...At this I leave it

Well, it has been a pretty interesting semester. At the beginning, I thought it would be so hard writing 2 blogs a week but as I got into it, it was not hard at all. I just think deeply for a while and what I'm going to write about pops right up in my brain. As a matter of fact, I actually like writing blogs now. That doesn't mean I will continue after today though.

This class as a whole has been easy as well. Especially for our fourth paper about Hamlet, I thought I was going to get eaten alive but NO!!, I actually made a B. I've learned a couple of things in English II which I don't regret but I am kind of upset that UT Austin (the school I am transferring to) does not require me to have it. It's all good though because I believe NO KNOWLEDGE IS A WASTE!!!

Suitemates

I just know it is not that hard to stay clean, especially when you are living with other people. I lived in San Jacinto my first semester on campus and it was lovely. I never had a problem trying to study or sleep because I had my own room. I still had a roommate though but he was quiet also, for the majority. We got along pretty well.

I decided to move this semester to Tower to see how I would like it with a roommate and it's honestly not bad at all. I think the only thing to consider before having a roommate is if s/he is cool or not. Now, our suitemates are just so crazy. They never put tissue in the restroom, they leave the toilet all dirty, and man, they lock our door to brush their teeth. I could understand if they were "sitting" or something but if you're just brushing your teeth, why stop me from brushing mine by locking the door. The one thing that ticks me off is that they forget to unlock it, so my roommate and I have to pick the door everytime. The semester is almost over though so I'll be alright.

IN THE LAND OF THE FREE!

America, America, America! Land of the free and the home of the brave. Brave indeed!! That's why so many people are in the pen today. People just have so much "false" courage to kill, rob banks, terrorise, and so much more. I really love my country but I have to honestly say that this nation has issues. Even though we may be models for other nations and known as the world leader, we could always use some improvements in some areas.

For example, what is the issue with American Airlines and their flight cancellations? So many people have missed very important events and some are stranded in various places. These "some" that I mention include my brother who came to visit his girlfriend in San Antonio for a week. He has to return to Fort Worth today to resume work but his flight has been cancelled. He was going to have to rent a vehicle to drive back home but since I have a car (which I just got: Thank God!!), I am taking him. Easy for him! What about people who went to differnt states and got stranded!??

I'm finally getting my Hair done!

I've always wanted braids but never had a chance to do it. Every time I decided to, one thing or the other would pop up. First it was my brother; I was living with him when I was in high school and he did not even like the idea of braids. He said, "You are not getting braids while you are under my roof!" I was really mad but hey, there was nothing I could do since I was living with him. After that, I thought about growing it out and braiding it when I got to college. That was a good plan until my girlfriend said she did not like my hair big, so I cut it. I started growing it out again and during that time my girlfriend's hair was short. I really wanted to see how she would look with long hair. She said she liked it short and was not going to grow it long for a while. She later agreed to let it grow. After two days, I went to see her and tell me why she cut her hair again. Then she told me to cut mine again? Ooo no she didn't!! I did not cut it then, but I later did; not because of her though, I just go through hair phases, exploring different styles.

So, I've been growing my hair out since December '07, thought about cutting it twice but I'm glad I did not. I really got tired of picking it out but that's not an issue anymore. I'm finally getting my hair braided!!! Tons of people told me not to because I look better with a low cut. I could not agree any less, I just want to try something new and since my mind is finally set on it, nobody can change my decision.

Happened before... It's happening again!!

Well, here I go again with these discissions that are extremely brain cracking. When I was in high school, I could not figure out what college I wanted to attend for nothing. I actually came to a point where I decided not to attend college at all because the pressure was too much on me. I eventually came to Texas State; not for the best reasons, but we all learn somehow. I came to this school with my high school girl friend which I thought was going to marry me one day. I learned alot here at Texas State University though and regret not a bit of it.

Now, I'm in the boat of making this school decision again. I currently switched my major from biology to nursing and I can not find the right school to transfer to. Truly enough, there are a lot of nursing schools around, but I have this criteria which makes choosing so difficult. First of all, I do not want to attend Baylor or TCU because they are so costly and UT... I just do not want to go there for some reason. Well there's UT Arlington, but I do not want to go there because I finished high school around that area and I do not want to see the same 'ol' people. You see what I'm saying now? I also do not want to attend a Division II or III school, which eliminates a whole lot of schools. I've been accepted to Stephen F. Austin but I now have second thoughts about the school. I just need help!!!

IONO

Man, I really don't know why things are how they are. You know in those situations where someone comes up to you and ask you if you think you are a good person, in can honestly answer yes. I know I'm not perfect though and I agree that I can make some changes to make my good, better and my better, best! With all I do to be who I am, there has got to be something I'm doing wrong to make people turn against me all of a sudden. I really don't know what it is though, so if you have an idea, please let me know.

