I wish ...

2 posts in about 24 hrs, i tell u i am really improving. Woohoo!!! Anyway, i remember growing up, i used to wish i had an english name and stuff like that. I'll share with u some of the names i wish i was christened. Infact, to console myself, i've started making up names for my unborn kids (lol).

DISCLAIMER: No offence to people bearing these names o, i am just talking my own.

I wish i was named:

Tinu: Atinuke/ Tinuade/ Tinuola. You get the drift, anything that can be shortened to Tinu

Deyo: Moradeyo

Deke: Moradeke

Wura: Adediwura, not a big fan of Wuraola

Toluwanimi

Oyinkansola, Oyinkansade

Mojoyinade

Mojoyinola

Mojirola

Olufunmilade

Oluwasomidotun

Oluwadabira

Oluwadara

Kanyinsola

Fiyinfoluwa

Fopefoluwa

English names:

Joyce

Hephzibah ( i know it's not english)

Hadassah (Hebrew for Esther)

Caroline (Pls, i'd hate for that beautiful name to be shortened to Caro)

Rachel

For guys:

Xavier (absolutely love that name!)

Charles

Joshua

I think that's it for now. I will update the list as i remember.

Do y'all sometimes wish u had a different name? Please share?

YAY! Summer's here

I'm back again. Me and this my erratic blogging pattern sha, only God will save me. Anyway, let's have 1 minute of silence for the King of Pop, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, Ed McMahon and all those that have died recently.

Ok, 1 minute's up ......

Back to me. So 1st year's over. HALLELUJAH!!! PRAISE GOD!!!

2nd year, rolls in and before u know it i will be in my 4th yr- Amen!

Anyway, the summer's in, but it doesn't feel like summer for me. I am still in State college, living and working. I have some goals this summer, i pray i am able to accomplish all of them by the end of summer.

SUMMER TO-DO LIST

1. Finish up my paper to be sent out for publishing by the end of the year.

2. Revise the literature review paper and resubmit

3. Take a summer class and pass it excellently- Amen. Seeing as it is a 15 week class compressed into 5 days. Lord help me.

4. pack up my apartment and move.

5. Do whatever my "Oga" (My advisor) gives me to do

Gosh! School is beginning to take over my life. See as my summer list, has nothing fun included. Just school, and school and more school. Even i don't have plans for July 4. Just chilling and working on my projects. HA!

On another note, the boo and i went to New York over the weekend and we had a blast. Thank God for that boy in my life sha. I feel very blessed to have him and i lovvvvvvvvvvve him so much. Whatever jo! Afterall, it's my blog. Anyway, back to my studies. Just on here to take a break. I will try to be more consistent with my blogging. Laterssssssss people.

Bla...

I told y'all i would repent and be a serious blogger, and i stayed true to my word. Err about the title, that kinda explains how i feel right about now. Ah well! The life of a grad student... I have a ton of things to do before the semester's officially over, but 'cos of the lurve i have for y'all, i'm here to share snippets of my life.

I've come to the following conclusions about being a PhD student:

1.) It's purely glorified/ dignified/ (insert an appropriate word) slavery. You get to do work for your mentor, before you actually start getting fully into your own research, and even after that, it doesn't get any better.

2.) You always have a huge pile of stuff to do! As one ends, u have a zillion others clamoring for ur attention

3.) The work never really ends. Did i say that already.

4.)You start re-thinking ur life, and asking yourself countless times who sent u to enroll in the 1st place. Oh, and then u remember that it's ur never-ending zeal for knowledge plus ur hope that one day you will do some amazing research that will end up saving humanity!

I'll share the others, as i continue on this journey of discovery.

I am supposed to be getting work done. In an attempt to being a very good girl, i bolted out of the house to my lab/office. So far, i've been good. I finished grading and entering the grades for my students. Ah, i need to tell y'all there's a story about that... More on that later. Then i went to Qdoba to get free lunch/dinner, comprising of a burrito and tortilla chips plus soda. All free. Well, not really free 'cos i used my gift certificate i earned. I am catching on fast to this my new life, well it ain't new anymore, 1st year as a PhD student is almost over next week. Whew! I have come to learn that as a grad student, anywhere there's free food on campus, is the spot you should be at. So i was sitting down jejely when our weekly e-newswire was sent to my inbox, and i saw an ad about this doctoral student needing female research participants to complete a survey, and since i fit into the criteria, i went. BTW, i chopped enough insult from my labmate for actually walking 10 minutes in the cold to go do this. It was some kinda survey on HPV vaccine. Anyway, i was given a Qdoba gift certificate for spending 30 minutes of my precious time completing the survey. I have been participating in so many studies, being a "research subject" a.k.a. guinea pig that give incentives (of course, what kind of a person do u think i am?)as long as they're not injecting me or doing some weird stuff to me. Alas! The life of a lowly grad student.

Back to the gist about the grades. I am teaching/ TA'ing a 300 level research writing class in my department this semester, in addition to taking 3 classes, and being a research assistant. I had to grade the last exam and return it to them by yesterday. Long story short, i started grading 5 am yesterday and by 10:30, i was done with about 50 papers (multiple choice, short answer and essay questions). To say, i was being a mother christmas with the grades would be a serious understatement! Anyway, i zipped through them all, looking for the key points. Got to class yesterday, showed the students their grades, only for many of them to be making comments like, "WOW! I actually did better than i thought i would." I just thought to cut them some slack, since this was the last exam anyway, and trust me i have been a "good" (read: hard) grader all semster long. With that being said, some people still banged it.

The parents come into town soon, so i'm abso-freaking-lutely excited to see them. Can't wait! Anyway, gotta get back to work, and then finish typing up my 20-30 page paper by tomorrow. Lord, i need you to pls help me, 'cos i just have zero motivation and stamina right now.

