THE QUOTES OF LIFE

All your dreams can come true
if you have the courage to pursue them
- Walt Disney [Disney is the creator of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. He grew up living on a farm and studying how Animals behave. This habit became his talisman. One of his legacies is The Disney World in Florida, USA.]

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.
- Walt Disney

There are plenty of ways to get ahead. The first is so basic I'm almost embarrassed to say it: Spend less than you earn.
- Paul Clitheroe [ May God grant us the ability to spend wisely]

Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Accordingly, a genius is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework.
- Thomas Edison [ Hardwork Matters, Folks ]

Think not of yourself as the architect of your career but as the sculptor.Expect to have to do a lot of hard hammering and chiseling and scraping and polishing.
- Bc Forbes [ Nice quote, but remember that your life does not belong to you. It belongs to God ]

I have no Napoleonic dream. I'm just hardworking and pragmatic.
- Roman Abramovich [ No wonder Chelsea FC is becoming one of the best clubs on earth]

I wish it grew on trees, but it takes hardwork to make money.
- Paul Clitheroe [ True, you know. However, money can't buy you love and happiness]

You have put in many, many, tiny efforts that nobody sees or appreciates before you achieve anything worthwhile.
- Brian Tracy [ Nobody knew Jimoh Ibrahim when he was swotting to earn his Masters degree in the university. I bet they are confounded with his achievements now]

I love quotes a lot. I feel those that produce quotes are very intelligent people who know how to express themselves pointedly. I hope you can pick a thing or two from these quotes. I tagged them '' The Quotes of Life ''

I am a writer- Journalist, folks.

Just trying to remind you again.

And how was your day?

CHANGING THE NIGERIAN MENTALITY

I sometimes wonder what would happen to my country, Nigeria, if most of her citizens could think creatively. At the moment, it is only a tiny fraction of the Nigerian population that is thinking differently. There seems to be this general haste to acquire wealth at the expense of the common good. There is this battle to outdo one another when it comes to material possession. Personally, I do not see anything wrong in trying to be successful financially. What I do not subscribe to is when we hurt others due to our failure to see the Big Picture.

As Nigerians, we need to change the current pervasive mentality that acquires the general pot of gold for private ends. I am not talking about corrupt politicians alone. We are all guilty in one way or the other, and we must do something fast to haul Nigeria back to her feet as the Giant of Africa. We sometimes blame the rich in our society for being selfish, but are we prepared to make a difference when we eventually make it? What are we doing at our present level to change our sorroundings? Have we handled our current leadership positions effectively by being creative in our thinking?

Nigerians need to adopt a new mentality in this information age. We need to adopt an attitude that values knowledge. We need to do away with envy that eats deep into our soul. That envy that has denied us many opportunities to put the ideas of our gifted ones into practice. We need to embrace innovation and encourage research. We need to appreciate our geniuses for who and what they are. For a genius that is appreciated can design a product that will lead to the employment of thousands of Nigerians. Nigerians need to realize that stashing up the common wealth for private use, will only prolong the enslavement of the country to the Western powers.

We need to adopt a mentality that sees religion as a tool for development, and not as a device to enrich ouselves. We need to adopt a mentality that treasures books. For in books, we can see how great leaders and businessmen left their footprints in the sands of time. And by reading these books, we can emulate them. We need to adopt a mentality of social welfare. We need to be concerned about how the other person is doing. We need to share in this environment that continues to promote selfishness. We need to honour those that have brought glory to our nation, by taking care of them and ensuring that they live the rest of their lives in prosperity.This is the challenge before us in this new year and I pray the good lord will give us the power to start thinking differently and creatively.Amen.

OBAMA'S AUDACITY OF HOPE.

In July 2004, Barack Obama gave an address that spoke to Americans across the Political spectrum at the National Democratic Convention. The speech was titled '' The Audacity of Hope ''. Obama later released a book of the same title that became the number three bestseller on the New York Times nonfiction list as of October 2006. He is now campaigning to become the President of the United States of America. A black man? , you might say.

I admire Barack Obama for daring to fulfil his vision for his life. He is not sitting down moaning about the obstacles before him. He is striving to achieve his dreams. We need to share Obama's audacity of Hope.

I know I can with God on my side.

And how are you doing?

DEADLINES AND TARGETS.

I have been trying to meet up with my writing schedule in the last three days. As a writer, My life is measured by deadlines and targets. There is always a story to be completed or an article to be written. Sometimes, there comes the occasional phone call or text from my Editor telling me to speed up work on my stories. I know I have to meet the deadlines if I hope to get paid. However, it is a life I enjoy living. I do not have any regrets whatsoever.

