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Your Life or Your Money: a personal experience…

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Okay, I’m no Ibo boy but mehn, who parts with his money?

This week has  not been so interesting, I must admit.. despite the three days “holiday”, thanks to the Association of Resident Doctors. And my phone would solely take the blame for all the series of not so fortunate event that has heralded my week so far… not to bore you too much, I’m sure you’re already trying to  see the link between the title and the content… Oya calm down, I have little gist for you…

As I prepared to pen these thoughts, or should I say experience, the first thing that came  to mind was the story of how Saga lost his phone… I must admit, I never read the whole thing then tho… buh you know as a sharp guy, i got the gist at just one glance… So Saga warned us in that his post to avoid talking to strangers (sorry I no get time to put up the link jare)… buh na stranger wey allow you waka commot that one go work for now! so my experience was a case of daylight robbery simple… Oya don’t get scared for me yet, no be gun-point things…

So simple question: have you ever had to choose between your life and your money? Wel, I chose my money… oya just calm down first.

On that fateful day as I enter computer village, na hin one bros accost me O… Na joke I call am, in fact I even wan waka comot, as a big boy… buh bros no gree me O! Before we know wetin dey happun, Mr Oga bring out all kind of things he claimed to be jazz… at that point, I knew this must be a joker… buh one can never be too careful tho… the scary thing however was the confidence with which he accosted me, right in the middle of the road, and boldly declared that no one would come to my rescue despite the fact that a Police post was less than 100 meters away… and true to his word, every one wey dey pass just free us dey waka deir own go O! At that point, I was beginning to feel some fear brim within me, buh even with that, I was dead sure in mind I ain’t losing a single Kobo to this joker… so my alertness was raised to the power of infinity asap… don’t trust these guys, they can rob you of your kidney without anesthesia… I swear… So there I was with this Mr Oga o, for over thirty minutes… negotiating a truce.. lol… the dude was adamant on collecting money from me right in the middle of the road… I even scoped him that we should move to one corner and settle amicably, na him my guy say he go hit me with jazz O… in my very innocent sarcastic nature, I smiled… guy obviously did not find it funny… he demanded for my phone, and trust me I showed him and told him why he cannot collect the phone and pocketed my phone back.. surprised? don’t be… later he said okay I should settle him otherwise I will los everything… I gave it a thought a while.. should I just give this guy 5H and go on with my life… so I asked him, how much do you want? na him the guy demand to see my wallet O… well, since I carry a rickety wallet I gladly brought it out… showed him the money I had in and told him I can’t afford to give him anything… Now you must be thinking I’m gangster abi? I think so myself… hahaha… all these while I was busy looking around if any of my guys in CV will show face or something… but aswear, a day of trouble is not a day to be on your own O… long story short, I managed to catch the eye of one of the guys on the street who signaled to me not to give in to Mr Oga’s threats and ayaj… with that reassuring gesture, pseudo confidence brewed in me… and before Mr Oga knew what was happening, I changed it for him… haha.. I like how that sounds… I sharply ayaj Mr Oga and warned him to not disturb next time he sees me in CV… and at that moment, I walked away… with my money and phone intact I must say…

Now don’t think my beautiful story ended with me bouncing off as champion!

A good blow to my face was enough to keep me in fear the next time I visit CV… haha, my guy was angry I suddenly developed confidence and he registered his anger with a well cooked and appropriately delivered blow to the posterior auricular region of my face… Oyinbo kpo… I swear na me farm… I should have preempted the reprisal but I was so bent on running away as soon as possible… as that blow land my face ehn, all I could think of was to turn the other cheek O… as a Christian, you know… lolz… buh seriously, I did not see any star… funny enough, the previously unconcerned CV crowd did not stay away this time, and as such, I was sure there won’t be a follow up uppercut… lol… so as the crowd gathered to see what’s up, I just like a Christian brother forgave Mr Oga and took my leave… 

And I walked tall on the streets of CV feeling proud of having kept my money and my phone, buh of course with the throbbing sensation radiating all around my head…

All in all, it was a good experience… So I ask you again: your money, or your life??? You choose!!!

… And The MEN Glowed

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In their usual but always exclusive manner, the Medical and Dental Year Book Class of 2013 (The Xclusives) made another STRONG statement as they wowed the College community, and indeed the University with their academic symposium entitled The Exclusive Doctor: My Career, My Profession.  