Sometimes I think to myself, "why have friends when they gone let you down anyway?" I mean, I've had a girlfriend before and that definitely didn't stop me from kicking it with my boyz. It's crazy how some people will ditch you when they get into a relationship. On the other hand, I also think it's crazy how you get into a minor conflict with a real close friend and you friendship dies instantly. I really don't know, I've tried being by myself before but that aint good at all. I'm a survivor though, so ima keep on trying!

1 1 Six

Well as I've taken a stand to proclaim the good news of Jesus in every way possible, that might dominate in my blogs now. Sorry if you were expecting something else from me but I just came back to my senses that proclaiming the Gospel is really the only job Jesus Christ gave to His disciples before physically leaving the world, and since I am a disciple of Christ, that is my duty as well. Honestly, I don't know why someone would not want to serve and live for Christ. He was kind enough to give up His life so that we might have a direct phone line to heaven. Through His death, we no longer have to offer sacrifices for forgiveness of our sins because His blood was used to cleanse us from all uncleanliness.

Living right for God can be a little difficult sometimes though, strictly because the flesh (what we desire to do) contradicts with the spirit (what God wants us to do), but it was designed that way to get man to seek God more. So even though it is difficult, we can not give up and do what we know is wrong. God knows each mans ability and He will definitely not put more than we can bare on our shoulders. If you read this blog to the end and did not get out because you care less about what I am talking about, know that it is for a reason. Take a stand!! And whatever you are going to do, do it to the fullest!!!

MOTIVATION OUT OF NOWHERE!

Wow, I was finally off work on a Tuesday and had the oppurtunity to attend IMPACT; a bible study here on campus, Tuesday nights from 7:30pm till around 8:30pm. After the gathering, I went down to pizza hut to get some hotwings and saw that they were having a poetry night. I listened for a while and was about to leave until I saw a friend of mine who called me over. I stayed and listened to the various poems presented and thought it was very interesting, except for the fact that those poets were cursing alot and speaking, I would say, as he who is spiritually blind.

Truly enough, I've heard many people say before that they do not go to Church because not everybody that goes will make it to heaven anyway. I've also heard others say Christians are so hypocritical and act so fake and that's why they are not Christians. Well, I trully agree. But I totally know that God has no room for excuses. Everyone is accountable for his/her own actions so it really shouldn't matter how others do. We should even be encouraging instead of condemning one another in the Christian faith .

Out of all the presentations I saw at George's, one stood out to me and this was because the artist was not ashamed to speak about Jesus in public. I was really touched and this made me think that I should have never gave up on rapping for Jesus. Well, I'm back on my grind now and I will proclaim Jesus Christ in every way possible! May His Grace be with me!!

Strictly my opinion!

I see foul language as a sign of limited vocabulary and an ignorant stlye of expression. Personally, I do not curse strictly because it is against my religion. Apart from that, it does not sound right to my naked ear. Whenever I hear an individual curse, it feels like that person is scratching a chalk board with long nails. You might say, "I know you have cursed before!" I do not deny it at all. I have. But I can strictly count the number of times I have, and when I did, I felt so bad about it. "Do I curse now?" O no!! I hate the sound of it.

Now to call a spade a spade, I do not set aside those who use foul language but it is a determinant of how deep of a relationship I could have with such person. You could honestly be the finest female on earth but if that mouth can not tame those words, you can not find me so close in relationship with you. Don't get me wrong, I'll be your friend but if you are a person I could consider a girl friend, cursing just threw me off. Just as I like my women to have nice, toned skin i.e. not all muscular and stuff, I also like them to have a good vocabulary that does not include foul language. In other words, fine girls with potty mouths turn me off. All the way OFF!!

Spring Break part II

Well even though plans changed up a bit and I could not go to California, my spring break was not bad at all! To be honest it was so interesting and boring at the same time; if that makes any sense. I have been waiting for so long to purchase a vehicle and this was the oppurtunity I had to do so. My break was boring in the sense that I woke up every morning at the computer, searching for this one particular vehicle I have desired for a descrete amount of time (Chevrolet, Monte Carlo). I searched everywhere and found a couple.

So, the day came that my brother was off from work and we went to check out these cars that I had been searching for. We made it to the first dealership and that Monte Carlo was beat up. The one at the second dealership was not that bad but my brother didn't think they were asking for a reasonable price. That day ended and still, no car!! Deeply within, I was not bothered at all because I knew that we would go searching again the Saturday before I left home, I just wouldn't be able to hang out with my boys as planned.

