Cohabitation, an alternative to Marriage?

When I told Atala about the recent news about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, he asked; "I thought they were married?" No, they aren't, and even with this engagement, marriage is not assured. It's interesting that it is their children who are very keen for their parents to get married, probably from what they see around them, from friends, classmates and other sources.

Now Atala is not alone in thinking Pitt-Jolie are married, what with them having been together for seven years and having six children, both by birth and by adoption. At the same time, the couple are not the only people who fore-go legal marriage and go for co-habitation.

Corruption in Nigeria - James Ibori is Sentenced

There was some sense of gotcha! when I heard this morning that James Ibori had been sentenced to 13 years in prison. Ibori was once governor of Delta State where my parents are from and currently live and unlike other governors before and after him who had been fingered for corrupt enrichment, I knew for sure that this guy was no innocent. It would indeed have been criminal if he had gotten away.

I had been following the case right from when he was going through the Nigerian Justice system and then when EFCC picked it up. But those don't have a very good track record, and it was hopeless to think he would get more than a 6month sentence - remember Tafa Balogun and Cecilia Ibru? Worse, he may be released to fan fare from a rented crowd, ala Bode George. Even if some of his wealth was taken back, he would have more than enough to soon get back to "come-and-chop" politics.

Communication is not Mind Reading - Atala Writes

I believe that the secret to a great relationship is good communication. Usually, the way to do this is through simply talking. This works pretty well in the majority of cases. The trouble is, sometimes you – or your partner – might not be much of a talker, like Myne. Aren't you surprised?

Back to the subject. There might also be a difference in what you say to your partner and what you mean by what you say. Even more confusing is where you do say what you mean, but your partner interprets what you say completely differently.

No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop - International

AND THE WINNER IS SARIKA!

This giveaway is tagged "No strings attached" for a reason. You don't have to do anything to be eligible for the prize except leave your email in the comments. You can also simply say hi and leave out your details if I can contact you via your profile.

To flag things off, this is me saying hi. We've gone halfway through April and I hope you've been having a good month so far? Whatever the case, here's to wishing everyone better days ahead. I will be giving away an eBook copy of A Heart to Mend to the lucky winner. Good luck.

Are women our own Worst Enemies?

This is an often repeated question, and one that has come up in some of my conversations and some I've seen around the web recently. Why are we women the worst critics of each other? And I'm not talking constructive criticism here, but nit-picking of the most bilious kind.

Omotola Jalade, a well known actress who has been working in the entertainment industry for over 10 years, still has her age and looks questioned, and yesterday got into a heated Twitter exchange. No one can deny that such unwarranted stabs can be very irritating. Thing is, most of these comments are from women. Especially online where they can be anonymous, women go around spreading poison to other women, even ones they don't know.

Weekend Pictures - Passing Through the Navajo Nation

As summer approaches with the hope of time off work and maybe a vacation, I was looking through the pictures from our road trip last year. Looking at them again, I'm glad we did the whole cross-country thing. Driving was definitely a pain sometimes, but the payoff was worth it. America is a very diverse country with a tapestry of many Peoples in its history.

It was interesting finding out about the Navajo Nation as we passed through Arizona and Utah, on our way to the Grand Canyon. We stopped at the Navajo Bridge which spans the Colorado River and which we could walk across. There was also a small museum, gift shop and restroom. Perfect for a stop-over during a grueling road trip. And a great photo opportunity too.

Monica, Brandy: It All Belongs To Me - Romance Meets Music

Monica and Brandy debuted this "Leaving the Scrubs"song last month. They both looked great as usual and the song is not half bad, but it reminds me of Beyonce with Irreplaceable. Enjoy...

Woman's Essence Features me in their April Issue

Woman’s Essence Magazine is an an online magazine that aims to combine quality educational information in a fun way, writing on subjects [women] care about. In a new segment, Women who love to Write, they featured me in an interview titled, "Myne Whitman is Africa’s Romance Queen"

Shuga - Love, Sex and Money : Season 1 & 2

Shuga is a webseries, an edutainment show that follows the lives of young people in Kenya. If you've not seen these series, bookmark this page. I collected both season 1 and 2 here and I promise, it will be a worthwhile investment of your time if you can see both. I watched them on Sting's blog and Bellanaija, and finished off on the Shuga website. The series production and the message it discusses are both great. AIDS is real, people. Be careful and be safe...

Have you already seen the show, what do you think? Is it realistic of how some young people live and engage in relationships?

Going Down Memory Lane - TV Throwback

First of all, thank you all so much to those who read and commented on the last post. With such love from you guys, I'll be doing more personal posts like that. :)

For today, I want to take you back to those good old days of naija in the eighties. Yeah, I know, my age is showing now, I'll pull it up soon, lol... I saw this picture of Rita Dominic on a movie set and it took me down memory lane, straight into the parlour of our Enugu flat.

That TV in the left corner, I can almost swear that was the exact same model we had back then. Ours was a Sanyo, I think, and you could draw the front together and lock. And lock it my parents did sometimes. But I think we figured out a way around that, don't quote me please.