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Contrary to what is the norm in the college of medicine, it was a well-attended event by members of the graduating class as well as students spanning all levels and course… and not to make a mention of the caliber of the high table dignitaries, who believe me, stayed the whole duration of the event… I mean!!!

The Xclusives, all 196 MEN, came out resplendent in different shades of royalty (purple), beauty/love (pink) and maturity (gray)… apparels only befitting of The Exclusive Doctor… pictures, they say speak louder than a thousand words…

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… Oops! Pardon my gender insensitivity, but we are ALL MEN… and pardon my kind exaggeration as well!

Among the many highlights of the event was the official launch and sneak preview  of “The Autograph” – the strongest yearbook College of Medicine is yet to see;

YearBook of LIFE

YearBook of LIFE

the very educative and entertaining and educative speeches by all of the guest speakers; and not to forget the fundraiser for the YBC ’13 Project!!!

It was indeed a STRONG symposium…

And guess what? They ain’t done yet… Watch out for

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The Dean

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A thousand hearts fused into one
Many souls from many an origin – many a background – many an experience
Different yet similar
Diverse yet united
Individuals yet unified
Joined together into one
Congregated together as one
And bound together by One

Their purpose is singular
Their objectives are the same
Their aim is one
This singular congregation
Associating for collective growth
Uniting for corporate development
Actively engaged in the race
Striving to become as Him who binds them together
Steadfastly poised to change their world

Great may be the challenges
Many may be the battles
Formidable may be the foe
Long may be the road
Tortuous may be the path
But by the power of the Lord their God
Challenges are surmounted
Battles are won
The foe is defeated
The path is navigated
And the destination is sure

These thousand hearts who are one
These many souls thus united
This great association so unified
This glorious fellowship
To which many have come
From which many have gone
Where many still are
And to which many more will yet come
But with the changing generations
The vision remains unchanged
And this vision, shall their Lord fulfil
Making them kings and priests unto God and His Father

© Lekan Kolawole, 2012

Lessons from ophthalmology…

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Recently, I finished my ophthalmology rotations, and I must say it was such a vivifying experience… There was so much to learn, you know! You all know how intricate those small eyes of yours are… However, I learnt a rather important lesson different from the usual academic stuff, though inspired by something with a tinge of academics to it…. Without any much ado, let’s get down to business…

In my 6 weeks rotation in ophthalmology, I gathered that ophthalmologists generally believe we all were born hypermetropic; then the majority attain ametropia as we grow older, and many go on to develop myopia!!!

I find this an interesting thought, as I feel it has a significant bearing to our lives as individuals…

To start with, hypermetropia is an ocular refractive error in which the affected person is able to visualize distant objects comfortably but has difficulty with visualizing close objects… While on the other hand, myopia means one can see close objects comfortably but has difficulties with seeing distant objects… from an ophthalmologist point of view, I won’t say one is better than the other… a middle course being ametropia… though all are equally refractive errors and equally bad.

However, let’s take a lesson from ophthalmology and apply to our lives… It’s common knowledge that we use the word myopic outside the field of medicine, and we often do to refer to someone that fails to see ‘a big picture’ of events or one who refuses to see ahead… Taking a cue from this, and our basic understanding from my ophthalmology rotation, I safely assume that we all were born with an in-built ability to see ahead… We were naturally born progressives, able to look ahead and see the big picture… born with an innate positivity mindedness. In short, we are natural optimists and within us is that daring spirit that’s always longing to get better and do things better… We were innately designed to be the best, to think outside the box, to provide solutions to every challenge that may arise or confront us along the way…
In fact, it’s common knowledge that children are far more daring and daunting than adults: very innovative and always exploring their world… Also, children are much more very believing, very hopeful and positive; very creative and super innovators. How sweet it is to be a child…. Oh, what a beautiful package we are at inception!!!

