’t forget the “you know too much” break up line where your BFF keeps you at arm’s -length because you witnessed the episodes of dissipation of her youth and now she wants to put her past and everyone from it behind her.
We can go on and on citing the things that drive the wedge between best friends. Actually, all the reasons why “we aren’t that close anymore” will fit in.But some BFFs will make it to the finish line and weave that rich tapestry of friendship into their emerging family lines. It is these rare few who will truly know the rewarding joy of friendship.
To all my BFFs, met and unmet...I HAVE A DREAM... that one day our children will be BFFs too! And yes our lives will take different turns and we will do different things but hopefully our friendships would make it through. Like Cece Winans said, i hope we ’d always be sisters and we’d always be friends. The kind who forgiving each other and letting love cover, stay real close till the very end.
But sometimes Best Friends Forever can become Worst Friends Ever. If by a cruel twist of fate they have a crush on the same boy in their teens or by the evil scheming of a horrid Grinch they turn against each other in adulthood, BFFs do break their girly oaths to be friends forever.
The reasons vary and often are unspoken but if we strain our ears we would hear little girls in grown up bodies, wordlessly saying to each other , “ I am breaking up with you, my best friend because...
...I am now a married woman”.
This is the most common reason one BFF about to tie the knot, will break up with the other. Somewhere in between the “Here comes the bride” and the placing of the sacred bands of gold on the honorary ring finger, your BFF will be hit, no knocked over by the realisation that her unmarried friends would be a bad influence on her married life. They would only make her lust for her late- night partying ways, her infrequent cooking and junk –eating habits and give her all this bad advice. At the very moment she contracts this paranoia, you may well be tip toeing around her wedding white being the perfect maid of honour but she has your evil plans all figured out.... so out you go!
And then there’s the “i earn a fatter pay check now” break up line.
Your childhood friend has landed a job with a fat salary and she’s making every effort to flaunt it in your face. She has upgraded herself into the “IT” girl with all the latest gadgets, designer bags, designer clothes, designer jewellery, designer vacations, designer hair, designer accent, and etcetera. Like the typical victim of new money, she’s too busy getting caught up in the material world to be human enough to relate if you’re broke or can’t pay the air fare for another friend’s wedding or can’t catch up with her commentaries on the latest gadget!
There’s also the irritating “I am more into my man and less into you” line.
This one is so cliché. Your BFF has found herself a new accessory. He has a baritone, a wall for a chest and makes her feel more woman than little girl! How can you compete with that? And it gets worse! Lover boy doesn’t get you or like you. Now BFF is beginning to sound like him and though she used to think you were hilariously funny, lately she stopped laughing at your jokes and even said once that you talk too much. Also, she has told him about the way you both used to make fun of him in the “toasting” days, murdering any chance of him getting to like you anyway!
And there’s the “I’ll never forgive you for doing it first” break up line.
This one happens to some sister who used to see her BFF as the baby, the junior or the late bloomer and suddenly has to face the horror of watching her friend take the first steps into womanhood ahead of her. The one who considers herself better, takes a blow to her ego and feels her superiority is put in question when her younger or less experienced friend takes the rite of passage into engagement, marriage, or employment before her.
Oooh and there’s the “i have moved on” line.
Erhm, this one happens when one girl feels all that frolicking and Best –Friends- For- Life stuff was childish. She’s a grown woman now and to settle any doubts you might have of her maturity, she rids herself of you- the childish, girlish friend of her childhood. She feels she’s outgrown you and like an unmatching colour with her outfit, the concept of BFFs don’t fit into her world.
Now this one really gets my blood boiling but it’s called the “when it’s your turn you’ll understand “line .
Happens when one friend gets to experience something you both have been curious about like getting married, sex or child birth. You’ll know it’s happening when your BFF, who is every bit your pair in an obnoxiously condescending way says something like “what has happened for me will happen for you one day” or “i can’t tell you, when it’s your turn, you will know”.
And i mustn’t forget the “you know too much” break up line where your BFF keeps you at arm’s -length because you witnessed the episodes of dissipation of her youth and now she wants to put her past and everyone from it behind her.
We can go on and on citing the things that drive the wedge between best friends. Actually, all the reasons why “we aren’t that close anymore” will fit in.But some BFFs will make it to the finish line and weave that rich tapestry of friendship into their emerging family lines. It is these rare few who will truly know the rewarding joy of friendship.