On our next search, we found an Eclipse which was nice, but small. I was about to buy it and my brother told me to wait until I find the car I really wanted. Well, I searched on autotrader again and found a decent looking Monte Carlo a hour and a half away from where I lived. At first my brother said we were not going to drive out there to buy that car but we did afterall.

For my first vehicle, this car is on point!! Seriously, it is a very good car. MY MONTE CARLO!!!

Patience is worth it

"Just wait till I get paid at the end of the month and we'll go out looking for that car you want!" If I got a dollar for every time I heard this statement, I would not be in school right now. I'll have enough money already to last me for the rest of my life. As an high school senior, I really needed a vehicle. My guardians by the way saw it as something I wanted and not needed. However, I was the one who had to catch the city bus to school at 6am to make it to the 7 o'clock basketball practice. Not only that, I could only work three and a half hours a day because my job closed at 9pm and my bus did not make it there till 5:30pm when leaving my school at 3:45pm (what would usually take me 20minutes if I drove). The worst part was that the bus stopped running to my destination around 10:30pm so I would get dropped off about 20minutes from my house and had to walk through this dark alley every night.

I knew this would all come to an end one day but it's that day I had no idea about. I tried applying for loans to purchase a vehicle but with no credit history, it required a cosigner, which I could never get. Even though I was hurt deep inside, I put the issue behind me. Fortunately, I received a grant last week and I know nothing is going to stop me from purchasing a vehicle during spring break '08. If I would have received the loan, I would be in so much debt of repayment but because I had to show reluctant patience, I can now buy my vehicle debt-free. YAY!!!

Plans for the Summer

I am so excited about my summer break this year. I finally have enough money to buy a plane ticket to Nigeria. I have not been there since I left in 2005 and I haven't seen my parents since then as well. Actually, I saw them in February of 2006 when they came down for my brother's wedding, but all the same... I will be so happy when I get there because I will get to sleep in my parents' new house, i.e. the house I helped build in 2005 when I was there. I haven't seen the house completed yet though.

This visit will be such a surprise to my parents which I am looking forward to seeing their facial expressions. Out of all my brothers and sister, I am the least expected to visit them at this point in time. This is because I am the youngest and some of my older siblings haven't even been to Nigeria since we all left in 1989. They really want to go but it's just how expensive it is, and the ones who can afford it somehow always run into situations that would eventually prevent their flight. So where did I get the money?, (come closer... I robbed Church's Chicken last week! lol) I was actually blessed with an unexpected grant from Texas State. So who am I not to go visit my parents in the motherland?

True Friends

Some people try so hard to find the ones who they will associate with. Others try so hard to find out if their friends are suppose to be their friends. This shouldn't be one of those things that takes a person's mind into deep consideration. From my point of view, I see a friend as that person who is not afraid of hurting your feelings, he that is not ashamed to tell you that your clothes are not matching, he that will tell you if you need to get off facebook and start on your homework and seriously mean it, and he who would go out of his way to make sure you succeed. Who is a friend? A friend is he that stays up with you all night in preparation for that next days quiz, he that tells you not what you want to hear but what you need to hear, he that will make sure you have enough money to make a call from the pay phone, and even he that will tell you that your last step was stupid.

In all my life, I can really say I've only had two friends (according to my definition of what a friend is) and we are friends till today because we do not hide anything from eachother. If it comes to the point where you are debatting whether you want to tell your friend what you think would make him mad, I don't think you should call that person a friend. We are all human so we are bound to get upset, but according to my definition of a friend, he will not let the sun set with the same anger that started at sunrise. No one has met the standards of perfection, so I am not saying you will not clash heads, but how do you identify a true friend?...

Victim of Peer Pressure

Peer pressure is such a killer. I never knew that I would fall a victim of it until it creeped up on me. My first experience of peer pressure was when I was in the tenth grade. At the time, I attended Wesley College of Science, a high school in Nigeria. I was somewhat the most popular kid in school but the hold back was that I did not have a cellular phone. My brother sent me some money from Florida and I decided to buy a phone. It was not peer pressure that made me buy the phone, but the stupid act I did after I had bought it.

Because the amount of money I had was not enough to buy a camera phone, I bought a regular one that would work as good as one with a camera, only I would not be able to take pictures with it. All my friends had camera phones though and they teased me every so often of the crapy phone I had. I took the teasing to heart and thought of a way I could get a better phone. That was when I remembered this place where people sold used phones.