However sadly, growth happened to us! Not like that is a bad thing in itself, but you can’t imagine how much we have lost just by growing up… Simply put, life besides all things teaches us to be more careful… you know, our parents and the environment start by curtailing our excesses, and in essence killing our creativity! They set rules for us, we become bound by the whims of others… limited to the expectation and approval of society… We simply get restrained to what is considered normal, and the majority remains stuck in this average living… A life of utter satisfaction with the norm and the comfortable; losing any zeal to hope and yearn for more… Just like ophthalmologists believe, here’s where the majority of people are stuck… Normal… Ametropia… The so called average!!! But you ask me, what’s wrong with normal???
Then we have the last group of people… The myopic! Like ocular myopia, they can only see what is at hand… ‘Short sighted’ is the word! I consider it an over adaptation to the so called normal, such that we hardly expect any better from anything… gradually condescending into a state of hopelessness, of negativity and all the likes… And do I blame them? No… Life just happened to them. So who do we blame for this view to life that such people have inadvertently adopted? Guess I am left with no choice than to make them take responsibility for their own response to life…

As I conclude, the morale is simply thus: we all have the innate ability to be better than we are; we are all born as progressives…. This may be the best time to revert to that awesome feature that is a core of our very existence from inception. Be a child again: be creative; be positive!!!!

HOLD STILL…

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Have you ever had to wait?
Wait in line in a bank?
Wait a while to gain admission?
Wait for things to get better???

Want to know something about waiting?
There are lessons to be learnt.
I’ve heard it said
That waiting is to build your muscles.

The lessons are numerous;
Could be for you to learn patience
Could be for you to better appreciate what you are waiting for
Could be for you to appreciate what you already have; to count your blessings
Could be for you to grow
Could be for you to draw nearer to God
Could be for you to understand time…. or timing
Could be, just for you to stand still and reflect
Stand still and know that He is God,
Could be for you to make mistakes, and then learn from them.
Waiting is for you to have ample time,
Time enough to stumble,
Time enough to find out what made you stumble
Time enough to remove the cause of your stumble
Time enough to stand up and get back on track
Time enough to learn…

Get this,
You still get what you’re waiting for.
God is never early but He’s never late either,
God’s timing is just right.
Hold still enough to learn!

O. Hannah
Writers’ Unit, CFG

THOUGHTS…

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Sometimes, I sit and wonder,
What this life has to offer.
It’s disheartening at times…

We sit here with our bodies in whole,
Knowing not what other people go through.
We complain day and night,
Like we have the right to.

The saying goes,
“We know not what we have until it’s lost”.
This would only be understood,
By a cripple who once walked,
By the blind who once saw,
By the dumb who once talked,
But never by the dead, because it’s all gone.

Ingrates!!!That’s what we are.
When would we learn?
And be grateful for what we have?

It’s just a thin line between life and death,
Once seen today,
May be gone tomorrow.
Once heard today,
May be forgotten in sorrow.

My heart bleeds,
Bleeds for the faint hearted.
It wages war against those,
Who take things for granted.

Dear Lord, Help us to understand,
The gravity of the things we do.
For this life has nothing to offer,
Except we live by You.

. . .Chika Nwankwo

This poem was first published in LIGHTHOUSE Magazine 2012…

busy doing nothings

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okay.. here i am at past 3am very busy… at least that is what i think… but then, whatever it is that has kept me this late really would not be one to classify as important… before i write too much, i actually have nothing to write about… and that is worrisome in itself… i am wondering when this writers’ block will end? gosh… this is not a diary; and i guess you just caught me musing at naughts.. well, pardon my idiosyncrasy. promise to give you something better soonest. by the way, i wonder how come you are still awake at this time though… hmmmm

