Back to the Books Giveaway

Hello and welcome to my blog to all new visitors and subscribers. I will be giving away a $5 value Amazon Gift card. To enter, fill in the rafflecopter below. The winner will receive an email within 72 hrs of the close of the giveaway and have same amount of time to respond or another person will be selected. Goodluck!

Public and Private Proposals - Go Big or Go Home?

The other day, at the end of the news, they were discussing the rise and rise of public marriage proposals, and not just public, but big, theatrical, and expensive. Think Howie Mandel flash mobs, movie cinemas, public parks and gardens, full marching bands, complete military parades, helicopters with flying announcements, you name it. Talk about going BIG!

Review - Boosting Your Confidence by Aloted Omoba

Boosting Your Confidence, 15 Steps To Success In The Workplace is a short easy to read ebook and is based on the writer's personal experience and research. It shares simple effective tips and strategies that anyone especially mums and women can practice to boost their confidence at work or in business. It doesn’t really matter why you lost your confidence in the first place, the book challenges you to step up and make a change in your life. I read this motivational eBook in less than an hour but I'm sure some of the tips in it will help me for a very long time. It is written by Aloted, a fellow blogger and is currently free if you sign up at her website, Super Working Mum.

Nigeria Wins Powerlifting Gold at the Paralymics

Yakubu Adesokan won the first gold for Nigeria in powerlifting at the ongoing London 2012 Paralympics. He also beat the world record in the men's 48 category by lifting 178 kg, over three times his body weight. Congrats Yakubu, and all the best to the rest of the Paralympics team!

Men Lie More Than Women - Guess the Top Lies?

A new study has proof that men are significantly more likely to lie than women - the average man tells three lies a day or 1,092 a year compared to women who only lie twice a day or 728 times a year. This is for those who ever doubted how trustworthy we women are or those who are fond of saying that women lie more, or don't know their minds. Now you have to take back your words :)

Ring Pop Proposal For Gold Medallist Aly Raisman

Aly Raisman was the captain of the US gymnast team and won a Gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics. She recently got an offer of marriage from a fan during an autograph session in Los Angeles. The fan dropped to one knee before the 18-year old with a Ring Pop Candy and asked her to marry him. Of course she said no, but she did take the candy. And she gave him a picture to remember her by :)

My American Dream isn't a Yacht or Mansion

When I told Atala he would be the focus of this post, my dear husband started blushing and shy as he is, almost wriggled a recant out of me. But I stuck to my guns because there is no one else I’d rather appreciate when it comes to work ethics and how helpful and supportive he is.

So We Do Not Forget - Letter to My Sweetheart

Letter to My Sweetheart by Rita

My Sweetheart,

How are you doing? Why am I asking this rhetorical question? I know it has been very hard for you since June 3rd2012. I know at this time you are inconsolable, but believe me, time heals all wounds and God will comfort you in His own special way.

Recall that whenever I travelled, I always sent you a mail on my arrival to tell you about the journey. That is why I am sending you this mail because I have arrived safely, but at a destination we did not expect. I am going to start with the moment we boarded the flight from Abuja to Lagos.

My Mum is in town and I'm Loving it!

Hi peeps, hope your week has started off well. My mum is visiting and I have less time online. So just a heads up that there may be less posts in the coming weeks. And she has given permission for me to share her photos, expect some more of the same as those below. And she is journalling her experiences daily, maybe we can have some of those too. Have a great week, Mwah!

Is Sexting Normal for e-Dates these Days? By Tiyan

Recently, I have been feeling very inundated with conversations I have had or conversations that have been shared with me about men who come down hard on women because of their weight or size. Some of these men are not exactly Mr. Universe themselves. I believe that if you are not clinically obese and are comfortable in your body whether curvy or otherwise then you are good to go. Do not wait for validation, be your own best assessor and be happy.

Eko Tourist Beach Resort Lagos - Weekend Pictures

While we were in Nigeria in July, we stayed in Lekki with a friend for a few days, and I got to check out that part of Lagos. Our host actually drove us all the way down to the new Lekki-Epe airport and the Free Trade Zone which are both still under construction. On our way back, we stopped over at the Eko Tourist Beach Resort. The resort is located at Akodo, on the Epe Expressway, quite far from even Lekki, about an hours drive. Luckily, the roads are quite good.

Avril Lavigne - Wish You Were Here : Music Video Romance

Avril Lavigne recently got engaged to Chad Kroeger, the lead singer of rock band Nickelback, and in congratulations, I'm featuring her song, Wish You Were Here.