P.S: Excuse the typos, should there be any. Brain's fried and too tired to proofread.
P.P.S: Y'all lurve me too much, right? And if u think i can't speak proper english, good for you.
Gotta go.

It's been toooooo loooooooooonnnnnnngggggggg, people!

Helloooooooooo people, if there's ever an award for the most unserious and inconsistent blogger ever, i'll win that award hands down. No contest on that! I've been neck deep busy with school work, omo this PhD no be joke o. It has seriously kept me on lockdown. It is glorified, or should i say modern day slavery, but as i have laid my hand to the plough, by the grace of God there's no looking back till i am done. It is tough, no doubt about that. Tough, in the sense that you have to learn to be an expert at managing your time and multi-tasking. I am taking classes now, at the same time i am a teacher's assistant and a doing my research. God is my strength and i know he has not brought me this far to leave me, so with that being said, i am thankful to God for this wonderful opportunity he has given me.

On a lighter note, i have missed blogging, it's ridiculous! I am thinking of making this a private blog, but then it won't be as much fun. I've made quite a number of friends through blogging, and it has been a jolly good ride so far. I know i am no longer annonymous per se, but whatever jare i really have no skeletons in my closet to hide.

I cannot wait for this semester to be over, but then again the work never ends. I hear from the 2 conferences i sent out abstracts to, then i know if the abstracts were accepted or not. My summer will be full. Preparing posters for both conferences, then i start writing the manuscript for publication, and then i am taking a methodology class that runs for a week this summer. Hopefully, i can squeeze in a vacation. Who knows???

My parents are coming, i get to see my mummy and daddy again after 2 years. Fun!

Okay, time to go back to completing this assignment due tomorrow morning. I'll be back people, i promise.

Sing dat song sista gurl

My people, can you imagine it is the last day in September??? Where did this year fly off to, i remember when it was January1. Thank God for his many mercies sha. Anyway, i have boku gist for una. As in, where do i even start from? Okay, first things first i got paid 2 months worth of my stipend, i haven't been paid since i started school in August, so you can imagine i was seriously managing the funds i had. The annoying thing is that more than half of the money is gone, because i have paid all my bills and cleared all my debts, hmm i lied i "think" i still owe my brother $300 (lol). It's so annoying how money just vamooses sha in this country. What the heck is even happening these days to the U.S. financial system??? Wall street saw it coming though, but that's not the koko (crux) of my gist. That's story for another day.

I have been bad o, my people. Let me confess to you people. I had my 1st, 2nd shot of margarita recently. Okay, this was how it started, i was hanging out with my friends, and just chilling and gisting over a plate of hot and spicy wings, that's how my friend ordered a kiddie size cup of margarita on the rocks, so na so i carry my big head, and i told her that i wanted to taste it, so long story short sha, she ended up pouring half of it into my cup. Yeye person like me, i said shebi it's kuku like mango juice, plus it has ice cubes in, so i thought it wasn't that concentrated. I gulped it down. No wahala, i felt alright. I wasn't driving anyways so i could indulge.

Fast forward to yesterday, myself and 2 course mates went to the same restaurant/bar, na so i dey feel like big girl, i ordered a kiddie size margarita on the rocks again, this time around, i drank it all up no sharing with anyone. 5 mins after i was seeing stars, i could barely keep my eyes open, i started being talkative, u know. I wasn't drunk o (maybe a lil' bit crunk LOL) but i was seeing double. I mean it was the smallest size, that i ordered o. In fact alcohol is so NOT for me. I don't know how people do it, but if the "kiddie" size of mango flavored margarita could make me tipsy then i am so not going there again. NO alchie for me, lai lai. Walahi talahi if i had taken one more extra sip, i would have been gone, as in gone (lol). Anyways, that's the story of my life.

So i joined the choir at church, yes o! We have to sing to his glory you know. I am loving every minute of it. As in, i used to slack before that i can't sing bla bla bla, but it's all about singing to his glory. By the way, what is in me that people like me like this, ehn? Abeg if u know me like that, tell me o. I have 3 girl friends here already as in real "paddies" buddy-buddy type of friends that i feel like i have known them my entire life. What else is there to gist y'all about. School is getting to me small small o. I have deadlines, papers to write and so on. I cannot wait for this APHA conference coming up, Cali here i come! I need me some sunshine (lol). I'll be there for a week, also attending SOPHE. I may also attend the ASA conference in Chicago, just that the department isn't giving me travel money, just hotel, for the Chicago trip, so i'll have to cough out about $200 for my ticket. I dunno jere if i want to take out of my meager student stipend, but it'll be so much fuuuuuuuuuuuun!!!

So my advisor (TBB) wants me to have a draft of a publishable literature review paper by Feb. '09. I need to get to work. As in, seriously. God help me. Ah well! My 1st grad school exam is on the 21st so my face will be scarce eyin folks and for some weird reason all my deadlines for school work happen to fall in October. Oh bummer!!! Vacation time is over for me. TERC is still on, so y'all are invited to call in Fridays at 5am EST. The dial in # is 269-320-8200 and the PIN is 210524#. We have a wonderful time in God's presence. If you want to know what TERC is all about, just leave a comment. It started with a group of bloggers getting together via teleconference to fellowship together and share in God's word. We've become like family now, so i am inviting you to come and be a part of the family. Have a blessed weekend people and remain blessed and highly favored!