Garlicks of Egypt

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Am I surprised? That what… you ask? Well, that you are surprised! Anyways, I am not about to write another article on the umpteenth wonder of the world – I think we have many of that already; and we all know that the pyramids are actually the only wonder associated with Egypt. However, I am tempted to believe garlics were at some point in history more popular than the pyramids – or at least, that’s the opinion I can gather from a particular story in the bible; and if you were not one those folks that were so far away from Sunday school in their younger years, then I guess you will be familiar with the story as well. But before I tell this story, I would like to share a thought with you, and a question to accompany my thought…
Just thinking: Oh! The good old days!
Now a Question: What’s good about the old days?
Someone once said life is understood by looking backwards; reliving the so called good old days, but nonetheless must be lived by looking forward – surging into the ever daunting unknown! It is however quite unfortunate that many of us attempt the impossible, and foolishly so, by trying to live our lives based on the yesterday. In fact, some of us practically live in the past! Oops!
Needless to say, I must agree with you that our experiences do form an integral part of our lives, but then we must learn to let go of the past – either sweet or sour, and embrace what the future holds for us. Yesterday is gone and there is absolutely nothing you can do about the victories or failures that came with it; today is here and left for you to either manage or mismanage; and tomorrow is ours to grasp – a barrage of opportunities to explore and exploit… and did the Bible not say ‘the just shall live by their faith’?… and that hope that is seen is not hope at all? So there leaves no excuse for living in the past and counting on the success of yesteryears…
Sometime in history, the Israelites were on a journey to the Promised Land – a land flowing with milk and honey. Wow! Wouldn’t the mere thought of that just blow any mind? So it was a journey that started with the great exodus from every form of oppression that characterized their last days in the land of Egypt, and as such, was such a feat of deliverance from Pharaoh and co… but then, it was a journey so just like any other journey in life and like life itself – there is always a THEN, a HERE and a THERE…
Often times we find ourselves coming from THEN – the glorious or inglorious past, and on our way to THERE – the ever promising future full of all possibilities; but then we are stuck HERE, the present NOW – that critical moment.
And so it was with the Israelites, having enjoyed the great deliverance from Egypt and very hopeful of arriving at a land flowing with milk and honey, clad with giant grapes and all sorts; they got trapped in the present – a wilderness – home to nothing but nothingness at its peak… and the story changed! You could imagine I heard one of them declare ‘Oh, the good old days!!!’ Seriously? I couldn’t help but shudder! I mean… what’s that? They even went on to describe how living in Egypt was such a delight – how they enjoyed such things as melons, cucumbers, onions and garlicks! Now just imagine the list. Then I thought to myself; was it not the same Egypt where the Israelites had no straw to bake their bricks? Where the ten plagues were wrought, and the Israelites miraculously spared? Ingrates! I shouted. These guys are so myopic… but then I realized I am not that much better from my forbears.
Just as they did, many of us also forget God’s graciousness and all we do is just complain in the face of the slightest challenges. Did the Bible not rightly say that God is not a man that He should lie? Has He promised a thing and not see it to completion? So stay off reliving the good old days and stop dreaming about the garlicks you tasted in Egypt. Rather, be hopeful and look forward to a land flowing with milk and honey indeed. Brace up for the future ahead of you.
God bless.

Message trafficking

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Was in church last Thursday, and you know, pastor said a lot. You know what I mean! In fact, I felt the sermon was simply a message from heaven for all of my friends – Olu, Shade, Tony, and the whole lot of them: as in, it was more like God was set to put them aright finally. Guess that’s good news for me! You see, as pastor talked about addiction, the first thing that came to mind was how Tony can’t stop indulging in alcohol, though it’s just once in a while, but he still does. And there’s Olu who can’t help but spend half the day on BB messenger and another half on Facebook; little wonders he has 5 ‘Resits’ to write. Serious addictions, you would say, but unfortunately they were not in church that evening. Not to forget Shade, who is so finding it difficult to let go of that boyfriend of hers, but also unfortunately, today of all days, she wasn’t around to hear how that it was this relationship that has been holding her down all along. Then pastor made a call to pray for those who had some fears, and I sat back. But I wished Moses was present in church today because I felt he needed the prayer more than I did. You know, he’s been quite uncertain about many things in the recent past. And here was God reaching out to him, but again, even he was not around – so I thought.
Just in case you didn’t notice, Thursday service was so awesome. The power of God was present to solve many problems, and I’m sure you’ll testify to that. But of everything the pastor mentioned, nothing seems to apply to me; and in a very funny way, everything applied to one friend or another. Guess it wasn’t just my day!!!
Okay, hold it before you even try to condemn me. It’s not like you are any better than me, anyway. Tell me you don’t wish that your roommate was in fellowship today. As you studied your Bible yesterday, didn’t you think that portion of scripture you were reading was a clear message for that friend of yours that has an opposing view to yours in certain matters? Or tell me you did not open your eyes to see if that your classmate responded to the altar call this evening… And I can go on and on, but guess I should spare you now…
So you see, we are both as guilty of this one count charge of message trafficking!
Funny how we often see nothing wrong with our own selves! Instead, we unconsciously, and I must say carelessly, traffic whatever instructions we are being given to that other person that is inadvertently absent. And so, we benefit only but little if we do at all…

“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults — unless, of course, you want the same treatment. 2 That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. 3 It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. 4 Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? 5 It’s this whole travelling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
Matt 7:1-6 (THE MESSAGE)

Hmmm… let us be careful of this act of message trafficking even as we set out to establish God’s kingdom this tenure…
God bless!!!