Romantic Names in Nigerian Languages - Please Translate

Some of you may remember this post on Nigerian love and romantic names that I did sometime ago. It remains quite popular through search and I get regular emails or comments on it. Once came in recently and she needs our help. I am out of my depth in Yoruba and even my Igbo has its limits. I know my treasure in Igbo is akum and my peace is udom, white flower would be ododo ocha. Over to you language experts :)

So We Do Not Forget - Final Boarding Call

Final Boarding Call by Walter Uchenna Ede

“This is the final boarding call for all passengers going to Lagos!” the voice of the female automaton blared from the loudspeakers of the public address system. I looked grudgingly up from the page of my Vince Flynn novel, dragging my attention from the point where Mitch Rapp had been about to blast yet another Middle Eastern terrorist to hell where there won’t be any fifty virgins waiting to receive him. I glanced round as the line shuffling past the check-in counter trudged on faster than it had been before. That was the final boarding call for my flight and these people are still crawling forward as though they had all the time in the world, I thought with some asperity.

Right in front of me was a young boy, roughly my age, clad in the de rigueur low-slung jeans over his nonexistent buttocks, his boxers peeking out from beneath his slim-fitting T-Shirt. With his Mohawk haircut and earphones strapped over his ears, he completed the image of nearly every youngster in Nigeria – an image I didn’t particularly like. I don’t know why this male fashion sense was so in vogue, but I wasn’t impressed by it at all.

Yejide Kilanko's Daughters Who Walk This Path - Author Interview

Yejide Kilanko was born October 1975 in Ibadan and says one of her fondest childhood memories was staring at the projector screen as her father showed slides from his travels across Australia and New Zealand. She desperately wanted to travel the world, and then discovered faraway places by immersing herself in books. Her love for reading just about anything she could lay her hands on, led to writing her first poetry when she was twelve. Enjoy our chat below, and my review of her first novel, Daughters who Walk this Path.

The Theory of Wedding Potential by Adeshina ‘Tunde

The theory of Wedding Potential began with my personal experience and tries to explain this unspoken criterion many single women use when selecting who to date and have a relationship with. Some ladies I asked out in the past told me they liked me but couldn't date me. It wasn’t that they lied in order not to make me feel bad for rejecting me. I believe they genuinely did like me. I ended up making out with few of them yet they insisted they could not have a relationship with me. I had sex with one and as she was about to leave she said, “Hope you remember we are not in a relationship?”

Feed Your Reader Giveaway Hop!

I have a Kindle that has almost 500 books, most of them I got free from Amazon. When I travelled to Nigeria, I did not bother to carry any paperbacks, I simply took my kindle. So for those of you with ereaders, including your laptops, I will help you feed your Reader. Three winners will get one eBook of their choice of my two books A Love Rekindled or A Heart to Mend(pdf or ePub).

Here are the books the winners can choose from:

Re - Cynthia Osokogu - Safety Tips for Social Media

I read this report of the murdered Cynthia Osokogu, may her soul rest in peace, and chills went over me. She went missing in July and her body was found last week in a Festac Morgue after she had been strangled to death by her Facebook friends and abandoned in a hotel. Several people, including those who may have killed her, have been arrested. Hopefully, they will reveal details of their methods so others can beware of criminals who utilize internet anonymity to perpetuate atrocities on innocent people.

Some things are too Serious to be Forgiven

I was discussing the Evelyn Lozada and Ochocinco divorce [resulting from infidelity and domestic violence] as well this recent Rihanna revelations about her love for Chris Brown with Atala and he decided to write down his thoughts and share with us. Read and chip into the discussion...

Why Does Rihanna Still Love Chris Brown?

Sometime in June, Fred Igbeare, the editor of Cloudblazer News [a website that syndicates some of my articles] sent me a note asking, "Could you do a blog on 'Rihanna: Why Abused Women Go Back'? Considering reports she and Chris Brown are sneaking back together again.... and given also the brutal brawl over her between Brown and Drake... Would love to read your thoughts on the issue."

Dear Myne - My Wife's Stubbornness is Killing my Love

Dear Myne, I read the story below in a newspaper which is just like mine and wanted to hear your reader's responses. I don't want to share my exact details since I don't want to be recognized, but the summary like in the story below is that my wife cannot cook, she doesn't want to learn, and in addition to refusing to start a family after what we agreed before marriage, I am almost fed up. While I don't want to divorce, how can we get over her stubbornness?

So We Do Not Forget - Laugh Lines

Laugh Lines by Kiah

He went missing on a cold Sunday morning; as if to remind the world that he was warmth itself.

I did not need reminding.

He left, and no matter the many layers of clothing that shield me against the cold harmattan wind that blows from the North, warmth has failed to return to the part of my heart that was his.

