My body, on the other hand, feels no remorse; just equal parts exhilaration and gloom for the manner in which the series ended, with Jeffrey Archer keeping me dangling on edge, as is his signature, in anticipation of his latest work Heads You Win.
Read MoreSadly, there was no mention of this great author by any of the featured writers as an influence or role model while growing up and reading voraciously. Perhaps there is truth in the words that James Hadley Chase was only popular in Nigeria.
Read MoreRecommended or not, if a book fails to capture and keep my attention it will be discarded. I only saw Under the Udala Trees to its logical conclusion because I hoped to agree with the reason it had garnered some traction and won a couple of awards at the time of its publication. Alas, at the end of it, I didn’t. Or I must have missed it. Besides some of its themes – same sex love and the Biafra war, it was pretty lacklustre for me. The writing style was not phenomenal, neither was it pedestrian. And the book took up time enough I would have spent on two such volumes.
Read MoreBetween the two streets are six public secondary schools – two of which are for children on the disability spectrum. Tucked away in its own cul-de-sac, as though different (it is!), is a seventh. A private one. In the mornings, the exodus is tame. Pockets of students trudging leisurely to their various compounds of learning. In groups of fives, twos, threes. Making minimal noises, providing additional background for the dawn of another day. But they do take up a whole lane of the street, and navigating around them takes skill, patience and tact. Your horn might prove effective after its second blare. On the other hand, seeing any of the private institution’s students walking to or from school is like a luna eclipse – an almost once-in-a-lifetime event.They arrive in style, on wheels – mostly luxurious and the kind that purrs when in motion. If you happen to peer through the windows, they could be seen tapping away on cellphones, snoozing or staring right back at you. No morning strolls for these ones. In the afternoons, it is bedlam. The noise from the public schools erupts like an active volcano right from their gates – a signal that school hours were over for that day.Imagine six schools simultaneously spurting out their occupants onto the streets. Streets where vendors of baked, fried, roasted and packaged goods await them. The hawkers’ cacophony of calls mixed with the unrhythmic, loud chatter of the students transforms the neighbourhood into an instant street fete, replete with chaotic music from a nearby barber’s shop. This time, they fill up the entire street like it’s one big sidewalk, and walking is not all they do – playing football with stones, other unrecognized games, impromptu brawls/quarrels amongst themselves, unscheduled meetings at the median of the street are just some of the other activities they get up to. Your horn might have to work overtime during this period, and continuously too if you hope to increase the turtle-slow pace you’ve been compelled to drive at. It is also likely that the cars behind yours have private school students in”more
Read MoreIs this still in practise? Y’know, monikers, once translated, sounding rather weird because you can’t quite place them._ matename Isn’t it juvenile of any parent to christen his/her child as a direct jab at someone else? A medium to convey a message to a rival? Every time the child is called, it’s a slur, a shade at another person. matename Say it in Pidgin English…Yes, just so. The effect is more poignant in vernacular.With the English Language tone, an eavesdropper would erroneously equate the mate to a class- or age mate. But alas, the initial word that consists this unusual compound word refers to a sister-wife in a polygamous setting. 20 years ago, I was blissfully oblivious of this title. Then in a conversation with my mum, I mentioned one of my cousin’s middle name. And I had a bizarre moment as she uttered the word matename before going ahead to expound on it. Only us women can create such an incredulous label. matename Given our attitude towards each other, does this, by any chance have any link to the fact that we are our worst enemies? Or the occurrence of soooo many mother’s day celebrations in a year – denominations have different dates, countries have different dates as well while all over the world, the menfolk have just ONE father’s day celebration – because we can’t seem to agree on one that suits all of us? Considered in this context, it certainly makes sense to have this unpalatable word hanging around sister-wives, doesn’t it? Meanwhile, the probability of a similar situation existing amongst men is zilch to none. Their brotherhood and bond are attributes we’re still teething at. Yet, strangely, at the root of this nauseating norm is the male child. Or at least the two names I’ve come in contact with. Mitaire is one. The middle name of the close cousin I spoke about above. The first boy in a bevy of girls. Hence Mitaire – a lovely- sounding, traditional tag – is a fitting epithet meaning ‘I have reached them.’ _ Them referring to a sister wife who,”more
Read MoreConsidering I am only logged into Facebook, I figured it would be a breeze to be a part of.
Read MoreThis is me on the last day, not actually looking forward to another weekend of Facebooking as was my lot on September 1. The anticipation has been watered down somewhat due to deliberate abstinence.
Read MoreA little more than two weeks gone in this challenge and I’m beginning to feel good about it. So good that I’m considering certain permanent adjustments to my social media use afterwards. Getting ahead of yourself, aren’t you, lady? Complete the challenge first, then you can tackle that bridge when you get to it. I’m also thinking of my next challenge for next month as well.
Read MoreAlmost half way through, and I’m still alive and kicking. For the first time (read: weekend) since this challenge began, I’m actually not hankering to log onto Facebook. Or feel like I’m missing out on other peoples’ lives. Or having withdrawal symptoms from lack of social media surfing. I had more time today to read, read and snooze in between. I’ve also discovered there’s a significant time lapse between my checking – in on WhatsApp, especially when a message or several come in. Something good emerges from this abstinence.
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