RaMadaN MuBaRaQ

Another year has come and the visitor has returned.This time the weather’s great and the time is right.Thus,let’s utilize this period to worship without limit.It is a moment to rip all benefits and take advantage of what’s in store for us for it’ll only last a couple of weeks and then it’ll be gone again.The prayers shall be strengthened and the vigils will hold.Ask for your desired needs and lay down all your goals.The devil has been caged and therefore the wise ones amongst us will abstain from any form of sin and evil and open up to the endless blessings that Ramadan brings.I intend to do what i do every year,and far more than i’ve ever done to push my position a notch higher than it was last year.I wish every muslim a pleasant one,and hope that we will make the best use of this holy month as it slowly passes by.Pray,recite the holy book,give alms to the poor,do good and repent for this is the best time for it.May we have the grace to experience the ultimate night of power insha Allah.Amin

BaTMaN BegiNs

As far back as i can remember,i grew up watching a lot of cartoons with awesome superheroes in them.It was the greatest part of being a kid for me cos i felt that someday i’d have the special powers or abilities that these unique beings had.Of course being a mischievious little kid,i enjoyed playing the role of a superhero but most of the time i ended up being a sinister villain cos for one reason or the other my brothers wouldn’t let me choose first.I owned a lot of comics and watched cartoons on a daily basis.I played with action figure toys when i felt like it but the best part was acting it in real life with my younger ones and friends.I liked Superman for the fact that his powers were highly overrated and always won over an argument on who the strongest was.I didn’t fancy Spiderman that much considering he seemed pretty much too smart for the enemies most of the time and also because he reminded me of arachnophobia.Hulk and the rest of the crew didn’t really prevail on my list,however i liked drawing them a lot.But the hero i loved the most was Batman and i don’t really have a very genuine answer to provide if the question of “why” popped.He was just so dark,unique and armed.His gadgets and gizmos made me drool when he was in action.The shape of his cape was very peculiar and the fact that he didn’t really fly made him kind of special.I like the way he glides from the rooftops of Gotham City.Well,Batman is an awesome hero believe it or not and his foes are “despicably” cool.I have a friend who once had this “all-black” ride which i happened to name the BatMobile,and because of this i called him Batman.Another friend of mine happened to love the dark character “Joker” for some creepy reason so i named him The Joker.Though my style of drawing’s not that much inclined towards the muscular figure drawing of these superheroes am still and will always be a huge fan.Who knows perhaps a little more time focusing on them may bring about the flair to produce something of that nature on paper just like DC and Marvel comics do.Call me crazy but i’ve got this super glow-in-the-dark Batman tee shirt that a friend bought me as a present a couple of years ago and i still don’t wanna outgrow it.I don’t know but somehow it just makes me feel super on the inside especially when it glows.I feel some sort of super powers are being unleashed from it.This being said,my vendor back at school had come across an ultimate guide book,a Batman collector’s item plus a broad look into the Dark Knight.We kind of lost touch as i’d changed my phone number but he reserved it for me even though he never thought he’d see me again.I was on campus over the week to pursue something and on my exit,i bumped into him.After going through a series of books he had purchased,nothing looked appealing.But just as i turned around to head out,he passed me a large heavy book with a very catchy Batman figure posing on the cover.”here you go” he said “i saved this for you several weeks back,hoping you’d come for it someday” i was speechless for a moment.My pupils dilated and my mouth was agape.I couldn’t believe that i was actually holding this book in my hands.This is something any fan would kill to have and i got it straight from the shelf without even stretching out.This is truly a treasure trove and as the name goes,I will treasure it forever.I won’t be a lender and i’ll turn my back on every borrower that approaches me.A massive addition to my sacred library 

TasTiNg tHe foRbiddeN fRuiT

Okay this sounds awkward coming from the lips of a person who vowed never to use a blackberry device ever.I was never a big fan of the phone even though i didn’t attempt to give it a shot at any given time.I just held on to the opinion that it was a total bother and utter distraction,plus the hype people gave it down here was highly overrated.I’ve been aware of the blackberry for a couple of years now but the boom seemed to have exploded in the past three years down here.It was either you own a blackberry or you’ll never know me and a lot of people took this seriously.A friend shared a funny story with me the other day saying that a girl stated to a boy “am sorry,i can’t give you my number.You’d have to own a blackberry so i could give you my pin.” This made the guy want to own the phone so desperately,and he eventually managed to get one.As for me,my family was a big reason why the thought finally settled in my brain.It was always a tug of war situation when the subject of purchasing one came up.I had my reasons,the sole one being addiction and obsession over some stupid inanimate object that could grant total access to the internet.All my siblings owned blackberries,my mum later got one,and my dad as well.They communicated frequently and discussed stories trending,shared pictures and updated themselves with the latest news.My friends wouldn’t stop bothering me about it when i called them to complain about the silence ”get a blackberry so you wouldn’t have to worry about texting at all” they’d say to me.I on the other hand was not interested in it at all as long as i could always tweet and blog with my current phone,an awesome Nokia.With time,my brother who’d been away for a while kept insisting that i get a blackberry so we could communicate constantly.Funny enough,the monthly BIS never appeared to be a problem in my eyes when it cost five thousand naira a month.And now it’s three thousand with extra bonuses depending on the network one is registered to.Soon my dad convinced me to get one for myself even if i was in love with my Nokia phone.I mentioned this to my brother and he made instant arrangements with his blackberry buddy to send a good one over so i could embrace the network.Last week,my blackberry came into town.I went through terrible traffic,confusing navigations ,a series of steep stairscases and annoying security to finally end up at the office where this “sacred” fruit was patiently waiting for me.I walked in,smiled at the lady seated on a swivel chair and introduced myself as the guy her son sent a phone to from Kano.She smiled back,reached for the pack and kindly handed it over to me.”thank you” i said and walked out before she could take another look at me.I was a tad excited but i contained this until i got home.I opened up the pack,tore the seal,took a good look at the phone and instantly started getting acquainted with the manual.Blackberry is fun afterall,i take those cruel words back.However i’ll mince them a bit cos this thing really is a preoccupation.I named my blackberry BLiNK 182,one of the first punk bands i acquired a taste for,then i gladly spread the news on Facebook a couple of hours later.