Life as i know it

What's up blogheads? Anyway, i just felt the urge to blog again today (more like to rant/ vent). School started, i'm TA'ing for 2 classes (6 different sections of about 30 students each). Not too bad, huh? Well the down side is, i have to grade their papers as well. It's so amazing the kind of excuses these students give for not turning in things on time. The excuses are just so ridiculous and some (pls excuse my language) are just stupid! I overslept, i couldn't understand what was posted, and so many others. As in every time i log on to my school email i see at least 3 email from the kids. I finally deactivated my facebook account. I couldn't bring myself to doing it, so i told the mister to change the password, and deactivate it. That way, i won't know the passie and then i cannot reactivate it, 'cos it'll ask for my password, and even if i try to change the passie, it will ask me to supply my old passie. I know the mister will never give me the passie even if i'm crying blood. I told him to just give me the password when i'm on vacay and i need to check facebook.

So what led to this drastic decision? I realized, even though it's sad to say, that i was slowly but surely getting addicted to Facebook and it was becoming a real problem for me. Peep this, this past weekend, i planned to study and read some articles, but every time i went online the first thing i'd do was log on to FB. Long story short, i only got through to reading a few articles all weekend, and i did no studying. It was so bad to the extent that i now had to wake up in the middle of the night to get work done. I hate being controlled by anything.

What's going on my people, ehn? The number of folks i know getting engaged (4) within this past month. I mean, there's serious engagement fever in the air, and these are my people as in my very close friends. Enough aso ebi to buy. I am so haaaaaaaaaapy for them, infact happy is an understatement. I tell you, it's so funny 'cos every time i hear the news, mister is with me. I didn't know that the guy was already getting uncomfortable (lol). I assured him that i wasn't ready too, so even if he proposed now, it would take us abt 2 to 3 yrs before we finally got married. So we might as well chill.

Anyway, gotta grade 70 papers now, so i'll update again as soon as i have the time or whenever anything new comes up. Remain blessed, people.

P.S. Excuse the typos, no time to proofread

WELCOME TO HAPPY VALLEY

Yes o my people, i am still alive and well, thank God for that. So i have finally moved to State College, PA and so far it's been good. I got my ID, parking permit, computer log in info and all the basic stuff yesterday. Today i'm just going to walmart to pick up some basic necessities, and then to see my advisor, who will be refered to as THE BIG BOSS "TBB" from now on. It's kinda boring here, but i'm sure that's not going to last for long. That was how i moved into my apartment on Saturday and i was highly disappointed. These folks had not changed the damaged stuff since the last tenant moved out. The shelves in the bathroom closet are rusty, the wood in the sink cabinet in the bathroom is damaged, mold all over. Goodness gracious, there's no way i can arrange any of my stuff yet, till they fix it. Even the paint by the window sills are peeling, they need to get some paint job done. Anyway, trust me i already went to the rental office to lodge in my complaints and they've promised to fix it all. So let's see what happens.

My people o, looks like i may not be getting paid my stipend till the end of September, 'cos i missed the deadline for them to process my paperwork. That sucks big time, cos i've spent so much money moving. Thank God for the special people God has used in blessing me. My very special BP (the mister), my brother, infact thank God. I will survive one way or the other sha, i know God has got my back so no shaking. This place is still kinda boring, i need some fun before the real work starts. I'm excited to start school, odd abi? I know, but we'll see sha. Anyway, till i come your way again peeps, enjoy and remain blessed.

HOLY GUACAMOLE .........

Hello Blogheads, how've u been? I had the urge to blog and that's why i am here again. Did i tell you that i'm moving? Of course, what did u think??? I have never been a fan of relocating, but do i have a choice now? Did i also mention how expensive it is to move? Like seriously, what was i thinking. I went to State college to look for an apartment and found a 1BR in a very nice place, which is about a 5 minutes walk to campus. The good thing about this apt. of course it is about $80 above my budget, but the good thing is that all utilities are included in your rent. So check this out. Rent is 690+ 40 (for parking)= 730 then you pay a one time fee of 125 bucks to use the facilities (gym, pool blablabla). They have gas, electric, extended cable and internet, water, sewer, trash and they give you a bus pass. Good deal??? Oh well, but it's only 466sq. ft. Hmm... compared to where i am living now, that's small. But, hey that's the best offer i got so far.

Thing is the earliest i can move in is 8th of August, and my lease where i currently stay ends July 31st meaning, i'll be kinda homeless for a week. I have enough places i can crash in MD, but of course where then do i put the few items i managed to amass in my almost 1 yr stay in MD? Let's not forget again that i still have some of my clothes in my aunt's house in Long Island. Infact, God help me. I am being so prudent now and being extra careful not to have any unnecessary expense till i am all settled. By the time i deducted my rent and cell phone bill and car insurance bill from my monthly stipend, i'll have just about 600 bucks to live on. Hmm... Ko easy o. Who even sent me to go back to school, ehn? When i can still be making cool money working? Anyway, the earlier i get it out of the way, the better.

Can you imagine people. Just as i was typing this, my friend just sent me a FB message to tell me that the person going to sublease her apt. could not take it again. Though hers is a bedroom and my bathroom will be in my room and it's going for 300 bucks. Imagine, after i already sent my stuff over to the apt. complex. Maybe i should just stick with the 1BR apt that i already looked at. For privacy and all, u know if u decide to walk around butt naked, nobody will care. Anyway, i gotta run. Parking meter expired already and i don't need a ticket now.

Norrin mush is going on

Fellow blogheads, werrin dey? How are things going? I know it's been over a month since i last updated, but that na tori for another day. Marra (matter) of fact, lemme say, it's kuku plain and simple, i just haven't had the urge to blog. Abi now, you cannot kuku arrest me, it's my blog and i can do whatever i like.

