Day 4 Gratitude Challenge
 I am grateful to God for my family. Sometimes, I wonder what it would have been like to have been born into another family. Although, I didn't get a chance to choose through what family I came into the world but God, who knows all things and sees the future, made the perfect choice for me. By myself, I could have made a mistake cause there would have been absolutely no way to tell which was a good family and which wasn't, and even if there was a way to tell, my still-developing-embryonic brain couldn't have possibly been able to figure it out.
  I am thankful to God for keeping us in unity, peace and love for soon-to-be 3 decades of being a happy family. For the provision and the protection especially when that bad guy tried at different times to snatch different members of my beautiful family, in Shania Twain 's words, we still together, still going strong and I have God to thank for that.
 Although, we have some odd ways of expressing our love and care for each other, my family is the most supportive family to wish for. I am grateful for my really cool brother, Princewill Osaigbovo , my sweet-spirited, drama-queen sister, Benedicta Osaigbovo , my over-sophisticated brother, Bob White, and my Jesus baby and baby of the house, Eugenia Osaigbovo who inspires me when I am slacking in spiritual matters.  Of course, my parents who are also teachers, preachers, counsellors, fashion police,intercessors(my mum especially), providers(God is the source). I nominate all the people mentioned in this post(my siblings n Shania) to take up this challenge and share what they are grateful to God for.

Day 3, Gratitude Challenge
   I am grateful for my salvation. He has chosen to call me from my darkness into His marvelous light and has leaked some of His nature and spirit into me. I am grateful because I am no longer just existing(I was grateful for my very  existence on the 1st day of this challenge) but I am living now that He's found me. Yes, He found me, I was too blind to find Him, He called me, I was too dumb to call out to Him, He pulled me close, I didn't have the strength to pull Him.
 I am grateful for a clearer understanding of His will and purpose for my life.I used to be so confused. Now, Its all coming together in bits like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. I am grateful for the sweet fellowship  and the warmth of His love which is like nothing I have ever felt before. I am grateful for places like The Glorious Fountain Ministries and  Avenue Baptist Church  where I go to get sharpened and all the men of God in my life especially Rev Igho Yegbeburu  and Rev Oke Odunayo who keep me straight.
  My nominees for today are my pastor friends: Rev Oluwole Ojo ,  Pst Adewale Jolade,Pst Sammy Damilola, Pst Donald Osanyade , Pst Donald Tiemo .I nominate all of my friends from The Glorious Fountain Ministries and Avenue Baptist Church to share with the world what God has done for them.

Day 2, Gratitude Challenge
 I am grateful for my country, Nigeria.In the ugly face of boko haramism, unemployment, corruption, kidnapping, bribery, injustice, i wud spare u more, there is still a lot to be thankful for. we being d undefeated giant of Africa is one, we not having natural disasters is another, coupled with d fact dat we just kicked ebola's ass n d so called world powers are seeking our advice on d issue. we just clocked 54yrs of ruling ourselves without tearing d nation apart(wit d way we were going at a point, i thought we wud split), soccerwise, we are doing well, having won d african cup n come 2nd in d women world cup. am i leaving something? yea, our sense of humour n resilience is amazing n am grateful for dat. i nominate my most trustworthy friends, Abraham Owie n Audu Ajayi to take up dis challenge.

Day 1, Gratitude Challenge
 I am grateful to God for my very existence. My highly imaginative mind(another reason to be grateful) has thought of where I would have been and what I would have been up to if I wasn't born. I have even formed idealogies about where unborn babies lived and what they do while waiting their turn to born . First, I thought they lived with God in Heaven and had number tags on them so that when a woman was about to conceive, God  picked the the next on the number line and planted it in the woman's  womb and the others would cry because they would miss their little friend and that ironically the new next-on-the-number-line would be happy because it knew that any time soon, a couple would get married, have their first night and bam! it wud be its turn to visit the world it has heard so much about, have new parents less awe-inspiring than God and have a new home just for a change.
 But then, as I drew closer to God, I got to understand that He doesn't waste  His resources by creating what He doesn't yet need. So here goes my newest idealogy, which by the way has to be a little correct: there are no unborn babies in heaven or anywhere else in the universe. They don't even know that they don't exist or that they might exist someday or when they would exist. God is still in the creation business. He creates a new human every time a woman conceives. And that's how he created me.
  There were probably a thousand and one sperm cells at my creation but I swam(even though I cant swim now) the fastest of them all to win first place.Small and tiny as I was at that time, with no gills and no life jacket on, that was a pretty impressive feat.Imagine, if I wasnt born. I wouldn't even know there was something called life and what it felt like to be living.I would be nameless, faceless and 'identity-less'.I wouldn't have posted this. But I am here now and pursuing my dreams. I hope to be as fast now as I was then and catch up with my dreams. Thank you, Lord for creating me.
 Last time, I checked this was a gratitude challenge and not a final year long essay so in closing, I would like to nominate my friend, Obuh Stevyn, who overrates my linguistic proficiency and who I was chatting with at the time of writing this, my boss John Nasamu, for being the friendiest boss ever and my co-author-to-be, Eseimieghan ThankGodfor being more than just a business partner.

Gratitude Challenge

Whatever the history of the gratitude challenge, I have officially succeeded in manipulating my long time classmate and friend, Adia Oro-ghene to nominate me to take up this challenge for 3 reasons:1) i luv a gud challenge as much as i luv you, yes you. 2) trust vinny not to pass on an opportunity to write 3) who goes wrong with gratitude, anyway? Enough said already, let's get started on my next post.