THe couRT lives agaiN

My house used to be the venue for a lot of basketball games.My older brother was a good player and so were his friends.Back in the early nineties,basketball was a trending game we all loved though i didn’t play at all as i was merely a spectator.Sometimes,after school a couple of students from the class would come over to my house for a basketball game just for the fun of it,and on the weekends it was more like a tournament was taking place on our court.But as we grew older and time passed by,the fun slowly started fading out.Nobody paid much attention to the court and less people came to play at the house.The surface of the court was eroded and moss found it quite conducive to spread all over the top.The ball got deflated very often as a result of this and the board gradually began to peel.The net finally fell off and the ring eventually got rusted.At a point in time,it looked just like a junkyard;utterly unappealing and absolutely pallid.The court remained like this over the years before random ideas started spreading on what the place should be transformed into considering the impression of a court had already vanished long ago.But last week,something surprising happened on the spot where our court used to lie.A group of strange men started digging the surface and others were mixing cement contents to lay a smooth foundation.The kids who weren’t really born when we rocked this very court filed a complaint to dad and he bought what they were selling.The idea appeared interesting to him as it would reduce boredom and also help out as a means of exercise for them.So he called on a crew to revive the spirit of basketball in the house.The board’s been changed already and a new net has been fastened to the polished ring.Now all that’s left is the basketball itself to show up.Dad says he’ll bring it along with him when he’s coming home,but the keen kids are sick of waiting for the ball to arrive.So they improvised with a soccer ball!Yes,indeed the enthusiasm is on and the game has bounced back!

TeN YeaRs DowN (CLaSs oF 2011)

Ten years ago,i walked this same road,wore this same gown and mortarboard,glanced at this same environment and claimed the same role.Yes,ten years ago,i graduated from this school and am proud to say it once again.Today,my brother is in the same shoes:he’s nervous and excited all at once.The day’s finally here,the time to wave goodbye to secondary school and move into the real world.It was early and i’d woken up to check on mum,then catch some quick breakfast.My brother was already awake which was quite unusual.He was all dressed up and ready for his big day.The driver hadn’t arrived at 8:30 and all students were expected to be in school before nine for a final rehearsal of some sort.I grabbed my camera to be the first person catching him live on this day before driving him down to school.I got home,took my bath and spruced up for the ceremony.My older brother was going with his wife too,so my sisters and i tagged along.Mum left a bit earlier as she was meant to make a speech but we weren’t sure what part of the programme it would fall into.Lucky for us,she was on the minute we got there and so we caught the final paragraph of her response on the tribute to parents.We saw a couple of old friends,caught up,and shared jokes.The place was crowded as always just like a high school reunion so we had no option but to sit under the hot sun and watch the minutes move cos all the good seats had already been taken.Soon certificates were awarded to the students and it was time for the closing salutation.Next,we managed to grab some side shots of him with his classmates and others.That was it,the end of their graduation ceremony,the exit from high school.I vividly remember mine,nostalgia struct me for a minute before i snapped back to reality.When i looked around,i couldn’t find either of the people I’d come with.I rushed outside to the parking lot and there they were waiting for me for the past half hour.Congratulations class of 2011 at Essence International School and welcome to the alumni association.

TiNY ToddLeR oN tHe fLOoR

My little niece has found a good reason to move about and cause damage around the house.She was a handful when crawling became an ability,but this time it’s double trouble on the move.She runs around and litters the floor,pulls out stuff from the drawers at the dresser,and reaches for objects placed on top of small cupboards.Every minute,a different thing is being tampered with,not to mention the fun she derives from feeding herself with a fork,and we all know how far that’s gonna go.Ever since this tiny tot mastered the art of uplifting herself,fidgeting became a routine we couldn’t miss seeing everytime she came over.But we always keep the door leading to the staircase shut just incase she gets a little more creative and attempts to jump from the top.

THe doMiNo eFFecT

Lately,the rate at which people have been tying the knot has become more commonplace than saying “hello” when you pick up the telephone.Every week,a couple of weddings clash with one another and it becomes so hard to decide which one you actually want to attend considering all the people involved are quite close to you.You wouldn’t want to disappoint a friend,cousin or uncle by not putting in an appearance and suddenly laying down flimsy excuses like “am sorry,it was on the same day with my inlaw’s” the marathon runs both weekdays and weekends without any intermissions.It’s so crazy the way people are desperate to hook up and start a family and am not an exception.The pressure is bringing on the search with full force and it’s starting to drive me nuts!