To all my BFFs, met and unmet...I HAVE A DREAM... that one day our children will be BFFs too! And yes our lives will take different turns and we will do different things but hopefully our friendships would make it through. Like Cece Winans said, i hope we ’d always be sisters and we’d always be friends. The kind who forgiving each other and letting love cover, stay real close till the very end.
April 20, 2011
MY ONE PERFECT LAZY DAY!
A Word of Encouragement.
In today’s post i want to leave a word of encouragement for somebody. God is the greatest advocate (defender, name – clearer, restorer, supporter, backer and campaigner) and he will settle your case. He is the keeper of your dreams. The lifter of your head. He owns the future and in it you make it. Nobody can seek audience with him just to change his mind about you. Your destiny is sure, secure and nobody can do anything about it. Nobody can steal it, douse it or even delay it... it is finished. The events have been set in motion. It will Be. Believe. Live.
Now to the part that is writing for the sake of writing...
Yesterday was declared “the Omonike public holiday”! Let me explain. My weekends are usually spent divided between meetings, hair appointments, church and choir practice and weekdays are fully packed with work, more choir practice, business meetings and a social life as lean as Joseph’s seven metaphorical cows from bible history. But yesterday was the day i had been telling myself would come. With absolutely no demands on my time and no to do list to check i was ecstatic! I went through the day with this narrative abstractly coming together in my head because it was something to write about- my one perfect lazy day!
I hoped no one would visit and although i had told a friend to spend part of the day with me because i thought i would be bored, now i prayed she’d forgotten. Completely satisfied in my own company i lay on my pink shag rug with clothes i had flung on it for full effect- it was slob day my way so house chores and hygiene were going to have to wait!
Now every expert slob knows that no slob day is complete without food and endless sessions in front of the tube. I stocked on food and movies the day before. I had a plate covered in breakfast in front of me and a pot of “ewure” slowly boiling in the kitchen. The distinct smell of garlic, thyme and goat wafted into the silence that now contained me and the world i stepped into when i opened the pages of “Beside every man” by Serita Jakes.
I groped for a bottle of Coca Cola without taking my eyes off the page, then i remembered that only the day before, an older lady while purring over my fair skin and how i looked “so lovely today” added to her praise, a misplaced comment that i had a tendency to outgrow my “lepa” body in later life. She then proceeded to avert the dreaded day of doom by telling me what to eat or stay away from; “Don’t take Coke” she had said. I nodded feverishly that day but today i took a swig and let the cold, fizzy drink burn the back of my throat.
When i had fed myself till i was weak, i knew i was done on the floor. I inched back to my bed which i had shamelessly slept in way past the wee hours. I lifted my weight with a last effort before crumpling on its brown sheets. And just as i closed my eyes in sweet surrender, an accusing thought crossed my mind, “You have some work from the office”. I dismissed it; after all it was my one day to compensate for meals missed, books unattended, movies ignored and sleep denied!
Today sleep would find me willing and although i was gorged and gravid with food it would be strong enough to carry me.
* Advocate means: 1) Somebody giving support: somebody who supports or speaks in favour of something. 2) A helper: somebody who acts or intercedes on behalf of another. 3) A legal representative: somebody such as a lawyer, who pleads another's case in a legal forum. –Encarta Dictionaries.
*”Ewure” means “goat” in Yoruba.
*”Lepa” is Yoruba slang for “thin”.
In today’s post i want to leave a word of encouragement for somebody. God is the greatest advocate (defender, name – clearer, restorer, supporter, backer and campaigner) and he will settle your case. He is the keeper of your dreams. The lifter of your head. He owns the future and in it you make it. Nobody can seek audience with him just to change his mind about you. Your destiny is sure, secure and nobody can do anything about it. Nobody can steal it, douse it or even delay it... it is finished. The events have been set in motion. It will Be. Believe. Live.
Now to the part that is writing for the sake of writing...
Yesterday was declared “the Omonike public holiday”! Let me explain. My weekends are usually spent divided between meetings, hair appointments, church and choir practice and weekdays are fully packed with work, more choir practice, business meetings and a social life as lean as Joseph’s seven metaphorical cows from bible history. But yesterday was the day i had been telling myself would come. With absolutely no demands on my time and no to do list to check i was ecstatic! I went through the day with this narrative abstractly coming together in my head because it was something to write about- my one perfect lazy day!