I also believe that life should also be lived with deadlines and targets in sight. The Bible says there is a time for everything. We need to give deadlines to some projects that we have embarked on, or we will never complete them. We also need to target the audience or the segment of the society that we want the Project to benefit or reap profit from. We must not just exist, but we must live for something. There should be an idea or purpose we must live for. Deadlines and targets are good for us because they act as guideposts in the rocky path of destiny.

Readers, don't just do things like that. With a wave of the hand. Do things with the end in your sight. Picture where you want to be or what you want to achieve someday. Then work towards it. With God on your side, your dreams will come to pass. Have you set a goal today?

Sitting still and wishing makes no one great,
the good lord sets the fishing-
but you must dig the bait.

And how was your day?

HOLD ON TO YOUR DREAMS.

I have always been a dreamer. I have been dreaming since I was 6 years old. When I talk about dreams, I am not referring to those supernatural encounters we have when we are asleep. I am talking about the goals and aspirations that we have towards an expected end. I have always dreamed of publishing my own Magazine and writing a bestselling novel. This dream has been my driving force in all that I do. I went to Journalism School to polish up my writing skills [ though I know I'm a natural], and attended the University of Ibadan to study History. I am still on my journey to stardom. I am not going to run ahead of my creator in the bid to make it in life. I've learnt from reading the books of John Maxwell, that success is not a destination but a journey where you learn to impact the world positively.

I've faced a lot of challenges in my journey towards God's expected end. I have faced rejection from people that I tried to sell my ideas to. Since then, I have learnt not to look up to people for appraisals concerning my creativity.This is the cold truth: The world is full of people who don't know what they want exactly from life. Telling your dreams to them is like you're hurting them. So they mostly end up as obstacles to the future you dream of. I am not saying you should be a snob, but you've got to be focused and be able to discern those who try to discourage you.

I don't know about you, but I desire to make an impact in and on my generation. With God, I believe I can go the long haul.I usually ask myself this question. What do you hope to achieve before you're 40? I am also asking you this question at this moment. What are your goals at this moment? What project have you been working on in the last 6 months? What are you striving towards in life? You need to lay your hands on something and get started.Don't be idle or the hours, days, months and years will pass you by. Don't forget to commit your goals and dreams into the hands of God. As I write this piece, I am thinking of my immediate plans and how I am going to accomplish something worthwhile. That is the mentality of a winner.

I celebrated my birthday yesterday and I thanked the lord for sparing my life up to this moment. I was able to see beyond the food and goodies, and I spent the afternoon reflecting. Though the celebrations matter a lot, I've promised to hold on to my dreams.Hold on to your dreams.The problems and circumstances around us cannot be compared with the gifts that lie in us. And how was your day?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOLU IHIDERO.

I remember when I clocked 10. I was still in primary school then. I remember that lovely day in 1988. It was a Saturday and my mother [ too bad that she left my Father when I needed her most ] ,took me to a shoe shop somewhere in Ikeja where she bought me a nice pair of shoes. A suit had been sown for me some weeks before in anticipation of my great day. The day went well and I can still remember that someone gave me a birthday present that changed my life.

The birthday present was given to me by Chief Jaja, one of my father's friends, who happened to be the husband of my mother's sister. I believe in giving and that gift remains the best I've ever received. It was a very unique gift and it was three fold. The first part of it was a metal tin of biscuits. The second phase of the gift were two story books which were shipped in from the United States of America. The books were Walt Disney books and I can only imagine how much they will cost today. One of the books was titled ''The Fox and the Hound'', and the other was about some fairies living in a far away land. The third part of the gift inspired the creativity that still lies in me. It was a carefully designed briefcase that had pencils, pens, markers, crayons, and wax of all colours in it. I later found out it was manufactured by Crayola.

The briefcase remained with me for some time before I outgrew it. Lesson learnt? Always deposit goodness in the lives of people you meet. That was what the chief did to me. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Tomorrow, January 22, 2008 is my birthday. It will be a day of deep reflections for me. It will also be a day for me to pray to God for help. I definately need his help to forge through the year. My life is definately in his hands. If you get to read this post, I will appreciate it if you say a prayer for me. Thanks.

If you happen to be an Aquarian just as I am, then I want to wish you Happy Birthday as well. I also pray that someone will deposit a'' box of crayons '' into your life before the year runs out. And how are you doing?

LOVING AND GIVING

Hi There, How was the service today? I could not attend church today because I followed my sister in law to Abbeywood, London, to do some housekeeping for her Mum, who is due to return to the UK from her trip to Nigeria. As we drove back home, guess the song that was played on radio?