So what's been happening. Let's see. God has been good o. You know in my last entry, i was praying for my brother to get an internship. That was how last week someone from Oga Bill Gates shop called him and offered him a summer position. Like joke like joke, i was thinking ha! This our God is faithful o. So check this out we (my siblings and i) are going to be all over the place. Even LV too is leaving in 2 weeks for his internship. By the way, i was thinking of taking the entire month of July as a vacation, not doing anything, just chilling. But i know myself, i'll get bored outta my mind in no time especially with everyone gone. But i need to de-stress before i start grad school in August, 'cos from then on it's going to be school, research, school, research and more!

Is it just me, or am i noticing scarcity in weddings this summer? Looks like the recession is hitting people or maybe it's just that they are trying to keep things private (i.e. no wedding webbie). Oh wells, lemme mind my business. The price of gas nko? Ridiculous! It's hitting $4 already like play sha.

So the after school program with those kids in the elementary school's going great, but i need to be careful hugging 'em. Last week i was seriously down with a cold. Coughing, sneezing and all. Those "germy" kids, na every second they'll be coming for hugs. If if u don't hug now they'll be thinking u're mean, but omo bone o, i don't care at this point. I need some adventure in my life jere.

What did i see and i didn't tell u peoples. That was how they towed my car last month o. Only for me to see another parking ticket on my car on Monday. These Downtown Baltimore people are looking for my trouble o. Ahn ahn, na only me dey here ni? I was blessed to be given a handicap placard by LV's mum, and once i park and put it on the car, i don't need to put money in the meter for 4 hrs or i can change the parking location and then i'll be eligible for parking for another 4 hrs. So i have been parking for free in downtown since last year. (Shh!!! Don't tell anyone). That was how i forgot to read the sign that i had to move my car at 4pm. I got to where i parked the car and Voila! No car. I was dumbfounded! Then the mind games began, maybe i didn't park here, lemme go and check my normal parking spots, i'm sure the car is there. Na lie! I sha went round and round all the spots i normally park, then the geek in me decided to check the sign post and that was when i saw it.

Long story short, i had to shell out almost $250. Kai! The things that money could've done in my life. It is well. On Monday, i parked o, didn't move my car 'cos it was raining heavily, that was how i saw another ticket. But why??? How in heaven's name does the yeye traffic police expect a "handicap" person to move their car or to even walk in the rain? But we both know i cannot contest that ticket, 'cos i am not disabled in any way, shape or form. I pray that till i leave this job in June, no more tickets or towing o- Amen. Someone was saying that's the price i pay for parking for free in downtown, that's it's payback time.

I am always careful when putting the handicap tag after parking, 'cos i don't want some nosy people coming to ask questions, but it's nobody's business sef. There are different kinds of disabilities, abi? Anyway, till i come your way again, remain blessed. Did i tell you guys i am actually excited to be starting school soon? YAY!!!

Good news galore

Hello pipos (copying naijachikito), what's up folks? Anyway, i had the itch to blog so i thought why not? I have just been surrounded by good news from friends and family. My gal, Sapphire Aster got into one of the top schools for her graduate studies, all expenses paid. The mister has two lucrative internships to choose from, we're in a dilemma now as to which one he should choose. Funny thing is that the 2nd intership offer, from one of the big pharmaceutical companies whose main head office is in NJ, he never applied for. He just attended a conference where he spoke to the guy from the company and he handed him his resume, only for them to email him yesterday with a letter of offer. I mean, that's just awesome. The 1st internship offer is with the top federal agency responsible for giving universities and professors and other scholars grants. I just thank God o, ni to ri, he has been a very good God. I use these testimonies as a point of contact for anyone looking for good jobs/ internships/ admission to school, that the good Lord will remember you and bless you indeed. Men and women, old and young will rejoice with you. What God has in store for you, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, neither can any mind conceive it.

Anyway, my pipos can u imagine these yeye people at my work place have started deducting social security tax from my pay, say wetin na. I sha received my pay and saw that it was significantly reduced, then i called them only to find out. I am pissed o. Anyway, thank God for the provision. I got my first electric and gas bill for 34 days. Omo mehn, $121 kini was what i saw, i was flabbergasted! Wetin i use now??? My friend is coming to visit first week in April, i have not seen that chic since we left Naija, so it should be loadsa fun. Searching for an apartment is no joke at all. I have been looking online frantically and have come up with about 4 places that look good, so i need to fix a date ASAP to go check 'em out and sign a lease and all.

My aburo is at the NSBE conference in Orlando right now. I pray he gets an internship. What else is there to yarn? Nothing. Oops! l forgot. there's this oyinbo gal i work with at the elementary school. She helps out just like my friend and i do. So this yeye gal is always snitching on us, that we eat all the kids snacks o. When as a matter of fact, everyone does and the supervisors see us eating o. My friend and I have decided to show this olodo gal pepper, infact her gist is for another day. Till i come ur way again pipos, have a blessed Easter.

Come and join me sing Hallellujah ... GO NITTANY LIONS!!!

My people o, i finally moved, as in moved into my very own apartment. Words cannot begin to describe how excited i am. I mean, it was about time. I just had to. God is wonderful, awesome, worthy to be praised and faithful. My life is a living testimony of the Lord's goodness. I got admitted into Penn State, my #1 choice and the only other school i applied to for my doctorate in Biobehavioral health/ Biomedical science. See, i applied to 2 schools, one in Ohio and the other was @ Penn State in State College, PA. Between the 2 of us, it was really Penn State i wanted to go to, 'cos of the fact that it's in PA. I just love that state, dunno why. So i'm headed back to PA o my people, but hopefully it's not going to be as dry as my former undergrad city. The wonderful thing about it all, is that everything's going to be paid for and i'll be getting paid "student pocket-money" (stipend) monthly. Needless to say, i'll be on a student budget and i'm so going to miss the working class life i've become accustomed to. I am so grateful to God.