The night before that cold Sunday morning, he called me on the shiny new cellphone he had bought me on his last business trip. I had not needed a new phone. My old one was barely a year old, another souvenir from one of the many far away lands my lover often visited. Odinaka loved giving presents and I loved seeing his face light up in anticipation as I opened the numerous parcels he always brought back.

‘Ezinne.’ He said that night.

‘Odinaka.’ I had answered with a smile on my face.

‘How many more hours till I get to see your beautiful face? How many more minutes till I can hold you in my arms, eh? Time spent away from you always seems so much longer that it really is. You have really bewitched me, Ifunanya. It is about time I made you my wife and carried you along on all these trips.’

Wedding Pictures - Jason Njoku and Mary Remmy

Congrats to Jason Njoku and Mary Remmy who had their wedding last Saturday, here's wishing them the best of marriage. Mary Remmy is a Nollywood actress, and Jason Njoku is the founder of iROKOtv, an online distribution platform for Nollywood movies. The pair got married at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Festac, Lagos.

World Humanitarian Day with Beyonce's I WAS HERE

Doing something good, somewhere, for someone else.

As a celebration of all the humanitarian work across the globe, Beyoncé sang her awesome, I was Here (my thoughts on the song) at the UN General Assembly in New York to inspire people to leave their mark on the world. I watched the video and tears came to my eyes. I know I am leaving my mark on my world in my own way, but each day I ask myself, can I do more, am I doing enough?

Beyond the Frame - Charity Photo Auction and Exhibition

Yinkuslolo is an old blogger I used to follow. She got my respect for a non-profit project she executed after she got a student grant from her American college in 2010 for a water sanitiation project in Nigeria. She has graduated now and founded Photopower Nigeria – a volunteer and charity initiative to empower youth through the use of photography. Photopower is having their main fundraising event tomorrow - an exhibition and auction of 30 photography works taken by 15 teenage orphans. I am happy to share the details for those in Abuja, it is on Monday, a public holiday, so no dulling.

Relationship Status Game - Pick A Fruit

1.MANGO-happily married
2.ORANGE-single and searching
3:LEMON-having a sex partner,no strings attached
4.STRAWBERRY-in a relationship or marriage but in love with someone else
5.PEAR-still in love with ur ex
6.CHERRY-in a relationship for the wrong reasons,you just don't know why you still with the person
7.GRAPES-single and happy
8.PINEAPPLE-just like the person nothing serious
9.BANANA-in a relationship with the love of your life
10.CUCUMBER-in love but not sure what the outcome would be
11.GUAVA-in a love with some one who belongs to someone and u cant have him/her.

This was shared on my FB newsfeed and I wanted to play with you guys. If you prefer, the anonymous commenting is on. WHAT TYPE OF FRUIT ARE YOU?

So We Do Not Forget - Turn To Dust

Download the complete anthology.

Turn To Dust by Raymond

CHIKE:

It is raining.

I walk down this street, my hands in the pockets of my hoodie, hood over my head. I don’t remember how I got here, and even the name of the street eludes me, just as understanding, and peace, eludes me. In my right pocket, I softly stroke the piece of metal I’d picked on that day, not too far from the crash site.

The day the sky fell down.

The day life decided that it…that it…

“Hey Mum! Come quickly! You don’t want to be late!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” she answers, laughing as she runs to the car. “This boy, you want me to fall? See how you are making me run!”

Ways To Keep Love Alive by Sacha Crouch

The quality of our relationships is a reflection of our ability to give and receive love. When we first enter a new relationship we give our love freely, choosing to focus on the positives of our new found mate. Yet over time, our love becomes conditional, depends on our mood and focuses around keeping count of what our partner does for us. How can this be a recipe for great love to last a lifetime?

Last Days of Freedom Giveaway Hop

I know a lot of college students read this blog as well as some mothers with children going back to school soon. To give a lucky winner a head start for school supplies, I will be giving away a $10 value Amazon Gift card. To enter, fill in the rafflecopter below...

Celebrity Crushes - Who's Yours?

I was watching a show the other day with a reception of the Olympians in my state and they were asked their celebrity crushes. Answers ranged from Jennifer Aniston to Justin Bieber. So next time we had friends over, I used that as a topic. Their responses surprised me, even Conloleeza Rice's name came up, and Ambrosia of the Victoria's Secret fame. Mine is Boris Kodjoe, who's yours?

So We do Not Forget - The Moon at Noon…

The Moon At Noon by Oluwafunminiyi

6pm. Thunder crashes loudly in the distance.

“Temi, have I ever told you how beautiful you are?”

