Secret Santa

Awwhh...looks like am not going to get my very own Secret-Santa gift after all.
What a shame! Let me tell you all about it....

Well, I am a Santa-Elf (and don’t ask me how I got recruited by Santa, I just did) as the Secret -Santa idea came from my department at work. We had it all planned out. We will ask around and if everyone was down with it, we will proceed to do it for christmas. Emails were sent out and responses started flooding in....yes, am in! ............Of Course! Count me in............Oh, I hate Christmas but what the heck I’ll do it!
Even colleagues who worked outside the boundaries of the city where the headquarters of the company is located couldn’t resist the urge to be part of the Secret -Santa fun and so they all opted in as they were given the special treatment of being assigned a name picker to pick a name for them from the ‘Mystery Santa Hat’.

Names were collated, printed, cut-out, folded and put in the ‘Mystery Santa Hat’.
Some rules were laid out as you would know if you do this every year (It’s not like I am suggesting that you do not have better things to do with your time every christmas and I do appreciate that some people do actually get some work done at their place of work while some do not...and I am not referring to the Santa Department...hehehehe).
*Each person gets to pick a name from the Hat
*If you pick your name, return it and pick another
*Do not disclose the name you have picked.
*Get a gift of no more than £5
*Gifts will be put into Santa’s sack and will then be distributed at the Christmas party we will be having.

Everyone was excited and even more excited when the name-picking day came around. With just a phone call to notify people of the arrival of Santa’s elves with the mystery hat, people trooped in to pick names out of the hat and whilst some left with huge grins on their faces, others left uttering swear words under their breaths. Need I say that not everyone was pleased with their name pick as people picked names of a person who they had never spoken to but is that no the very essence? Just buy a gift and forget it and guess what? The person doesn’t even have to know you bought it....hahahaha (I am happy about that)

As for me...hmmm, I wasn’t too bothered with the name I picked. I was a bit bothered about what to get this person (Were you waiting for me to say him or her) but after a few trips to the shops, I finally got something. I could only wish someone like Jeremy had picked my name though as he said he was going to just pop into a shop and get a gift within the £10 region. I can only but wait till the Christmas party to find out what my Secret Santa person had gotten me.

Finally, today is the Christmas party and I all I have been thinking about is my Secret Santa gift. I checked on Santa’s sack and it was obviously bulging. I was still wondering about what I would be getting when my manger came in and gave me this very sad news.

Ahem....Stella....I have bad news. Your Secret Santa will not be able to make it to the Christmas party because of the disruptions to the roads (this is due to snow as it’s been snowing since yesterday like the end of the world has come).

I was absolutely gutted. He went ahead to say that I would get the gift somebody else had put in the sack for my Secret Santa and if I do not like it, anytime this person comes around, I can then get my real gift. Well, what can I say....???
I can only but wait to open a Secret Santa gift this evening that wasn’t actually meant to be mine. All of a sudden, the christmas party has lost its allure to me. I will let you know about this gift once it arrives so stay tuned.

Sulia Kan, Aiyetoro Kan

Anyone that has seen the movie “Jenifa” will definitely have no trouble whatsoever with the slogan above 'Sulia Kan, Aiyetoro Kan'. Prior to yesterday, I had never heard about this spectacular movie until my friend called me and said it’s a must watch. She said I would laugh from the beginning to the end of it. Without wasting time, I set out to watch the said movie. It was completely hilarious. To also think that I watched the first part while at work- now don’t even go there; do you work in your office at all? How come you can watch a movie? Na u sabi o but truth is I do work and I still have fun. Got a problem with that? – I could not help but laugh out loud. Though I tried to stifle it as much as possible, I just could not and if you have seen this movie I bet you do know what I am talking about.

Anyway, as funny and as entertaining as the movie was, I got the message. It was a clear message. HIV/AIDS is still real; Promiscuous behaviours will definitely not go unpunished. I was left wondering about how people still go on living their lives in the view of ‘living large’ yet being so careless as to forget what’s lying in wait for them in the long run. It’s unbelievable.