I have passed through some storms in my 20 som'n years in this world, especially in my education. Let me share one of them with you guys. I am an international student, and after my undergrad i applied and was given a work permit (Optional Practical Training-- OPT) that would enable me to work for a year. OPT is not renewable. I was scheduled to start work on July 1st, 2007, but i didn't actually start till Nov. 14th. So those 5 months were lost. It was tough, i went through some sad stages then. Lackfundaitis (lack of fund) set in soon. Anyway, let me not bore u guys with the details. Those who know me like that, know what i am talking about. To anyone going through the storms of life, just know that it MUST pass. I wonder sometimes, how i went through it all without breaking down. It was surely the Lord's doing.

Anyway, i am frantically searching for a 1 bedroom apartment in State College, PA. Any suggestion, ideas would be welcome. If you guys happen to know people living around that Penn State, State college area, please holla. Also i am attending every conference possible, every talk related to the area i want to focus on in grad school, every book i can lay my hand on, just to familiarize myself very well with what i am going to do. By the end of my 1st year, i want to have an idea of my dissertation topic. I am giving myself 4 years to complete my degree, by God's grace. The average number of yrs most pple spend in the program is 5 yrs, but i was told someone finished in 3 yrs before. I also pray, hope and plan to intern at NIH every summer, if possible as a predoc in one of their many intramural programs. I want to be able to merge my biology background, "lab work" with public health and what my advisor does successfully.

I am thinking/ planning to go home in December. Yes o, you heard me very well. It'll be over 5yrs by then. I miss home. Anyway, we'll see sha. Till i come ur way again. May the Lord bless and keep you all.

Move, Application deadlines and many more

Ki lon sele eyin temi? Wassup folks? Okay peeps, how've y'all been? TERC is 1. YAY!!! Ok, i found an apartment not too far from my uncle and boyfriend's house, which means i'll be moving latest by Thursday 'cos my lease started on the 1st. I told my uncle and see drama o, let me not get into that. When i told my aunt, she just smiled (that smile... if u know what i mean) and said ok. Anyway, no yawa... no worries. I am applying to schools for Ph.D programs in the biomedical sciences, so abeg pray along with me that baba God will show me favor.

There's really no gist jere, just chilling with day to day life. I must say that this year has really been good so far, as per my spiritual life. I thank God for his grace o, 'cos it's really not by my power neither us it by my might. The mister and myself have started the habit of waking up to pray together at 6 every morning, i tell u that has brought about this unexplainable connection between us.

I had the opportunity of meeting Miguel 2 weeks ago. Imagine o, dude just showed up at church and walked up to me after the 1st service. I was surprised like heck! Anyway, it was nice meeting you for 5minutes o. Hopefully, we'll be able to hang out the next time you land in my zones jere.

By the way, i help out as a science tutor in an after school program at an elementary school. Okay, so i am meant to come up with a 2 minute science project for "Show-what-you-know." Any ideas? The project should be appropriate for either 1st or 2nd grade. Please if y'all have any suggestions, holla. Thanks.

There's no gist jere, i've been so dry lately. Have a blessed week people.

What's up folks?

Hello guys, i know... i know... I've been a bad blogger. Happy New year to you all. I pray this year marks the beginning of abundant blessings and the fulfillment of God's promises in ur lives- Amen. My b'day was last Wednesday. I thank God for adding another year to my life and for the wonderful family and friends that called, texted etc. Especially the two wonderful friends that took me out for a b'day dinner. I really wasn't planning on doing anything 'cos my siblings aren't around, the boo is still in Nigeria and a lot of random orisirisi going on at my uncle's where i stay. It was still a fun filled day for me sha. I went to work as usual and then later that evening the festivities began.

I had the priviledge and opportunity of hanging out with 2 bloggers (allied and believer) and a non-blogger commenter over the christmas break. It was so much fun. It was as if we had known one another all along. The way the gist was just flowing from the "magical touch that did wonders... lol" to "it only takes "the guinea brocade." It was fun galore. We stayed up gisting and eating all night and finally went to bed at 7 am.

I am applying to graduate programs o. I tell u those apps are no joke at all. Writing essays, trying to keep track of the requirements of different schools and keeping up with the deadlines. It is well. Long story abi?

I am planning on getting an apartment, even if it means sharing with a room mate. I want to live by myself now 'cos it's just too much drama going on at the place i'm staying. They've been wonderful so far, but i don't want to overstay my welcome 'cos it seems that's what's happening now. I need my freedom ke? I'm an adult now (lol) but seriously, it gets to a stage when u're tired of kissing people's behinds, u guys feel me? I stopped doing that and it seems that's causing a lot of trouble, but u know what ...

On saturday, i was so sad and down. C'mon one of the things i wouldn't want is for them to think i'm taking their generosity and help for granted. I really do appreciate all they've done by accommodating me and God sees my heart and knows how i feel, but it's time to leave. Question now is how do i tell my uncle without us falling out? I know they'll think ABCD, but that's up to them to think anything. Oh wells! I need divine wisdom for that.

Wassup with everyone telling me to enroll in a nursing program? When will they get it that i'm not interested. Geez!!! The money, yeah so what? getting a job that'll file your H-1 visa for u, ehn ehn? Abeg, everyone should just leave me jo. I've started ignoring them all, 'cos na pesin wey dey one dabaru hin head den dey look for (they're driving me nuts). Abegi, if i wanted to do nursing i would've switched since my sophomore year in college, so hold ur peace eyin peeps. Okay jere, my fellow blog heads, by the way i wonder if pple still come to read this blog. Here's a special shout out to my fellow capricorns:

VERA: Jan 14th
NAIJABLOKE: Jan 19th

Ok peeps, see ya later.