Bryan Adams is a star anyday, and his song- '' Everything I do, I do it for you'' was played on one of London's FM Stations. This is a year for us to love and give with the help of Jesus Christ. Bryan Adams said it himself on December 26, 2007.He said: '' Let your Happy New Year depend on what you do for others''. So I will be leaving you with lyrics of his song at this hour. Remember that love is a gift from God, and you are given the ability to love, so as to make the world a better place for us all to live in. You can print or copy out this song for your loved ones. Cheers.

Look into my eyes- you will see

What you mean to me

Search your heart- search your soul

And when you find me there you'll search no more.

Don't tell me it's not worth trying for

You can't tell me its not worth dying for

You know it's true

Everything I do- I do it for you.

Look into your heart- you will find

There's nothing there to hide

Take me as I am- take my life

I would give it all- I would sacrifice

Don't tell me it's not worth fighting for

I can't help it- there's nothing I want more

You know it's true

Everything I do- I do it for you

There's no love- like your love

And no other- could give more love

There's nowhere- unless you're there

All the time- all the way

Oh- you can't tell me it's not worth trying for

I can't help it- there's nothing I want more

I would fight for you, I'd lie for you

Walk the wire for you- yeah I'd die for you.

You know it's true

Everything I do- I do it for you.

So that's the song. Have a great day.

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

New year resolutions are decisions we make at the beginning of every year to either quit a bad habit, or get something we've been procrastinating about done. Just like millions of people around the world, I made some New year resolutions on the 1st of January 2008.

I resolved [ you need to be firm this year] to finish writing my debut novel this year. I also resolved to move a notch higher in my academic pursuit.I promised myself, that I would start my Masters Degree this year. I also resolved with the help of God to overcome an habit I don't like. If your mouth is agape that I have an habit I want to overcome, then you'd better brace yourself up for surprises anytime you step into my blog. I am not an hypocrite, Okay?

Anyway, I made another resolution which I want to keep personal. Yeah, I want it to be between me and my God only. However, the resolution has to do with finding my nicked rib. Hope you're feeling me now. Hope you get the drift. So what New year resolutions did you make? Whatever resolutions you've made for 2008, My prayer is that the good lord will help you by being faithful in keeping them.

I want you to know that this blog will keep getting better by the day. The pictures and more colour will be coming soon.Stay with me and you won't be disappointed. And how're you doing?

CLOSING THE DAY WITH THE LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY

Hi There, it is really nice talking to you again. You're welcome to my world once more. The week has not been so good to me in the sense that I went through an emotional turmoil. My birthday is coming up on the 22nd of this month, a month that is said to be named after the Roman god, Janus. I am an Aquarian and I share the same date of birth with Hakeem Olajuwon. Olajuwon? The name rings a bell, does'nt it? Olajuwon was a respected basketballer in the NBA until he retired some years ago. He played for the Houston Rockets of Texas , a state in the USA.



Anyway, I brightened up today, and I had a new writing opportunity for which I will paid. One of my colleagues way back in the University, David Brown, has called me up to write for a new Business Magazine he is putting together. I have a deadline to meet and I am really excited about the project. My writing file is getting heavier by the day. Well, I am only paying the price for deciding to make a living with the pen.



I am signing out today with some lyrics from the Lighthouse Family. I loved the group when it was in existence. Tunde Baiyewu is my hero anyday. His voice is out of this world. Baiyewu's singing talent shows that africans are really gifted in the arts. I hope to make my mark in the writing world as he has made a huge impact on the music scene. I love their track '' Happy'' , which is the second song in their last album '' Whatever Gets You Through The Day'' . Here are some lines from the beautiful song:



Hey let's all go out tonight

Why don't you and me go out and have a good time?

Make our life a supernatural high

' Cos we're both leaving all that bad stuff far behind



Who says you can't be happy all the time?

Say what you like but I'm still gonna try

Who says you can't be happy all the time?

I know but I'm still gonna try

( c) Paul Tucker and Tunde Baiyewu.



So Let us try and be happy even when ugly circumstances sorround us. How was your day?

STRANGE MAILS, PROLOGUE

Hi There, I just thought of giving you a peek into the prologue of the novel I am working on. STRANGE MAILS is the tentative title of the book. I hope you'll like it.Perhaps I can generate interest for the book here.Happy reading.

The young man whistled sofly as he waited for his turn to be attended to. His hands deep in the side pockets of his blue jeans, he nodded slowly to the Hip-Hop music that was coming out of a speaker near him. He was clean shaven and had a height that could fetch him a contract with the Chicago Bulls. His face was round and smooth, and he was putting on a big black Tee Shirt which had the letter X inscribed on it. A pair of Reebok trainers covered his feet. He was on a long queue of trendily dressed young men and women who were anxious to purchase their tickets and get on with their lives. One of them hissed loudly and threw up his hands.