I hoped no one would visit and although i had told a friend to spend part of the day with me because i thought i would be bored, now i prayed she’d forgotten. Completely satisfied in my own company i lay on my pink shag rug with clothes i had flung on it for full effect- it was slob day my way so house chores and hygiene were going to have to wait!
Now every expert slob knows that no slob day is complete without food and endless sessions in front of the tube. I stocked on food and movies the day before. I had a plate covered in breakfast in front of me and a pot of “ewure” slowly boiling in the kitchen. The distinct smell of garlic, thyme and goat wafted into the silence that now contained me and the world i stepped into when i opened the pages of “Beside every man” by Serita Jakes.
I groped for a bottle of Coca Cola without taking my eyes off the page, then i remembered that only the day before, an older lady while purring over my fair skin and how i looked “so lovely today” added to her praise, a misplaced comment that i had a tendency to outgrow my “lepa” body in later life. She then proceeded to avert the dreaded day of doom by telling me what to eat or stay away from; “Don’t take Coke” she had said. I nodded feverishly that day but today i took a swig and let the cold, fizzy drink burn the back of my throat.
When i had fed myself till i was weak, i knew i was done on the floor. I inched back to my bed which i had shamelessly slept in way past the wee hours. I lifted my weight with a last effort before crumpling on its brown sheets. And just as i closed my eyes in sweet surrender, an accusing thought crossed my mind, “You have some work from the office”. I dismissed it; after all it was my one day to compensate for meals missed, books unattended, movies ignored and sleep denied!
Today sleep would find me willing and although i was gorged and gravid with food it would be strong enough to carry me.
* Advocate means: 1) Somebody giving support: somebody who supports or speaks in favour of something. 2) A helper: somebody who acts or intercedes on behalf of another. 3) A legal representative: somebody such as a lawyer, who pleads another's case in a legal forum. –Encarta Dictionaries.
*”Ewure” means “goat” in Yoruba.
*”Lepa” is Yoruba slang for “thin”.
April 11, 2011
TAKING CHANCES...
Hey people, this post i wrote a story, it’s almost fiction and it’s about a character i call Kautar, i hope you enjoy it!
ONE BY DAY, ANOTHER BY NIGHT.
I watched the other two saunter in. Earlier when i walked into the room the last thing on my mind was my surroundings. Now perched on a black plastic chair, i observed them.
In total there were five girls attired in bright colours and bright make- up. One wore a Mohawk invention that gathered the hair around her ears in braids before toppling them in short tufts on her head. The other wore an “Ankara” dress, embellished with sequins and hesitantly stopping short of her knees. The brightest of them had just spilled into the room with an assistant in tow holding on to a bundle of clothes. From my observatory, i noted the one in a black and gold dress topped with a black turban.
I knew who they were.
Had they seen me? I wondered, considering my choice of dress in a quick thought.
Other than my heavily beaded black and silver necklace and my silver bling ring, i was just the girl in a black suit. My hair had been pulled back from my face in a chignon to give me a corporate look.
I looked back at the lady in black and gold, the one who looked important. I knew her without the familiarity of having met her in person.
Had i seen her on the cover of a magazine?
Then it hit me. She was Madame Ferera of House of Raah!
Wild thoughts came alive in my head without my permission and mind took over matter. This was my chance to do something i had wanted to do since coming home from the States!
Presently, she still stood there. Should i strike or walk away?
I looked beyond her to the rest of the girls. How i admired them. They where the famous Raah Models! Day or night they could do their jobs in springs fashion collection while i had to wear suits to work!
But didn’t i like the suit? i wondered at myself.
Did my liking the glamorous life of these models make me like my corporate job less?
Since i was little, i dreamed i would be a model. My parents never approved. They didn’t understand a career that made me show skin.
“You will go to University in America then join the family business Kautar, forget this modelling thing.” My father won. But being saddled off to New York to study at NYU turned out to be a good thing. I was a student by day but at night i did what i loved- i took up modelling jobs on the side.