30 Days of Thankfulness 2- DAY 30

I feel honored to be one of those chosen to round up the "30 Days ..." Looking back at this year so far, i indeed have a lot to be thankful for. I'm so serious, i know it may sound cliche. God has been faithful, he has been good to me, he has been awesome. I've come to learn so far in life that even when things are not going according to your supposedly perfectly laid out plans, to still be thankful because everything happens for a reason.

I'm thankful for my family and to God for keeping us even during trying times.

I'm thankful for completing my bachelors degree this past May. It was indeed challenging, but i thank God that not only did i finish well, but i finished strong also.

I'm thankful to God for my sister's successful completion of her degree and for gaining admission to grad school on a full scholarship in form of a fellowship.

I'm thankful for the job i have now, it was indeed the job i wanted and the opportunities he has given me so far.

I'm thankful to God for the mister, my boyfriend. Okay, if y'all have been following my blog, you'd know that the last time i dated was 4 yrs ago and it wasn't a really serious r/ship, lasted for about 6 months. That was my very first bf and i think i just dated him to know what it feels like to have a bf. I was young and naive(lol). The mister has been everything i ever wished for in a man and more. The good part is that i wasn't even looking when everything happened. Love is most definitely in the air.

I'm thankful for my TERC family. Even though i haven't met some of them in person, i thank God for this strong connection we have. It's great, unexplainable.

I'm thankful to God for TERC, 'cos since we started it's been challenging but God has remained forever faithful. We've had our ups and downs yet we've come out victorious.

I'm thankful for the wonderful friend i met through this medium, Walking Encyclopedia, (u know urself) your words of encouragement during that trying period were priceless. Thank you.

I'm thankful for God's mercy that has kept me, even when i felt like giving up on myself, he never gave up on me.

I'm thankful for my health. In the last 5 years, i've not slept in a hospital or been in a hospital cause of an illness. My Jehovah Rapha has been my personal physician. Doing the regular check ups without me knowing.

I'm thankful to God for life.

I'm thankful to God for you, the reader and i pray his will for your life will be accomplished in the mighty name of Jesus- Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey folks, I know it’s been a long minute since I last updated. Sorry, it’s not my fault; let’s blame it on the fact that I started a new job. Work’s fine, I find it interesting so far, I can’t afford to complain. It’s not lab work, but “office work.” I share my cubicle with 3 others; I have my own space though, which is quite nice. It’s obvious that I’m the newbie as soon as u step in, ‘cos I have the most boring space ever. I guess with time, I’ll jazz it up. So what are y’all doing for thanksgiving? As for me, I dunno yet, maybe I’ll sleep in and crash a couple of friend’s do. Was planning to take a trip to NY, but that ain’t happening. I’m so targeting black Friday sales, mehn. I’m in dire need of a brand new laptop, that’s another reason why I haven’t been updating frequently these past months. Best Buy, Walmart, here I come!

Oh I forgot to tell u guys I’m taking the GRE exams soon, yes o you heard right. I’m sure some of u are wondering what happened to me taking the MCATs? Well, to cut a long story short, not that I wasn’t ready or anything, but my faith got shaken a lil’ bit. Lesson # 1, NEVER TRY TO LIMIT GOD Bijouxoxo (Oops! I almost typed in my real name…lol). By the time the doubting Thomas in me finished listing the mountain of seemingly impossible things regarding med school, I gave up. But you know what, ever since then, I’ve had this unrelenting spirit urging me on not to give up my dream. So with all that is within me, by God’s grace I am going to do what it takes to get there. In fact, some people were gossiping that maybe I took it and failed and didn’t want anyone to know, Heck! If that was what happened, I would’ve said so.

With that being said, let me tell you a little bit about what I do. I work at the school of medicine, in the downtown office. I’m a senior analyst/ research assistant (that’s my title o) Hmmm… Get to read loads of articles, and summarize them, attend scientific conferences/ forums at the school of medicine or at NIH etc. I’ve met loads of people in the short while that I’ve been here. It’s all about networking. At the scientific forums, I get to interact with research physicians doing big things within the field of medicine and that has further given me the assurance that I can do “it” with God’s help. Parking in downtown is horrendous! My goodness, I really have to come up with a brilliant alternative ‘cos I can’t be paying $4 a day (on a very good day) or $6 a day for parking. My 1st couple of days, I paid $9, imagine!!!

Apart from work, nothing much has been going on. The mister is fine, my family’s doing great. Oh, by the way I met Vera and Naijabloke finally at this wedding. Vera’s a midget and NB is a giant. Yes, I said so and that’s the truth. Oh, I’m attending this surprise b’day party for an old classmate on Friday, hopefully there’ll be loads of fun, food and gist. Ok, I’ve to get back to work before my people discover what I’m doing. Laterssssssssss people. I miss blogging, yes I do! Have a wonderful thanksgiving and remember to give thanks for everything in your life.

Platonic friends? Hmmm ...

Hey folks, how're u doing? YAY ME!!! 2 posts in a week? I'm really getting better. Ok, i've been thinking a lot about this. So as usual, i decided to use my blog as an outlet to let off steam. DISCLAIMER: This topic is not about anyone in particular or in reference to any incident.

Let's begin, oppposite sex friendships we all know can be difficult, and it is quite challenging especially when u're in a serious/ committed r/ship i.e. when u have a boyfriend/ girlfriend. I'm going to be very open and tell it like it is on here and i know this isn't unique to just me.