They sit together on a sofa in the living room. There is a respectable distance between them. Ron Kenoly is on tv doing “Let it rain”. It rains heavily.

“No…”

“Never?”

“Never…”

“I think I have, you just weren’t listening…”

“Hmmm…the ears never forget Tade…”

“Oh, but they do…”

“No they don’t; the just choose what to listen to…”

What Does Trust Mean To You?

A relationship without trust is like a phone without service, all you do is play games.

I retweeted this above sentence one day and someone asked me, "And what is the definition of trust?" I found it interesting that I had to stop and think about my answer. It is generally assumed that trust is important in any relationship and we're all quick to trot it out when listing qualities of a good relationship. But we forget that trust is very multifaceted, and means different things to different people. My final response was, "trust is believing the relationship and the person in it with you mean good for you. Always."

So We Do Not Forget - PS, I Love You

On June 4th 2012, I called on the general public to contribute to an anthology in commemoration all those lost in Dana Airlines Flight 9J-992 from Abuja to Lagos on Sunday 3rd of June. Several entries were received at naijastories.com and for the next few days, I'll be publishing some of them here. You can click this link to download the complete anthology.

PS, I Love You by Ife Watson

You sang and whistled to yourself as you lathered your body in the bathroom that morning. As you climbed out of the bath tub, your feet slipped and your head hit the hand basin hard. You yelped in pain and went to the mirror to check your face. You saw a lump; the size of a guinea fowl’s egg on your forehead. You were not one to wallow in self-pity, so you went to the freezer to get some ice to put on it. As you entered the room, you hit your right foot against the chest of drawers. This time, you groaned in pain like a bitch dog in labour. You snapped your fingers in a swift motion around your head and threw your fingers backward into the air.

Dear Myne - I'm Torn Between Two Men

Dear Myne, am in my mid twenties, i have just a year more to graduate from school, i work and have a bf who doesn't like 9-5 jobs. he says he prefers street money which is not constant but can come big. not long ago i met a new guy thru a cousin. the guy is serving presently in a bank. he loves me and wants to settle down with me.

Jennifer Aniston Engaged - Older is Wiser?

With the announcement of the engagement between Jennifer Aniston and boyfriend Justin Theroux was this quote made by the actress earlier this year, "Having experienced everything you don't want in a partner over time, it starts to narrow down to what you actually do want. As I get older, I realize what qualities are important in love and what suits me. And what I won't settle for." I can't help but totally agree.

What are your thoughts on finding love and lasting relationships when one is older, and hopefully wiser?

The Golden Couple - Jaqueline Carvalho and Murilo Endres

The MVP Brazilian volleyball player Jacqueline Carvalho won gold for her country at the 2008 Olympics and also at the 2012 London Olympics. She got my attention when it was mentioned in the commentary as the game went on that her husband, Murilo Endres, was also on the male volleyball team for Brazil. I'm just watching the male volleyball finals for gold and Brazil is leading Russia. All the best to him. I also googled them and found they have a sweet love story...

No Way by Becca ft MI - Music Video Romance

This video is for Becca's latest single - No Way, and features MI, the Nigerian rapper. Becca is an upcoming Ghanaian musician who I have been recently checking out and liking her music. She has a mellow, African highlife sound that I find soothing as well as entertaining. She has a few romance meets music videos and I'll be sharing some of those later.  Enjoy this...

Weekend Pictures - Federal Circle in Washington DC

This is a largely wordless post. Enjoy and have a great weekend, Mwah!

Describe your last EX with a Movie Title

Mine would be Love Without Language, it is a Nollywood oldie. What about you? Feel free to choose any movie from any place, Hollywood, Bolly or Nolly.

Have a relaxing weekend, mwah!

What Would You Do If You Saw A Zombie?

Even though I have watched my fair share of zombie movies, starting from sneaking in Night of the evil dead around 10years old while my parents were away, I would probably jump out of my skin and run the other way if I saw one. The video above is part of a marketing campaign for Walking Dead and they got some pretty funny reactions. What would be your first instinct if you see a zombie in real life?

A Reader Responds - Who Says Infidelity is Bad?

Apart from the regular Dear Myne's, I get a lot of responses to my posts from readers of this blog, especially those who subscribe to receive it in their inbox. However, this response was so detailed I requested from the sender to post it here. She thinks I was being subjective in terming infidelity bad and promiscuity as reprehensible, since life is about different strokes for different folks. Well, read the response...

When Does a Relationship Actually Begin?