That was then. Now my life had changed. I worked long, arduous hours on my small portable computer producing spread sheets, tackling PowerPoint, developing sales pitches, giving presentations and seating in at strategy sessions, only finding time to feed in between writing reports. But today these girls made me wish for my double life again.
I made up my mind and pushed myself forward.
“How much for the photos”? I asked almost too loudly.
My question was directed at the girl standing behind the reception desk.
I had been out of the game for a few years now.
I peeped at them again while the receptionist busied herself with the computer in front of her.
I remembered the catwalk, the beautiful designer clothes, the locations, the freebies, the partying and a feeling of lust for their world assailed me yet again. Transported in thought, i transfigured into my alter ego.
There was no stopping now.
Madame Ferara looked up in surprise as i approached.
“Hi, my name is Kautar” I heard my voice say weakly.
“I am a business analyst by day and a freelance model by night”, i offered, handing her a PSG Consulting business card.
“If i proved that i had a strong walk and beneath my suit was a good frame to show off her creations she would hire me” i thought.
“I would love to audition for you sometime”.
She had a look that said “Walk away little girl”
I tried again. “That’s my card, can i have yours?”
“Say something”, i screamed at her in silence!
She would probably decline.I was coming back to my senses. All my alter ego’s bold powers had left me, only i remained.
She reached into her Miu miu bag,
She was either looking for a gun, a court restriction or a fly- swatter!
“Give me a call sometime...” I must have fainted with my body standing still!
I have no memory of my walk back to the reception to pay for my passport photographs but moments later, i stepped into the sun clutching a black and gold coloured complimentary card in one hand.
Breaths of wind russled up my skirt and i paused to adjust it. I smiled.
I was the business analyst again.
ONE BY DAY, ANOTHER BY NIGHT.
I watched the other two saunter in. Earlier when i walked into the room the last thing on my mind was my surroundings. Now perched on a black plastic chair, i observed them.
In total there were five girls attired in bright colours and bright make- up. One wore a Mohawk invention that gathered the hair around her ears in braids before toppling them in short tufts on her head. The other wore an “Ankara” dress, embellished with sequins and hesitantly stopping short of her knees. The brightest of them had just spilled into the room with an assistant in tow holding on to a bundle of clothes. From my observatory, i noted the one in a black and gold dress topped with a black turban.
I knew who they were.
Had they seen me? I wondered, considering my choice of dress in a quick thought.
Other than my heavily beaded black and silver necklace and my silver bling ring, i was just the girl in a black suit. My hair had been pulled back from my face in a chignon to give me a corporate look.
I looked back at the lady in black and gold, the one who looked important. I knew her without the familiarity of having met her in person.
Had i seen her on the cover of a magazine?
Then it hit me. She was Madame Ferera of House of Raah!
Wild thoughts came alive in my head without my permission and mind took over matter. This was my chance to do something i had wanted to do since coming home from the States!
Presently, she still stood there. Should i strike or walk away?
I looked beyond her to the rest of the girls. How i admired them. They where the famous Raah Models! Day or night they could do their jobs in springs fashion collection while i had to wear suits to work!
But didn’t i like the suit? i wondered at myself.
Did my liking the glamorous life of these models make me like my corporate job less?
Since i was little, i dreamed i would be a model. My parents never approved. They didn’t understand a career that made me show skin.
“You will go to University in America then join the family business Kautar, forget this modelling thing.” My father won. But being saddled off to New York to study at NYU turned out to be a good thing. I was a student by day but at night i did what i loved- i took up modelling jobs on the side.
That was then. Now my life had changed. I worked long, arduous hours on my small portable computer producing spread sheets, tackling PowerPoint, developing sales pitches, giving presentations and seating in at strategy sessions, only finding time to feed in between writing reports. But today these girls made me wish for my double life again.
I made up my mind and pushed myself forward.
“How much for the photos”? I asked almost too loudly.
My question was directed at the girl standing behind the reception desk.
I had been out of the game for a few years now.
I peeped at them again while the receptionist busied herself with the computer in front of her.
I remembered the catwalk, the beautiful designer clothes, the locations, the freebies, the partying and a feeling of lust for their world assailed me yet again. Transported in thought, i transfigured into my alter ego.
There was no stopping now.
Madame Ferara looked up in surprise as i approached.
“Hi, my name is Kautar” I heard my voice say weakly.