Most of my friends, and i mean friend in every sense of the word (not acquaintance) are guys. I've 2 best friends. A bestfriend girl and a bestfriend boy, like i call them. Those who know me, can testify that i'm one of those easy to talk to pple. I can be a complete goofball when i want to. Anyway, to the koko of the oro (crux of the matter), i love my boyfriend a lot (yeah, yeah! who cares?), but i find it difficult striking a balance, in such a way that i won't make anyone uncomfortable.

The other day, the mister and i were together, when this random guy [let's call him Former Bad Boy (FBB). He gave himself the name not me] i met sometime ago walked up to me. Apparently FBB has/ had designs on me, which i was oblivious to, as always. We chatted on and on and since then we've become acquainted. The mister's so uncomfortable whenever i'm around FBB and i've tried to put his mind at ease so many times. Good for him to know he has competitiors out there, so he acts right, some may say. Of course, FBB knows the mister but he still says we can be platonic friends. No qualms, afterall i have many other guy friends that i talk to for hours.

Then there's this other friend i have in Canada that's just wonderful in every sense of the word. An absolute darling. If the mister wasn't in the picture, i probably would be dating him now. That's not to say i'm comparing the mister with him, not at all neither does it mean that i'm having second thots abt the mister. I talk to Mr. Canada all the time. About twice a week just to catch up on what's happening in his life and all what not, do some amebo here and there, shey u get?

Let's not even bring the Naija guys into this pix. They say out of sight is out of mind, so i think i can handle that side very well. Now the experts that know how guys and girls think say that, ladies are emotional wrecks sorry beings, they also claim that when a guy and a girl are getting too close, just platonic closeness, that if care isn't taken, one/ both parties will start developing feelings for the other. Hmmm ... Food for thought. I daresay ,that it's not always the case just from examining my friendships. What do y'all think? Are platonic opposite sex friendships still possible, even if the person liked u before? Does constant communication bring about affection? Please, be as honest as possible. Remain blessed folks.

When it rains, it definitely does pour

Hello blogheads, how're you guys doing? If there's ever an award for the nost inconsistent blogger ever, i know i'll win that award hands down. But really, it's not my fault (yeah, yeah, play the blame game). I've been job searching since August and i've finally been blessed. I got 3 job offers all in a week and yet i still have 2 interviews lined up for next week. Our God is forever faithful. I'm grateful to God for the wonderful family he 's blessed me with for their constant love and support, they were always and are still keeping me on my toes. Sometimes, they're a pain of course (LOL). Also for my wonderful friends, especially the Walking Encyclopedia (WE), his encouraging and inspiring words were just wonderful. In the short time i've come to know him, he has really been a blessing to me, and i cannot thank him enough. I remember calling him at odd hours of the day/ night to whine and WE was always there to listen, a good listener he is (don't let ur head swell, 'cos i know u're reading this), staying on the phone with him for hours, especially whenever i felt overwhelmed.

ELVEE also provided a shoulder to cry and lean on, but with school and so many other things he was going thru i wanted to steer clear. ELVEE is just too funny. Can u imagine my wonderful boo has been trying extra extra hard now that he knows he has some competitors out there, infact that's gist for another day (PENDING GIST #1).

Many things are happening on a daily basis. Oh by the way, i attended the Festival of Life, organized by RCCG. It was glorious. Pastor Adeboye preached, Apostle Gilbert Coleman and Martha Munizzi had a live concert. It was wonderful. I was back stage mostly 'cos i volunteered to help out with the hospitality team. We were responsible for hosting Martha and her band members, giving them food and all. When she came for a snack in our room, nobody had a camera to take a picture with her, we sha managed one with a camera phone that's just so unclear. Some of the testimonies were just hilarious. Gosh! There was this guy who came with his wife to testify how God saved his wife from fibroids, he went on and on to say how the docs said there was a 50% chance she'll ever be preganant, how they had their 1st three babies in less than 3years a little over 2years sef, of course the church hoo-ed and haa-ed at that. Anyway, it was just too funny, the pastor that MC-ed had to ask if she wasn't pregnant again at the end.

My scoper (this guy that has designs on me), was at the holy ghost night, I chilled with him for a lil' bit. Gosh! That guy's story is for another day (PENDING GIST #2). I need to keep y'all posted. Happy birthday to Muyiwa, may God grant u your heart's desire according to his will- Amen. Happy birthday in advance to oluwaNIYI the GREAT COMMENTER, dude u've been a blessing to me and i can only wish u the very best and speak God's blessings into your life. The good Lord will perfect all that concerns you- Amen. Thank you. Till i come your way again, i'll try not to make it too long, remnain blessed people.

GO BOILERS!!!

Belle, i know u're chanting along abi? Anyways, i flew into Indiana yesterday and i'll be here for 5 days. Indy folks, holla. Chichi i'm still waiting o, it'd be nice for us to link up while i'm here. I got to see OF (see previous entries) after almost 8 years. Geez!!! Everyone's so grown now, but there are some things that never change, of course. I'm just lazing around. Later on, we should go sightseeing. I don't even know if there are any fun places in this West Lafayette, so far it looks boring. We'll sha, we're going to worship in Baba OF's church on Sunday.

Elvee did something that blew my mind, totally unexpected. After dropping my aunt and i off at the airport, as i was about giving him a goodbye hug, he handed me his debit card. At first , i'm like what for? Then he went, "in case u want to do some shopping in Indy." I was beginning to tear up, so i quickly vamoosed before i gave the waterworks company a run for their money. He's so selfless and that's one of the reasons amongst many others why i love him. I kuku didn't accept the card from him, for so many reasons. It has nothing to do with pride or anything (well i don't think), but i have my reason for acting that way. I hope he understands, and it won't be like a slap in his face.

