Our flaws make us perfect. I know it sounds like a cliche but really, what is perfection anyway? Never have I met a person who could describe or In the least prove to me what perfection means. So if you ask me, ‘perfect’ is nothing but a perfect word. No more, no less.
I am happy being perfectly flawed. Are you?
“Those mouth that call you fat are the same ones who’ll call you skinny, so don’t give them that power over you.”
I want to understand something
Why is it that when you need him the most
He’s never here
When you need him the least
He ‘s still never here
He just is never…
But yet you crave him with your all
Love him for more than he’s worth
Way more…
I guess that is what love means
Falling, knowing though you’re crashing
Giving, even though you’re losing
Forgiving, though you don’t understand
You can’t understand…
And in the end,
You don’t just lose him
He was never here anyways
You lose yourself as well…
This quote by the late maya Angelou is so powerful on it’s own that I’m not going to say much. Being happy is great, but being the reason for someone else’s joy, being the reason behind someone’s smile- now that’s exceptional. A word of kindness, a smile, sometimes that’s all it takes. A lot of vile things have been going on lately, unholy killings, wars- you name it. I think everyone could do with a little rainbow. Let’s strive to be that.
When was the last time someone made you smile?
You know those censored words that aren’t allowed on TV, yeah well, I had a boat load of them in my head to describe the gruesome exam I wrote yesterday. It was that bad. During the exam, I almost blurted out ‘how on earth do you expect us to know?’ to some ridiculous questions. Scanning through the questions, my reaction was basically “seriously…
SERiously…
SERIOUSLY!!!”
It was a nerve wrecking day. I was disappointed; at myself and also at the questions too. I had been preparing for the exam for over a month and to walk out of the hall unsure of my result fate, it was downing. And then, I remembered this quote:
“During hard times, patience is rewarding
During good times, gratitude is rewarding…. There’s no loss in life”
Medical school has not been easy. But each time I write an exam, I come out feeling i did my best, knowing I passed the test. So when people complained that theirs was hard or confusing or just ridiculous, I didn’t get it. Of course I sympathized with them and all, but the truth is I had no idea what they were going through. Now I know how it hurts to read your ass off and then go to the examination room, see the question and feel foolish.
In a way, it’s humbled me. I wont judge anyone for not doing well in an exam- lord knows what they went through while reading. I figured I could sit on the bed, cry, call my mum, complain and then comfort eat (which I almost did). Or I could take this as one of those tests in life, keep calm, have faith and just see what happens. So there is the fear of what if I fail; but heres the thing, what if I pass. And even if the results isn’t what I had hoped, it’s not the end of the world.
It’s not going to be easy, I know that- to accept what faith throws at us with humility and stand without breaking; it’s going to be hard, but we’ll make it. And if you don’t think you can rise from failure, just remember- Oprah was fired from her job as a news anchor because they said ‘she wasn’t fit for TV’ and now, she’s the frigging Queen. That should motivate you.
In the meantime, always remember failure is just another stepping stone to success.
How do you cope with failure?
The Daily Post: Uncanned Laughter
A misused word, a misremembered song lyric, a cream pie that just happened to be there: tell us about a time you (or someone else) said or did.
I absolutely love today’s topic because coming from Nigeria, we are a bunch of drama folks- one way or the other, there is always something unexpectedly funny.
During my last holiday in Nigeria, a friend of my mum came to visit. And told us this story which had recently happened to her cousin, Ak(not real name):
Ak who is married went to his friend’s house (who is also married). Anyway, the friend was complaining to Ak that his wife had too much problems and was causing him headache. All the while, not knowing that the wife was actually listening. She was so mad that her husband would complain about her to his friend.
When the friend was done, Ak began his own. He told his friend, “you’re so lucky, my wife has made my home a living hell”.
The friends wife who was gossiped about first, heard all this and decided to avenge.
She called Ak’s wife and told her what Ak said about her. When Ak got back home, he saw his wife all dressed up, scenting of perfume, ready to go out. He tried to talk to her to know where she was going to, but she ignored him and got into the car. He really didn’t thinks she was serious. As he tried to stop the car, she put the gear in drive, brushed him to the side with the car and took off. Well, it wasn’t just any brush cause he sustained injuries.
He felt so embarrassed (still does) to tell people that he got injured cause his wife hit him with a car. Where I come from, it is de-manning. So, anytime anyone asks him about his injuries, he says ‘oh, I fell off a motorcycle’. He’d rather get a lecture about the disadvantages of riding motorcycles with the bad roads in Nigeria, than say his wife gave him injuries.
P.S if you are a guy and want to gossip about your wife, think twice, for your sake.
That’s it…my uncanned laughter!!
It’s 3am in the morning and while normal human beings are asleep I am fully and wide awake ready to Rant! Yes, because of the horrific crime I just read about which has made me begin to lose faith in humanity.