So we’re all familiar with the idea of the wedding. You know, the grand ceremony where a couple avow their intention to remain married to each other for better for worse, for richer for poorer, for fairer or uglier, and so on, before friends, family and the whole world. It’s such a public declaration that there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind as to when exactly the marriage started.

Love at the Olympics - Michael Phelps Debuts Girlfriend

Rossee tweeted this picture of her holding Phelps' arm as he shows off his London 2012 medals

Michael Phelps recently made history at the current Olympics as the athlete with the most medals including double the gold of any Olympian. The American swimmer won four gold medals and two silver medals in London, making a total of 22 Olympics medals he won throughout his career of just over 10 years and 3 Olympics.

Teju Babyface and Tobi Banjoko - Real Love Story

Teju Babyface and Tobi Banjoko

Some of us have the notion that when a man and a woman get together, it is usually the woman who may have cajoled the man into the marriage. But that is not always true, men are real people - with their own needs and emotions - and often they are the ones who seek and find the woman after their heart. However, it is not often that we get a candid insight from a man who is married or about to get married.

Will You Marry A Man You Know Is Cheating?

When Evelyn Lozada was asked sometime ago about her fiance Ochocinco cheating on her, she said "I care. I’m not going to say that I don’t care, but I’m not going to stress myself to a point that I’m trying to do everything to stop him. Listen, if you want to go and f-ck then whatever, like I’m 36. I’m not trying to stress about that sh-t. It is what it is and I truly feel like a man is going to do what he wants to do no matter what you do." They are now married.

Will you marry a cheating boyfriend?

No fronting o, I know some ladies who have done and continue to. Feel free to go anonymous and state why you married or would marry such a man.

Dear Myne - Am I Money Conscious For Wanting To Wait?

Hello Myne, How's it going? I'm actually in a dilemma. My boyfriend asked me to marry him but i'm not in the country at the moment. He wants me to come meet his people and do an introduction after which i can go back to school and the traditional marriage rites can be done in my absence.I'm in my early twenties. I should be ecstatic, right? The love of my life wants to spend the rest of his life with me. I am but there is a clause. My boyfriend isn't financially buoyant.

Going For Gold - The Williams Sisters and Gabby Douglas

At this stage, I think I am beginning to come to terms with Nigeria's lacklustre performance at the Olympics. It might even be possible that the country gets no medals at all at the end of the day. It's not over though, but in the meantime, I'll be celebrating some of my favorite golden girls!

At the Newseum in Washington DC - Weekend Pictures

As a blogger, you can imagine that I was very interested in the new media section of the Newseum in Washington DC during our last trip. Another section I liked was the front pages from different countries and cities of the world. The section on 9/11 made me cry with the audio/visual showcase, may the souls of those who died rest in peace. Enjoy the pics...

Seyi Shay - Loving Your Way : Romance Meets Music

According to FlytimeNigeria, Seyi was first signed in 2005 with Sir George Martin the resident producer to The Beatles; she wrote You Will See, in the Album Beautiful Intentions, for former Spice Girl; Mel B, and with Mathew Knowles as her manager, she appeared on the reality television show, "Breaking From Above" on Nick and MTV Networks. Loving Your Way is her solo debut video.

The Fresh Scent of Tide Plus Bleach Alternative

Around these parts, Atala is one in charge of laundry. He decides on the detergents to use and sorts and loads the clothes in the washer. I sometimes help to unload, put in the dryer, fold away, that sort of thing. I couldn't help noticing when some weeks ago when I was folding some of my light-colored clothes that they looked brighter and so I asked. Turns out, he picked up a new detergent for the light colors since our supermarket had run out of our usual brand. The new one was the Tide Plus Bleach Alternative.

Your Best and Worst Travel or Flight Experience

Hello everyone, I am now back home and so knackered. So my trip back home takes about 24hrs altogether and at the end, I was feeling like a zombie. I've had some sleep now but still jet-lagged. I'm now thinking of the whole travel experience and how it wasn't so bad. I was freaked out each time we had some turbulence though, I pray God clears my mind of the fear I've had since that Dana Crash.

Dear Myne - Was I not Worth Loving?

i met this guy, he told me he wants to date me, but does not want to be in a relationship yet, unless it was leading to the altar. i didnt really understand what he meant, in full context, but decided to go with the flow. He ticked all my boxes in the right places and we were dynamite together, till i noticed, he couldn't seem to stop flirting on bbm.

Public Display of Affection - Obama Kisses Michelle

Talking of couples doing sweet stuff, President Obama and Michelle were the target of a Kiss Cam at a basketball game sometime last month. Their daughter, Malia, was the first to notice when the Verizon Center's Kiss Cam zoomed in on the president and the first lady and she encouraged her parents to kiss.