I'll keep you guys posted on my orisirisi happenings here. By the way can you guys believe i slept off and missed TERC today. My phone was on silent. Lord have mercy on my soul. Toyin babes, i'm sorry o, i woke up this morning and saw 3 missed calls from you. I feel so bad. I'm so impressed with my sister. The babe has really pimped her apartment. Decorated it and all in less than a month that she's been here. I wonder where i put my camera, i pray i find it sha 'cos i have so many pictures i've not downloaded on there. Niyi the commenter, enjoy yourself in Philly, i wish i could've linked up with you. Oh well, some other time. By the way the well-known doctor in my village (see previous posts) is coming to Baltimore, so we're going to meet up for dinner/ lunch and talk about job offers jere. Oh well, gotta go. Will keep u guys posted. Have a wonderfully blessed weekend guys.

Guilty or Not guilty?

I know you guys missed me during my almost 4 month break off blogger. LOL. Well, a lot has happened as u can imagine. I graduated from college, spent time hanging out with the family, took my MCAT Prep class, postponed my MCAT exam, met this wonderful, handsome bloke who happens to be my boyfriend now (couldn’t let a good brother slip away just like that :), moved to Baltimore, MD. I think the move is temporary, well except I get a job here. So far I like Baltimore and I pray I get a job here, so I can stay here for at least a year. Changed churches of course, I now attend Jesus House Baltimore (JHB), I love the church, even though there’s a claim that the youngsters that attend go to show-off. Well, that’s not my business, as far as I’m concerned nothing consign (written intentionally) me jere. I am also job-hunting seriously. I am desperately in need of a J-O-B. I want to work as a research assistant/ technician/ technologist on a college campus. I just want a job that will aid in my application to med schools. Okay, I know you guys are waiting for gist. Kai! See gist-mongers o, I know say na anoda pesin’s gist sweet pass, so I no blame u ‘cos if to say na me, all my ears go dan stand at attention.

Okay, lemme start with how I met this bloke. We will call him Mr. ELVEE. Elvee came for my sister’s graduation party and he was looking like million bucks, dashing young man. Of course I kept my eye on him throughout the party, but he was oblivious to it all. You know I have my CIA cum FBI/ Robocop skills. I had to do it as an underG thingie, can’t afford to de-rep myself just like that ‘cos of fine boy o. Tufiakwa!!! We didn’t even yarn at all that day except the usual exchange of pleasantries. He was at our party for about 1.5 hrs, and then he had to leave for his cousin’s grad party, but he promised to come back to give our family friend, Globo (there’s this very sticky chewing gum, called “Globo” they sell in I think Lome, Togo). You get the drift on why we call her Globo now? Some of you can be slow sha :) Since my brother was the designated photographer, he used my camera to capture the events of the day. 2 of my friends who happen to attend the same church as Elvee were scanning through my camera, and when asked for the 411 on dude, na so so praise den dey praise am, you would think dude paid ‘em or something. They all had wonderful things to say about him, of how dedicated he is at church, how down-to-earth he is, how funny he is blablabla. Even Globo had wonderful things to say about dude ‘cos they attend the same school. That was how Globo decided to begin the hook-ups.

To cut a long story short, Globo played a major role in hooking us up, and we officially (lol) started dating June 1^st. It’s been fun so far, quite a learning and humbling experience. We’ve got into trouble together, and out of it. No major misunderstanding yet, just minor arguments. So far, I’m having fun.

My dad is a lawyer, and I’ve gone with him to court on two occasions while I was in Nigeria. The two times I went, I hated the court scene. I may have to appear in court soon to be a character witness (I think that’s what it’s called) in the trial of the professor from my school. A bunch of my friends and I received subpoenas (sp?) from the attorney. This is serious bullcrap o (excuse my French please). The guy only taught me for one semester and his niece happens to be my friend. Chikena! I so don’t like the court setting. Also, I recently got a citation for trespassing in the public park o. There’s this park with a nice lakeview near my sister’s school where I go to chill after studying. I had been studying all day and needed to take a break. That was how I called Mr. Elvee up, for us to take a walk in the park. This was around after 9 p.m. or some minutes to 10 p.m. Just to enjoy the scenery o. We then chilled in his car; we parked the car in such a way that it was facing the roadside. About 15 minutes later, we saw flashing cop cars coming our way. The cops’ sha told us to get out of the car, they searched the car, and wrote us up for trespassing on state property after hours. I never knew parks had closing time. Anyway, we have to appear in court for that. My thing now is if the judge asks, “Guilty or Not guilty,” what do we say? I am seriously praying the case is dismissed. Not only that, there was this Sunday the Mister and I were on our way to church. Service was meant to start at 9 and we were just leaving the house at 8:45. It takes us about 30 mins to get to church, plus he’s in the protocol dept. at church, so u get the drift. I wonder what got into me that day, I delayed him for about 5- 10 mins, tryna get my pretty on :) So he was speeding down the highway, next thing you know, we got pulled over, and he was given a speeding ticket for $ 90. Being his 1^st speeding ticket ever, he was told not to pay up, but contest it. According to what we were told, if he paid the fine he would get points on his license. So he has to go to court for that again. Should he plead guilty or not guilty? I felt terrible and vowed never to keep him waiting, so help me God. I pray the case I dismissed.

That’s what I’ve been up to so far o, eyin people. I pray no more yawa for me again. I’ll keep on keeping u guys posted on my daily orisirisi runs. My life is indeed quite fascinating, I know all these things are added to spice up my life for a reason. It is well.

DARN BLOGGER!!!

Will post shortly, blogger's screwing up my post ...