Nigerian girls, African girls and girls at large, it’s another call for us all. How are we living our lives? What do we do when no one is watching? How do we make use of our freedom? How much do we value our chastity? Are we ready to lay down everything, and I mean everything just to be a ‘bigs girl’? These are very important questions we need to ask ourselves.

Nigerian guys, African guys and all guys in general, you are also concerned and I am glad that Funke Akindele (she wrote the script for the movie) found a way of bringing this as well into the picture. I know the girls do not give room for themselves to be respected but are we taking advantage of this at every given opportunity? How are we also living our lives away from the watchful eyes of people? How free is our freedom? How do we present ourselves to the public?Are we out to impress the female gender and intimidate the less privileged? Do we feel so powerful that human lives mean nothing to us? We really need to ponder on these things.

A Yoruba adage says ‘Aabo oro la nso fun omo luabi, toba de inu re a di odindi’ meaning, it is totally left to a responsible individual to heed a wise warning. If you are no longer who you are meant to be, you could still retrace your steps. It would also do you good to come closer to God. Draw near unto Him, and he will draw near unto you.

I definitely have to say a big well done to Funke Akindele and everyone that helped in making ‘Jenifa’ a success. God bless you all.

Remember, if you have not seen ‘Jenifa’, you need to do so pronto.
'Sulia 1, turned Jenifa 1'

A belated new year note

'As soon as I get home, I would update my blog'. This was the same thing I kept telling myself everyday but I never did. Anyway, here I am finally updating it with my belated New Year message and here it is:

2008 has come and gone.
Resolutions were made and forgotten.
For some, it brought joy, happiness, peace and prosperity. But for some, it brought pain, sorrow, tears and death.
For some it was the start of a new career but for some the end of a career.
Some got married, while some lost their spouses either through divorce or death.
Some gave birth, while some were born.
Life changing decisions were made.
Some earned more, while some could barely manage.
The credit crunch really hit hard. It made a lot of people jobless and financially crushed.There was a clash of authority and power.

For me, 2008 was another year which unfolded with new surprises as the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months.
It was a year of staying close to my family.
It was not a year of total accomplishment but close enough.
It wasn’t all smooth and rosy obviously but the difference was that I decided to make the best use of my opportunities.

Anyway, enough about 2008 and let’s focus on the New Year.
2009, what has it got to offer? Would you rather sit and watch things go wrong without you standing up to it? Would you rather sit and let 2009 dictate it's events in your life? We are into the year already and many "resolutions" have long been forgotten.

For me, I intend to do my best with the help of God to get the best from this year. I know man proposes and God disposes but still, we’ve all got our parts to play. We need to pray for guidance in taking key steps that will propel us to our greater heights and a step closer to fulfilling destiny.
At the end of the year, I pray that when we look back and speak about this year, it shall be all good news.
Enjoy the year as it brings forth all its surprises.

It's me
--Damsel from the Villa

The Day I Quit

Praise the Lord! I want to welcome you to today's service and ....
My pastor's voice trailled off as I was caught by this write up in the sunday bulletin.
And without paying any further attention to what my pastor was saying as he stood in front of the congregation, I started to read. As soon as I finished reading it, I immediately knew it was something I wanted to publish on my blog and just so you know it was written by my pastor(Pastor Sam Obafaiye).
Here is what I read:

One day I decided to quit...
I quit my studies, my relationship, my spirituality...I wanted to quit my living! I though of faking a fall, and then I would deliberately hit my head on the wall. But I did'nt. I later resolved to ask God to take my life instead, but He would not answer my plea.
I was in the hospital, having been to many before this, dying from a supernatural attack that defied all diagnosis but yet the effects so vivid and terribly painful. So I decided to have one last talk with God. "God", I asked, "Can you give me one good reason not to quit life now? Why is my life so difficult? Why do others have life so easy?"
His answer surprised me...He showed me a figurative scenerio of different kinds of people which could be likened to this short parable.