My plan was to sell my phone to a dealer and buy another one of a cheaper price from him with the money I got back from the sell. I would then have a gain from the sell and a phone. I would repeat this technique until I had made enough to buy that camera phone which would put me at another level in school. Little did I know that dealers were smarter than I. I sold my first phone and made a gain as I planned but I could not sell the new one because it was all beat up. The prices the dealers offered me were so low that I would definitely not make a gain on the sale.

I was stuck with that phone and that made me feel so stupid. Now if I felt stupid, what do you think people at my school said about my "new" phone?

It would have been tough to forgive myself

When I was in middle school, my father would give me 200Naira for my daily activities; transportation to-and-from school and lunch money. All I really needed was 150N though, so the next morning he would give me 100N to add to the remaining 50N from the previous day. I became so use to this routine that I would spend more money on food and not have enough for transportation and would have to ask a friend to pay my bus fare. One day as I returned home, my father asked for his change and I was not able to produce it. He was highly upset and said for the next two school days I should find my own money to support myself. I was so upset with him but I shouldn't have been; no one told me not to manage my money wisely.

I made it through those days with support from others (no household help) but I was still mad at him. Being a missinonary, my dad came to the United States for a conference and when he prayed the last prayer before he left the house in Nigeria, my spirit was still up against him. He made it safe and sound to the U.S. and gave us a call but I did not even want to speak with him. He also called about a month later but I still felt the same way. One day after the day he called, my mother received a tragic call from my sister saying my father had a stroke and was in the hospital. I broke out crying because the only thing I could think about was my anger towards him before he left. The first thing I said was, "I'm sorry dad!", like he could hear my cry all the way from Nigeria. I totally got rid of the anger that dwelled in me before the incident.

Occasionally I think to myself what if my father would have passed away. Then I would have been that lonesome child with guilt in his life forever. It would have been tough to forgive myself. So now I say, "Life is too short to carry on with malice or hold things against one another, be mature and live a decent mind-free life."

Spring Break

Hmmm!!! What am I doing for spring break? I really have no clue till this moment. My brother and I had planned on going to California but the plans were cancelled. He attends school at the University of Texas in Arlington, TX and he scheduled off from work on the week his school was letting out for the break (which was the week of the 15th). When I found out that Texas State's spring break vacation is a week prior to theirs, we had to cancel the trip because my brother did not want to go alone.

That was a bombmer for me, as I was so ready to take off. I have never been to California, but I will go pretty soon. My brother is moving down to LA to be an actor so I will definitely have another chance to visit him when he settles in this summer. But what happens to my spring break, I guess I'll just go down to Fort Worth and live that boring one-week life talking on the phone with my friends about the same o stuff. It sounds like, "Yo dawg watchu wanna do today... Iono fool watchu wanna do?" At the end of the day, I'm still at home just watching TV or a movie. Or I might just spice it up and go down to Gonzales to visit a good o friend. I know she'll be happy to see me!!! She is already all over me here in school! :-)

LOVE YOU MUCH

PARENTS, ARRGGHHH!!! THEY ARE NOT ALWAYS RIGHT, BUT I STILL LOVE 'EM

Why do they always try to make you feel as if you can not make wise decisions? "You do not need a cell phone!" or "You do not need a car!" I heard these sayings so many times and it made me so mad that I could not do anything about it. It all stopped though when I got a job. I was so happy because no one could tell me what not to use my money to buy. I was not the wasteful kind of person though, so when I did buy a phone my brother, who is also my guardian was proud of me and offered to help me make a payment if I could not meet it on time (That has never happened though and I've had my own phone plan for over a year now).

Another thing my brother told me to never think about getting was a credit card. I heard so many lectures on it that I could be a credit advisor if I wanted to. I went ahead and got one a month before I came to college though; not in disobedience, but because I just got tired of not being able to buy certain things such as a car or even apply for a student loan because of no credit history. As I have mentioned before, the credit card is not bad for me at all because I manage money so well. If you are also the kind of person who truly knows how to take care of yourself, my advice is to go ahead and do up to your ability. Don't get me wrong, I accept advice, but remember that the word advice itself means opinion, someone else's opinion that is!

Why is it so hard to change?

Adjusting to new styles and techniques has always been very easy for me to do. As an elementary school student in Fort Worth, TX, I was not the kind of person who had to study to make straight A's. I was more of a one-time understander; meaning, if I was told something once, I would understand and have no reason to go over the learned material. As my grade level increased, I was still able to retain much information but I would have to go over testing material a few minutes before the test to maintain good grades.

In the case of schooling in Nigeria, this was not even an option. So much information was given that I was forced to study if I had it in mind to pass. To my benefit, I was still young so the transition was not so difficult. Because of the intensity of the course work, I had to study all the time but it became part of my daily routine. I could no longer go a day without picking up a book to review what was learned in class or to even read ahead of the class, which was highly encouraged.