In Early 2013, a 16 year old teenage girl while returning to her home from a funeral was attacked and repeatedly gang raped by 6 men. Her unconscious body was later found dumped in a latrine. This heinous crime happened in a rural village in Kenya, Africa. Oh, and that’s just part of the story. It turns out that she reported the crime to the authorities and despite the brutality of the crime and the injuries she sustained which includes a broken spine, three out of the six men were given a punishment of grass cutting and then freed. Yes! Their punishment for “gang-raping” is to cut grass. They might as well have been given a pat on the back and told well- done.
Seriously, when did humans become so insensitive that a crime such as rape is treated like no crime at all. It takes courage, it takes strength to stand up and speak out against such a crime especially when it is directed at one, and for it to be treated as nothing is heartbreaking and demoralizing. I cant begin to imagine what Liz (that’s what she’s called) and her family are going through especially after the mediocre punishment given to the perpetrators. She deserves justice.
As expected, such injustice created an uproar in the journalism and activism world and lately, a petition called #Justice4Liz has gotten over one million signatures, calling for action against the perpetrators. It’s been about a year now since the incident, and one of the six assaulters is set to go on trial.
The authorities say they are trying and no doubt they are trying to reduce the rates of sexual violence incidence, but here’s the thing- it’s not enough. In reality, the cases of sexual violence has increased this year. The assaulters need to know that they cant and won’t get away with sexual crimes; such a law should be enforced. Women should be allowed to feel safe again, it’s high time.
I stand by Liz and every other woman out there who despite the odds they encountered in their journey for justice still stayed headstrong, determined and didn’t give up. They are the warriors. Stay safe, stay strong,
Sticks & Stones
A few days back, I awoke to the news of the death of Robin Williams. Personally, I don’t really know a lot about him. But what I know is this- he meant so much to a lot of people and that enough speaks for itself. The cause of death was ‘Suicide’. It turns out that this jovial bowl of sunshine was actually battling deep down with the demons of depression. This goes to show that there is no age limit for depression and anyone can be suffering and you wouldn’t even know it. That sucks.
Depression is a condition that shouldn’t be taken lightly as we have very often seen it’s unfortunate outcome. It is real, serious and shouldn’t be joked about. And if you are going through depression, I want to urge, please ask for help. It is okay! You are not alone In this battle. Admitting you need help only takes you one step closer to suppressing those demons.
A lot of people suffer from depression in silence, and a little too often, we end up losing them to suicide. It hurts, it really does to find out that the goofy neighbor or that outspoken best friend committed suicide due to depression. They were a walking time bomb and you didn’t even see it coming. You begin to wonder what you could have done to help, maybe, just maybe, things would have been different.
But here’s the thing- there was never anything you could do because you didn’t even know. So I want to repeat this again, if you are suffering from depression, you don’t have to go through it alone; you shouldn’t. It is okay to ask for help.
Just look at depression as another bump on the road you have to cross in order to get to that beautiful golden town. I know, easier said, but really life is too short to be haunted by those demons. And it is never, never too late to seek help. Everyone deserves a happy life and everyone is worth living. Don’t ever let yourself believe otherwise.
Here’s a poem I find really inspiring. I found it on @poemheaven account on twitter:
we are all angels
with broken wings
and we try to
fix them
but it takes time
and sometimes
it takes a long
time before
you can fly again
but in the end
we’ll fly again
and be happier than
ever before.
In the meantime, keep being warriors and remember- you are stronger than depression. Sticks & stones.
We live in a generation where every single thing we do and say, even the littlest detail is scrutinized and criticized. Thus, making it easier for people to wall up and avoid their true calling and way harder to follow the path that they should be taking.
I remember when I first started to write poetry, it was in high school, and where I come from, they don’t get it. Anything that deviates from the traditional “medicine, accounting or engineering” gets a whole lot of resistance. And when you write, you instantly become one with your work, and it hurts when people don’t get it.
But here’s the thing, it shouldn’t matter what they say. I know it does matter, but it shouldn’t. Those people trying to diminish your spirit arent going to live your life for you. It’s your life to live, it’s your mistake to make and it’s your path to choose. If painting is what you love to do, then my dears, paint your hands off. If cooking is your passion, then set the kitchen on fire ( not literally though). The point is, there’s going to be resistance anyway, so just do what you would be happy the rest of your life doing.
It will be ridiculous of me to say it is easy, cause it’s not. There’s going to be people who’d hate what you do along the way, and you just gotta have a thick skin. Words would hurt but you don’t let it show, because the bigger picture is all that matters in the end.
So my dears, pick up those paint brushes, or the clay pot mix, or a pen and paper- whatever it is, block the world out and just do it. You really never know until you try and embrace it wholeheartedly. And remember, we owe it to ourselves to at least give it our all.
Here’s a little quote to sleep on: Don’t allow the world to define your greatness for most of this world is blind.
Randoms by a Random 