'' This place is gradually becoming like the other Cafe's out there.Why are things so slow here?.'' he shouted

His disgust inspired an uproar among the customers on the queue. It took some pleading from one of the boys at the ticket issuing area to calm them down. Suddenly, it was Bayo's turn. He stepped forward and handed a crisp Naira note to the cashier. One of the attendants with an afro hairstyle punched some keys on a laptop which was connected to a printer, and handed him his ticket in seconds.

'' You're welcome.'' the attendant said, exposing his tobacco stained teeth.

Bayo took the pink colored ticket and looked at it. He'd been sold seventy minutes to do whatever he wanted on any of the Cafe's two hundred and fifty computer systems. The ticket was valid for two days and printed on it was a password which read DX34728JCB. Bayo moved away from the queue and started his search for a free system. He walked past several customers who were already neck deep in their browsing. Most of them had earphones on and were largely oblivious of what was going on around them. That was the culture at Joe's Cyber Plaza. Don't lay too much on what the other person is doing. Choose a spot for your own fishing. After failing to get a free system on the Plaza's ground floor, Bayo climbed the staircase to the first floor.

It was the same situation there. Rows and rows of partitioned wooden desks with glass eyed youths staring into the monitors.There was no one loitering around. Engraved on plastic discs which were attached to the walls were the words: one person per system. Bayo Williams knew he had to move to the second floor before the Cafe's security personnel accosted him. He had come across one of them with bulging biceps a minute earlier, and didn't find the guard's glare funny.

So up he went and that was where he got what he wanted. A pretty young girl in braids had just finished her session and obviously did not want any more time.

'' Are you through with the system?.'' Bayo asked, trying to look away from her slightly exposed chest region. He looked again.

'' Yes,'' the girl said, rebuke dancing in her pupils. She picked up her jacket and walked out of the enclosure.

Bayo settled down before the blinking Compaq flat screen and started to type. His mind went back to the girl and her cold look. He smiled and signed on to Yahoo! Messenger. Girls. They were such an unpredictable lot. They were like cars which could develop faults without giving prior notice. His mesenger list had about forty names. He moved the cursor to the top of the list and clicked on the name, Brenda Edwards. This was the girl he wanted to chat with and he hoped she would be online. She was online most times, though. At least the United Kingdom had stable electricity.

Writing is not for the faint hearted, you know. I have been on this book since 2005. Are you surprised? Dan Brown spent about 10 years writing ''The Da Vinci Code'', his bestselling Novel. 60.5 million copies sold and published in 44 languages. I believe in Jesus though. And how are you doing?

WELCOME TO MY WORLD

Hi, welcome to my blog. This is a new beginning for me when it comes to writing online. My name is Tolu Ihidero. I just can't believe I am doing this. Before I go on, I want to let you know when I started writing. I started putting my feelings on paper when I was six years old. I used to write on the inner back of my exercise books in Primary School. I wrote pieces that were more like drama scenes, but my drama pieces were never acted out. I was introvertive then, and I am still very reserved.

I continued writing in High School which happened to be Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria. JOGS as my High School [ High Schools are referred to as Secondary Schools in Nigeria.Dunno about other African Countries] was popularly called helped in developing my writing talent. The School had a very good Library which was stocked with the latest books on the planet. I was told the Library received a yearly grant of 10,000 Naira from the foundation of the late Mobolaji Bank Anthony. Bank Anthony was one of Nigeria's prominent businessmen who by 1966, was either chairman or director of over a dozen Companies. Some of the companies included Mobil Oil Nigeria, Aero Contractors company of Nigeria and the Pressed Metal Works. Sir Mobolaji Bank Anthony was a Philanthropist with a difference and he was the president of The Young Men's Christian Association [ YMCA] in Lagos.

Well, the school library nurtured my appetite for reading, and, boy, I read alot of books there. I will give you the list of books I read later. I wrote my first mini novel at JOGS. The book was titled '' The Great Attempt'', and it was about an armed robbery gang and a Cop that was determined to see them end up in jail. My friends and classmates loved the book and it was passed around until someone decided to keep in an unknown library. The book was not published for the outer world, but I guess it won't make much sense to the average reader today.That was my humble beginning.

After High School, I attended the Nigerian Institute of Journalisn [NIJ] at Ogba, Lagos.The School is close to one of the offices of that Examination body that plays a role in determining if you'll attend a University or Polytechnic in Nigeria.I also attended the University of Ibadan and got a Degree in History from the Premier University. I currently write for AFRICA, St Patrick's Mission's Magazine. I write the Music and Sports pages of the Catholic publication. I've been writing for AFRICA since 2004.

I 've just given you an abrigded version of my journey in the Wilderness of words.How are you doing?