“I am a business analyst by day and a freelance model by night”, i offered, handing her a PSG Consulting business card.
“If i proved that i had a strong walk and beneath my suit was a good frame to show off her creations she would hire me” i thought.
“I would love to audition for you sometime”.
She had a look that said “Walk away little girl”
I tried again. “That’s my card, can i have yours?”
“Say something”, i screamed at her in silence!
She would probably decline.I was coming back to my senses. All my alter ego’s bold powers had left me, only i remained.
She reached into her Miu miu bag,
She was either looking for a gun, a court restriction or a fly- swatter!
“Give me a call sometime...” I must have fainted with my body standing still!
I have no memory of my walk back to the reception to pay for my passport photographs but moments later, i stepped into the sun clutching a black and gold coloured complimentary card in one hand.
Breaths of wind russled up my skirt and i paused to adjust it. I smiled.
I was the business analyst again.
March 15, 2011
AND NOW I ASK YOU
I was visiting with a friend recently and our conversation steered into our position on “the God thing”. I wanted to know. I listened while he patiently answered my questions about his journey toward God. When he came to talking about his church going, he pointed it out to me as something he’d discovered kept him away from vices he’d broken up with for good. At that i asked him if he was aware of other things he was doing that were also keeping him on the straight and narrow. And now i ask you. Certain things i keep in my life on purpose have been sign posts in my life pointing me to God and away from vices, i share them here.
CHURCH
Church was God’s idea. Like a Father he wants his children to gather in one place and be fed like children in a family gathering at the dining table at meal times. Everything set on the table is meant to be enjoyed from the opening prayer, the offering of praise and worship through singing, the sharing from the bible, the offering of money as a representation of our surrender of the material things God has allowed us to have e.t.c.
Regardless of what i find in a service, whether it be poor sound quality or a boring message (yep, that happens!), i try to enjoy being in my Father’s house savouring the varied flavours of his presence.
God also wants us to grow in fellowship not in isolation. Think of it like a pack of animals in the forest. They graze together, drink together and travel together. Why do you think they do that? They are safe from predators when they are together! Like the predator, the devil is always hanging around the pack looking for the one that leaves the group or lags behind. The predator can chase the solitary and the prodigal but he can’t chase the entire pack. So remain planted in church. Go when you feel like it and when you don’t feel like it. God will know you are making an effort and bless you for it.
3 reasons not to quit going to church
1. Don’t quit because you are still slipping into sin
The best place for a child of God to be is in the presence of God, that’s the only place where when he falls down trying to stand he will be picked up. That’s the only place where we are promised we will receive grace and find mercy when we need it. God will sometimes use another sensitive person in church to show you His mercy or he will let you feel His mercy. Hang in there and keep hearing the word of God and those stubborn sins will die and drop like bad fruit falling off a healthy tree.
2. The politics
There is politics in church. Live with it. Church folks can hurt you like no unbelieving folks can but remember when you come to meet with God, God comes to meet with you and he can go around those people to get around to you.
3. Hypocritical and critical people
There’s probably someone in the choir, someone in the pastorate and someone in church who has buried a black wolfish fur under white wool. They make you feel like everyone in church is a hypocrite (this may be true in some cases but find out if the pastor is sincere, if s/he walks the talk and if the majority is sincere, but don’t let the black sheep get in your way). Believe me, sometimes this people are planted by the Devil in church to detract from the testimony of that church (the bible relates in the book of Job a situation where when the children of God appeared before Him the devil came as well).
Finally, if the church has issues and you are not growing, find another pastor and find another church. When i was moving to a new city a few years ago i prayed about where to go to church and i believe several years later that God ordered my steps to the right environment for me to grow.
CHOIR
I have always been involved in a department in church and what i have learnt is that it holds you accountable. When you know that you are representing Christ and people see you doing stuff in church, it’s hard to step out during the week and just do what your flesh tells you to. It’s also an environment where you are constantly reminded to be holy, to take the high road and live above sin so it preserves your very soul. Besides you’re too busy doing ministry to find time to get into trouble.