"Look around", He said, "Do you know the fern and the bamboo?" "Yes", I replied.
"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds together, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. It's brilliant green covered the floor yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In the second year, the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And agian, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo" He said.
"In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed but I would not quit.
In the fourth year, again there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit." He said.
"Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6 months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall!
It had spent the last five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive many human generations."
"I would not give my beloved a challenge too difficult to handle" (I Peter 4:12-19).
He then asked me, "Did you know, my child that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing tougher roots? Just like I would not quit on the bamboo, I will never quit on you! Dont compare yourself to others. The 'Banboo' (which you will be) has a different Purpose from the 'Ferns' that you see. Yet, they both make the forest beautiful."
"Your time will come." God said to me. "You will rise high".
"How high will I rise?" I asked.
"How how will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.
"As high as it can?" I questioned.
"Yes." He said. "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."

I left the hospital few days afterwards and for several months began a long recovery process. Armed with faith in God again, I went back to school, built up my relationship again.
I've not reached the height that will glorify God yet, but I'm still rising.

I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.
Never give up on Him or yourself either. He said, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end". (Jer 29:11)

40,000 people might loose their jobs

"Lloyds TSB is taking over HBOS".
That was the main focus of the news this morning as I perused a copy of Metro on my way to work. I was shocked.
What is going on? What is happening to our economy, Are we all gonna suffer for this?
These were a few of the numerous questions I asked myself as I sat reading my copy of the Metro newspaper on the train. The most painful aspect of this news is the large number of people that might loose their jobs.
About 40,000 jobs might be on the line the newspaper reported. I can only imagine what thoughts will be running through the minds of all HBOS's employees.

Would I be affected? No,I am too important to the company.

What if I am sacked, where would I start from?

What would be the criteria for sacking us?

Jeez, I might not have a job again in the next few days!

I would have been asking myself these questions as well.Why, you might ask. Well, just a couple of weeks ago, I was working at HBOS. Thankfully, I am no longer there but I do feel the pain of every worried employee. It is not the best position to be in at this point in time. A time of financail crisis.Everything seems to be going up in price and it's a matter of concern for everyone and I mean everyone.

As I reflected on these, I suddenly realised that there is another set of people who might also be worried sick. You might wonder who but they are the customers.

Minds would be racing,calculating,scheming and thinking of the next move, the next line of action.

Should I cash in my investments?

Should I change my mortgage provider?

Am I covered just in case any unforseen problem arises?

These and many more questions would be racing through customer's minds at this present moment but as I sat there reading every single word and trying to digest it, I realized that they probably need not worry.

This is a trying time for the economy and I would say from my own perspective that its a time to be much more closer to God. I need him and you need him as well.We all need him.

To everybody worried at this moment in time, I would say hope for the best but above all trust in God to do the best for you.

Feel free to voice your opinion about this issue and as it is a pending and pressing one, I would soon be back with another post regarding the financial world,the credit crunch which is about to envelope us all and the effect it might have on us all.

Finally, or should I say welcome

I was sat at my desk,right in front of my PC,typing frantically away.
I paused,taking everything in.
I had just come up with a money making idea a couple of weeks back and now things are going so fast I dont even know what to do. The cash was rolling in. Jeez!!! I was in money, enough to spend for a life time. I smiled,pleased with myself.
I got up to loosen up my overworked mucles. The stress of the past week was beginning to take its toll. I went into the kitchen, put a slice of bread in the toaster and made myself a cup of tea which I took back to my desk.
The smile still on my face, i decided to lazy about a bit but a quick glance at my to do list sent me straight back to work.
PHEW!!! Is this how stressful making money is?
I heard the toaster pop my bread out and as I stood up to go get it, a loud angry voice said "wake up, you lazy git"

I opened my eyes and I was on my bed.
What!!!
....and then it all came back to be. I was tossing in bed,restless, unable to sleep.
I have been speaking with a friend the previous day as to what to make out of my everyday life and he said to me "think,I know you can do it". I went away,loads of ideas in my head and I must have fallen asleep eventually.

One thing I know though,I have woken up a new person and I have finally decided that
I was gonna have a blog.

Awwhhh.....finally....I did it.
So, officially I say welcome to DAMSEL'S VILLA, a place that brings out the best in you.