It's about time I started blogging more faithfully. First, I have to say I am sorry for running off my blog for months the way I did. It's gonna be better now, I promise. Watch this space for everything pretty, lovely and sweet, everything inspiring, everything educational, everything Christian, everything feminine, everything humane and everything me. As a writer, I hate to be curtailed so I would just blog about everything. Now, let's get started.............

Sun

       Sun
    The sun
    Is so much fun.
    Refreshing like a bun.
    Not scary like a gun.
    Don't you know, hun?

   If God had a refrigerator,  
   your picture would be on it.
   If he had a wallet, your photo
   would be in it.
   He sends you flowers every spring
   and a sunrise every morning.
   Whenever you want to talk,
   He'll listen.
   He can live anywhere in
   the universe, and
   He chose your heart.
   What about the Christmas
   gift He sent you in
   Bethlehem, not to mention
   that Friday at Calvary?
   Face it, friend. He's crazy
   about you.

Your Hairstylist and You.

                                                     Your Hairstylist and You

  Getting a great hair-do isn’t as simple as walking into a beauty shop, pushing a few hundred naira bills into the waiting hands of your ‘hungry’ hairstylist, grabbing a can of coke, sipping on it and browsing through the latest edition of Genevieve Magazine or even dozing off on her ‘boring’ conversation while she goes about her ‘dirty’ business of styling your hair.

  Hell no! It takes a lot more than that. Mutual respect and understanding between you and your hairstylist would go a long way to get you that look many a man would fall for. Here are some secret truths about your hairstylist that s/he will not share with you but which would set you off to a good start for a good hair day. Enjoy!

Ø  S/he is a stylist, not God and you are probably Negroid not Caucasian. So, if you want a long, blonde mane cascading over your shoulders and wind-blown like Beyonce’s in ‘Crazy in Love’, get yourself a Yaki or Expression weave-on, colour 33 precisely, because no matter what chemicals or creams your hairstylist prescribes, you’d NEVER be a natural blonde and you will continually get frustrated over nothing.

Ø  S/he is a beautician not a magician. S/he can give you Toni Braxton’s ‘Breathe Again’ hair cut or Rihanna’s ‘Take a Bow’ hair-do but s/he can’t give you their faces and their looks. Nothing bad in trying out somebody else’s hairstyle but while you are at it, appreciate your individuality – the size of your head and the shape of your face.

Ø   Show him or her some basic respect – Call ahead to let them know you are coming and if you are gonna be late for an appointment, call to let them know so they can do something else in that time. Greet them when you walk into their shop. Say ‘Thank you’ when they are done with your hair. It don’t matter that you paid for their service. Have you ever stopped to think how rough, untidy and ugly everyone would look, if we had no stylists? Be patient with them; correct them politely or courteously when you think they are getting the style wrong.

Ø  S/he does not have super-sonic speed so come at least two hours earlier if you’ve got to go somewhere with that new look because if you don’t , s/he would be rushed and you might end up looking like a scarecrow – no fault of theirs. Don’t ask to be squeezed in when s/he’s already booked. S/he’d be taking time and effort from other clients and it’s not good for his or her business.

Ø  S/he doesn’t just have a comb, s/he’s also got an opinion. Don’t just pick on a style and insist on it. Ask their opinion and listen to it. They are in the best position to tell you the hairstyle suitable for your round, oval or long face.

Ø  S/he is a professional, not a beggar and a hair trim isn’t like a paper trim. It requires their expertise, skill, knowledge and time. Would you say to your dentist, “it’s just a tooth” or to your doctor “it’s just a leg”? No. So, why would you say to your hairstylist “it’s just a hair trim”. That single bill you stuff into the shampoo person’s hand isn’t doing them any favours. With the global economic depression, two or three hundred naira bills doesn’t buy much anymore. You owe them at least 500 bucks for each touch up, more if your hair is a virgin one.

Ø  S/he doesn’t have a computerized memory. Some clients would say “Fix my hair just like you did it the other time”. That always baffles me. The average time women wear their hair is between three to four weeks and your hairstylist probably has hundreds of clients. How, in God’s name are they supposed to remember when your last time was and exactly how they fixed your hair the last time? If you want a carbon copy of a style you loved, take a picture of it, bring it along and show it to them whenever you want a repeat of the style. Is that too much to ask?

Ø   S/he is human, not super-human. Standing all day, using scissors, combs and a blow-dryer takes its toll on them. Job hazards of hairstylists include arthritis in their fingers from all the holding, combing and stretching, calcium deposits in their wrists from handling all those hair creams and relaxers and ten percent less hearing from the constant noise of the blow-dryer. Most hairstylists retire daily as physical wrecks so you should bear with them when they are tired.  Your hair would be turn out better if you give  them a little break, say twenty minutes to regain their lost energy.

Ø  S/he is not the problem, you are. Bodies and hair react as hormones change so if your hair is dry, listless or brittle, or if it’s not holding colour or style like it used to, don’t be quick to blame them, see a doctor. If your hair isn’t over-processed (too relaxed and therefore weak), it could mean you are pregnant or even menopausal (surprised?).

Ø  Kids should pay more. Why do you think a child’s haircut or hair-do should cost less than yours? Kids don’t sit still. They whine and kick. It’s usually a harrowing experience for your hairstylist.

Ø  S/he is not only your hairstylist; s/he is also your friend. Apart from immediate family members and intimate friends, they are the only other people who see you at your worst – when your hair is wet, when you have foils or rollers on your hair, when you don’t have make-up or jewellery on. There’s really nothing left for them to see. You can trust them with things. The truth is they are not just interested in your hair and your money but also in you. So, if you ever need a friend to confide in, your hairstylist can be one. If you are guessing I am a hairstylist, you need to have a re-guess cause that was the wrongest guess you ever made. I am outta here.

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