Like a real member of the household, try to get out of the crowd and come into the core; don’t just be a stranger in your father’s house watching askance not participating in what your father is doing. Some churches are not as open as others in this area, but if yours is and you can, then get involved. CAVEAT- if you are struggling with an area in your life that is a dishonour to a ministry you want to serve in within the church, it helps to get it sorted first by getting counselling and help in that area and when you have victory over that sin you can be an even better witness as a church worker or leader.
READING THE BIBLE
The word of God puts the fear of God in you and the fear of God provides the restraint to keep you pure. What happens is, whenever a thought to do wrong rises up in your mind, the word of God will counter that thought with a thought that prompts you to honour God. When you don’t know what the bible says, either from reading it yourself or from hearing it said in church or among your friends, then there is no defence in you to protect you from doing what you don’t want to do. There is no power to overcome temptation. There is no fear of God to restrain you. There is no inner power to exercise the muscle of self control.
PRAYING
Two Sundays ago the pastor reiterated a phrase which the choir had put to song, “More prayer, more power, less prayer, less power”. It reminded me to pray more. Prayer is talking to God. Anyone can talk to Him; there are no qualifications or requirement. God says in Jeremiah 33: 3- “Call to me and i will answer...” A simple way to see prayer is having a conversation with God where you can talk about everything. You can talk about how you feel and what you need; you can ask God for help and for more of his presence in your life. I pray when i am missing a set of keys, i confide in God when i intend to do something wrong, i pray in the bathroom, in the car on the way to work and in my head. You can pray about anything when you really believe God when he says in his word that he is concerned about every detail of your life. He is!
FASTING
Fasting has been missing in my life for a few years now. I intend to jump start that by getting this book on fasting. But i can tell you that God can deliver you out of the grip of sin, the hassles of life and the power of oppression when you fast.
LIKE- MINDED FRIENDS
Oh whats that over used maxim about friends? “Birds of the same feather flock together”? The bible puts it this way- “bad companions ruin good morals”. Good morals are not to be found in friends who lack them in the first place.
EYES AND EARS- WHAT YOU SEE, WHAT YOU HEAR
What we see and what we hear are windows into our hearts. They are the ways we feed things in our minds that live there. If we want certain things in our lives to die we need to starve ‘em by not seeing or hearing ‘em but if we want other things to grow, we need to feed ‘em by seeing and hearing more of ‘em.
YOUR HANDS AND FEET- WHAT YOU TOUCH, WHERE YOU GO
Jesus taught that if a part of your body like your hand is causing you to sin, chop it off. I don’t think he means for us to harm ourselves, what he was saying figuratively was to cut off from things we shouldn’t put our hands into or places we shouldn’t go to. Better to do without them than to go to hell with them.
The problem with sin is it can be a one stubborn, life- long stain on our conscience- its high maintenance. I don’t want to continually pay with my innocence and my conscience just to keep up with a sinful habit. God’s power is at work in us through the Holy Spirit and in combination with one or more of the eight signposts i shared above to give us a wise and blessed life. Live it today!
Omonaikee
CHURCH
Church was God’s idea. Like a Father he wants his children to gather in one place and be fed like children in a family gathering at the dining table at meal times. Everything set on the table is meant to be enjoyed from the opening prayer, the offering of praise and worship through singing, the sharing from the bible, the offering of money as a representation of our surrender of the material things God has allowed us to have e.t.c.
Regardless of what i find in a service, whether it be poor sound quality or a boring message (yep, that happens!), i try to enjoy being in my Father’s house savouring the varied flavours of his presence.
God also wants us to grow in fellowship not in isolation. Think of it like a pack of animals in the forest. They graze together, drink together and travel together. Why do you think they do that? They are safe from predators when they are together! Like the predator, the devil is always hanging around the pack looking for the one that leaves the group or lags behind. The predator can chase the solitary and the prodigal but he can’t chase the entire pack. So remain planted in church. Go when you feel like it and when you don’t feel like it. God will know you are making an effort and bless you for it.
3 reasons not to quit going to church
1. Don’t quit because you are still slipping into sin
The best place for a child of God to be is in the presence of God, that’s the only place where when he falls down trying to stand he will be picked up. That’s the only place where we are promised we will receive grace and find mercy when we need it. God will sometimes use another sensitive person in church to show you His mercy or he will let you feel His mercy. Hang in there and keep hearing the word of God and those stubborn sins will die and drop like bad fruit falling off a healthy tree.
