I am scared- Extracts from Guardian Newspaper 20/05/2008

EXPLORING THE PAST.

...suffering Nigerians who watched their government sell crude oil at $100 per barrel of an aggregate two million barrels daily, only for them to live in perpetual darkness, wallow in unemployment, have no potable water, no roads, fallen education standards and no shelter.

• Lawrence is Secretary General, National League of Veteran Journalists.

A FUTURE DREAM.

I believe that all talent given to man must be used to serve community. To shrink from such citizen duty because you fear being disparaged by people who have not understood you or lack the discipline to understand is to die while you still breathe and to provide history evidence for judging you harshly. So, contest that public space.

• Professor Utomi is a former Presidential candidate

Hmmm...IS THIS VIEW NOT NARROW?

"This problem was more than 50 years in the making and it clearly cannot be solved in the life of this administration .... But I think that the important thing is that the current administration has identified it as one of the very challenges that it has to tackle and a son of the (Soil) myself, I think what we are asking for is evidence that the past is past and the future will be brighter.

• Ajumogbia is a serving Minister of the Federal Republic

I am not done yet.

The Style Made Man (Art critic extraordinaire)

Well Hi, Amazing you are still reading this blog. The only thing I can say is Muchos Gracias for trying to figure me out. I stopped trying. You can keep trying though. Location is still Barcelona Airport. Did I tell you, I was in Madrid before coming here? Ok, I was. Madrid is (I hope it still is) a nice city. While we were there, we visited a couple of places and this museum was one of them- Museo Reina Sofia. Well, I don’t know much of museums so I recommend it all the same. Point was Burcu asked to visit it, so why not? We should accommodate each other, right.

That’s not the crux. The point is while we were in this museo, we were fortunate to have on display, Picasso’s largest collection of pictures, which included his studio works, and I will help them by calling them his sketches. How else can I describe those?

And so, Mr. Picasso sketched but I am sure, even with my lack of any artistic sense, if I had drawn that way, 20 years ago, my teachers in Malomo, would not only fail me, they would also use the ‘pankere’ on me. That’s my opinion, so don’t kill me yet. (I am sure there is a comment button underneath, so please leave your comments. You are free to say your mind- It’s your opinion, huh!). I also had the opportunity to meet Ms Joan Miro and one Mr. Dali (or is it Daly) through their paintings and same applies. Mr. Dali, I felt more comfortable with but I tell you what, even He,… I reserve my inartistic criticism. Well, A museo-friendly friend of mine also mentioned that to see a Dali without visiting a museum is simple to do. Just a roll of mushrooms and you are ready. What can I say?

Well, I tried to restrain myself but couldn’t help it. I asked my museo-friendly travel companion why the Picassos, Miros and Dalis of this world couldn’t give me that artistic impression acclaimed to them. And the one answer she gave me which kind of satisfied me was this; each person had a STYLE. The style made the man.

It wasn’t because they were better than anyone; it was because they had a unique style. You see a Picasso painting and you recognized it immediately, or a Gaudi building and no one had to tell you who it was. STYLE!

I don’t think I should explain it more. THE STYLE MADE THE MEN. What’s your style?

P.S. Did I tell you I saw a T-Shirt here in Amsterdam with the caption: I am Dutch, who are you?

Momi kin mo e (INTRODUCTION)

One of the few things I have put off so much ever since I conceived the idea is this I am doing right now. Creating a blog. Everytime I think I should start, it’s all a grand idea and time to start, I start doubting it. Wondering if you would like to read it. And now, it cropped into my mind that it is not supposed to entertain you but to be a record of special events in my life. Events I really might not be able to talk about in detail like I would express it while writing.

Even now that I finally started, it’s kind of really odd, cos I am starting on my wordpad, and God helps me that I finally post this online. If you are reading this, then God be praised!!! I finally made it. If not, well, it means I am still contemplating it. Please, pray for me.

Now to location: I am in the aeropuerto de Barcelona (or Catalunya- I stopped checking), in the café and pans (if that’s the name), at 1.13am of the 4^th of May, 2008. if you care to know, I will be sleeping on hard wood for the night. Burcu and Tonio, my colleagues with whom I took this trip with are asleep already. Sleep in an airport, on a bench! no one said the timing had to be good, Just do it. Nike!

The Nike thingy brings to my mind, something Nike-like I did today (sorry yesterday). I was in the Nou Camp! (If you are reading this 20 years from now, and you don’t know where the Nou camp is, go back into the history of Spanish soccer and read about FC Barcelona. I shouldn’t help you with that, Should I?) I even bought the Jersey. To be sincere with you, I am still doubting the rationale of spending 57 Euros on the ticket and another 67.90 Euros on the Shirt, when my account is on negative. Well, one plus, which by the way doesn’t add a dime to my pocket is that Valencia was trashed 6 goals to nothing. We must have brought luck to the team. Like I said, just do it. (Easier said than done)

Anyway, I hope you will find this blog as I want you to. It’s my blog, not yours, so why should you have a say. And, please give me a reason why you should.