My study habits all came to an end when I returned to the United States in the 10th grade. Information I learned back in Nigeria in the 7th grade was just now being taught in the 10th grade in the United States. This, in addition to the fact that all I had to do to pass a course was to copy what had been written on the board and turn it in, drove away my necessity to study. Throughout my high school years, seldom did I pick up a book to review before a test.
This is what is now killing me as a college student because I have lost my study habits. I've been trying so hard to pick it back up but it is very difficult. I hope it comes back very soon though because I seriously need it.

1997 8-and-under basketball championship

Well, you might ask why I am always talking about sports, this is because it is in my blood. My first thought of playing basketball was in the first grade. It started with my immediate brother Phillip, when some man came knocking on our front door and asked my parents for permission for him to play. Even though I also had an interest, I wasn't worried about that particular day's visit by the coach because I expected my parents to say no. I was totally wrong!! My parents agreed to allow my brother to play and I wanted to play as well. I was only six-years-old though and the team was an 8-and-under team. This really meant a team for 7 and 8 year olds, and also 9 year olds if their birthdays came before the 8-and-under deadline. After all the crying while the coach was there, he said it was up to my parents to say if I could play or not. My parents also agreed and that was the beginning of my athletic career.

I played with the MLK (Martin Luther King) Wildcats' 8-and-under team for four years. My first three years was playing a guard's position and that only changed my fourth year because the coach needed me to play forward because of my height. I took the team to so many playoff games and even championships. Even though I have forgotten some of these games because they were so long ago, there is one I will never forget unless I am totally brainwashed. It was the championship game in 1997 against City-wide Allstars. Their team was not as good as ours, but they had one player who was so good that he played with an 16-and-under team. He was a short guard that ran all over the court and continually scored. When my coach saw that no one on our team could stop him, he pulled me from playing forward to guard this kid on defense; so I was still playing forward when we were on offence.

I was able to slow down the pace a little bit, but the human body can only take so much. This kid was more like a machine. This was the closest game we had all season. The outcome of other games we played for an average was usually 77-30, but this game was so tough that the score was 18-16 in the fourth quarter. This remained the score throughout the whole fourth quarter and everyone pretty much believed that the Allstars overturned the undefeated season's title of the Wildcats. Being the best ball-handler on the team, my coach brought me back to be a guard for the last play of the game. With 12seconds left, and the Allstars' crowd already going wild, my coach signaled for a time out but I was so focused on the court. I brought the ball down court and saw that I was not going to make it to the other half before the buzzard rang so I lounged the ball from half court..... Buuuhhhhhhnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!! The buzzard went off and all eyes followed the ball; nothing but net, and the Wildcats remain undefeated!!! We won the game 19-18.

This game was so important to me because it was my last with the 8-and-under leauge but I was so happy to win it for my team. I was given MVP of the game and also almost broke my leg from the team and crowd jumping on me. I have tapes of that game, so if you want to see me in action as a little kid, let me know and I'll make you a copy!!! LOL

A BACK AND FORTH EDUCATIONAL LIFE

Being able to attend school in another part of the world (Nigeria) was such a good experience; even though it started out as a horrible site because I did not want to be there. I knew nothing about this country except for the fact that I was born there. I was also very young when I went, so the main reason why I did not want to leave was because I would miss my friends dearly. The other reason was because I had heard so many horrible things about the country. I was in the fifth grade when I left the United States to start another life in Nigeria and the first thing that made me hate the country was because I was placed in the fourth grade when I got there. This was all because I could not read and write my native language, they therefore had to start me off from the beginning.


After so many months of anger because I was in the fourth grade, I started to loosen up because I could really do nothing about it. I began to make friends and learned the system of education in Nigeria. Hearing that I could test out of the 6th grade, I bought some books to prepare me for my big examination which would put me back in the right grade. I buckled down and did so much studying that I never thought about eating, but it all paid off. I passed the test and was skipped to the 7th grade. I attended a school named Oritamefa Baptist Model School from the 7th to 9th grade but later transferred to Wesley College of Science; a high school which prepared students who had some portion of science along their degree paths. I loved that school so much but it was very hard.

I completed the 10th grade at Wesley College only to return to the United States and be replaced in the 10th grade. This was due to credit transfer. Back in Nigeria, for example, Mathematics is kept as mathematics and not broken down into Algebra I-II, Calculus I-II, and so on. Therefore, I was only given credit for some portions of math and had to retake other portions. This bugged me out as well but still yet, there was nothing I could do. I then went to summer school and caught up on my credits and that is how I was able to graduate with my right class.