2. The politics
There is politics in church. Live with it. Church folks can hurt you like no unbelieving folks can but remember when you come to meet with God, God comes to meet with you and he can go around those people to get around to you.
3. Hypocritical and critical people
There’s probably someone in the choir, someone in the pastorate and someone in church who has buried a black wolfish fur under white wool. They make you feel like everyone in church is a hypocrite (this may be true in some cases but find out if the pastor is sincere, if s/he walks the talk and if the majority is sincere, but don’t let the black sheep get in your way). Believe me, sometimes this people are planted by the Devil in church to detract from the testimony of that church (the bible relates in the book of Job a situation where when the children of God appeared before Him the devil came as well).
Finally, if the church has issues and you are not growing, find another pastor and find another church. When i was moving to a new city a few years ago i prayed about where to go to church and i believe several years later that God ordered my steps to the right environment for me to grow.
CHOIR
I have always been involved in a department in church and what i have learnt is that it holds you accountable. When you know that you are representing Christ and people see you doing stuff in church, it’s hard to step out during the week and just do what your flesh tells you to. It’s also an environment where you are constantly reminded to be holy, to take the high road and live above sin so it preserves your very soul. Besides you’re too busy doing ministry to find time to get into trouble.
Like a real member of the household, try to get out of the crowd and come into the core; don’t just be a stranger in your father’s house watching askance not participating in what your father is doing. Some churches are not as open as others in this area, but if yours is and you can, then get involved. CAVEAT- if you are struggling with an area in your life that is a dishonour to a ministry you want to serve in within the church, it helps to get it sorted first by getting counselling and help in that area and when you have victory over that sin you can be an even better witness as a church worker or leader.
READING THE BIBLE
The word of God puts the fear of God in you and the fear of God provides the restraint to keep you pure. What happens is, whenever a thought to do wrong rises up in your mind, the word of God will counter that thought with a thought that prompts you to honour God. When you don’t know what the bible says, either from reading it yourself or from hearing it said in church or among your friends, then there is no defence in you to protect you from doing what you don’t want to do. There is no power to overcome temptation. There is no fear of God to restrain you. There is no inner power to exercise the muscle of self control.
PRAYING
Two Sundays ago the pastor reiterated a phrase which the choir had put to song, “More prayer, more power, less prayer, less power”. It reminded me to pray more. Prayer is talking to God. Anyone can talk to Him; there are no qualifications or requirement. God says in Jeremiah 33: 3- “Call to me and i will answer...” A simple way to see prayer is having a conversation with God where you can talk about everything. You can talk about how you feel and what you need; you can ask God for help and for more of his presence in your life. I pray when i am missing a set of keys, i confide in God when i intend to do something wrong, i pray in the bathroom, in the car on the way to work and in my head. You can pray about anything when you really believe God when he says in his word that he is concerned about every detail of your life. He is!
FASTING
Fasting has been missing in my life for a few years now. I intend to jump start that by getting this book on fasting. But i can tell you that God can deliver you out of the grip of sin, the hassles of life and the power of oppression when you fast.
LIKE- MINDED FRIENDS
Oh whats that over used maxim about friends? “Birds of the same feather flock together”? The bible puts it this way- “bad companions ruin good morals”. Good morals are not to be found in friends who lack them in the first place.
EYES AND EARS- WHAT YOU SEE, WHAT YOU HEAR
What we see and what we hear are windows into our hearts. They are the ways we feed things in our minds that live there. If we want certain things in our lives to die we need to starve ‘em by not seeing or hearing ‘em but if we want other things to grow, we need to feed ‘em by seeing and hearing more of ‘em.
YOUR HANDS AND FEET- WHAT YOU TOUCH, WHERE YOU GO
Jesus taught that if a part of your body like your hand is causing you to sin, chop it off. I don’t think he means for us to harm ourselves, what he was saying figuratively was to cut off from things we shouldn’t put our hands into or places we shouldn’t go to. Better to do without them than to go to hell with them.
The problem with sin is it can be a one stubborn, life- long stain on our conscience- its high maintenance. I don’t want to continually pay with my innocence and my conscience just to keep up with a sinful habit. God’s power is at work in us through the Holy Spirit and in combination with one or more of the eight signposts i shared above to give us a wise and blessed life. Live it today!
Omonaikee
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