No More Mr. Nice Guy

Hi Y'all,

Good to know you made it through all the hullabaloo of 2011 including but not limited to BH, The Jonathan Family comedy show, fuel subsidy, April elections and all it's attendant crises, killer phone calls, ISP downtimes, bleak Xmases, retrograde governmental policies like Lekki tolls, Lagos Ibadan PPP ish, Benin-Ore  Express Road to Heaven/Hell(if you believe the Holy Book), Sovereign Wealth Fund( Nigeria's own trust fund but for who, You and I or for them), winch for Jesus, Super Eagles's not playing Nations Cup, ABSU rape, LASU rape etc.

But 2011 was not so bad personally and collectively. For instance, we all now know we( I did not vote but i did not voice out my reservations loud enough, maybe the youths will not have fallen for the " I am voting Jona not PDP scam) voted in a LAMEDUCK to be our thief chief security officer. We also now know that if a Man of God says you will die, then you go die unless you go and beg him asap. For me personally, 2011 was a watershed. It was the year i finally said good riddance to the salary trap and crap. While it was particularly difficult financially, i go into 2012 knowing fully that my future is in my hands, literally! I also had time to work on myself thereby becoming a better person for my significant other(being single is a gift, not a curse, use your single-hood well) as well as for myself.

With all the drama and whatyoumaycallit that 2011 brought, we saw it through..... I met so many interesting people during the course of the year whether in reality or cyberlity and i am indeed hopeful that N I G E R I A S H A L L B E G R E A T again whether the comedians above or the FEE DEE FEE likes it or not. BH or No BH, there shall not be a Nigerian spring as being postulated in certain quarters as the religious fault line BH is trying to explode shall not come to pass for the simple reasons given by the late sage, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti in the late 70s. If you don't know, better ask somebody"hint" Nobody wants to die

Watch this hilarious clip from Sahara Reporters while i settle down to what promises to be a Saturday morning staple in years to come, fresh ijebu garri soaked in ice cold water with milk and akara or moin-moin. See you all in 2012.

P.s. The title of this post is just to reflect on my 2012 state of mind regarding this blog. If you like nice guys, sorry, you are on a long thing.

P.P.S. watch the video especially at 2:00 -3: 00, absolutely hilarious. had me in stitches.  

p.p.s.s MAY THE SOULS OF THE DEARLY DEPARTED ABIDE IN THE ALMIGHTY. YOUR SACRIFICES WILL NOT GO UNNOTICED. REST IN PEACE, YO'ALL!

Burdens of Living in Nigeria

Dear Mr President,

I have decided not to write anything concerning you and your albatross BH on this page but your recent statement on the last outing of BH has necessitated this post.

Frankly, i did not vote for you as i do not have confidence in you and i still don't as i know for a fact that you are not the Nigerian messiah. But your statement which came almost 10 hours after the outrages in various part of my beloved Nigeria is way too low, even for your usual low standard. The Pope, within 1 hour of news reports, had issued a statement condemning the attacks but rather you went to Church and was shown on National Television dancing and your NTA reported that you felicitated with the bomb victims?????????? WTF, how insensitive can you get?

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y J E S U S

Merry Xmas and a Prosperous New Year to you all especially Toinlicious, Ginger(www.mak2chi.com), Che( Naija Banker), Dayor, Oroque, UnveilingGold, Jemimma, Miss PweddyFace and the secret readers from all over especially you in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Do all have a merry holidays and remember that even in moderation, you still have to be moderate.

Remember JESUS is the reason for the season and here is a video i found on Youtube that i think is apt.

Enjoy the holidays....

Why I decided to keep a web log!

That's the question i decided to answer!

2011 Medals by Femi Sowoolu

The below was culled from Facebook and was written by Egbon Femi Sowoolu, veteran broadcaster. I loved the seriousness as well as the wittiness and decided to share here. Do enjoy.

2011 Medals

by Femi Sowoolu on Wednesday, 14 December 2011 at 19:24

What an eventful year. For some, successes; for others better forgotten memories – that’s the way things are. Life usually gives us back exactly what we give it. They call it the mathematical law of existence. Religionists may prefer to call it one of the unwritten laws of God, simply put, give, and ye shall receive (…in equal measure?) No matter how the year is viewed, 2011 was a challenging year for many Nigerians. Some of us have come through it smelling like pink roses, while others stink like the carcass the cat brought in last night – you never quite get rid of the pong. So to round up what may go down as a most defining year in our nation’s history, permit me to amuse you with my 2011 Random Awards! The good, the badt, and the, well…awful!

More Power to the Yoni!

Why have i decided to post another article about the Yoni or beaver or coochie or whateveryoumaycallit?

Simple; because without the Yoni, there won't be a me or you so you females need to realize that you carry the cradle of life within and maybe then,

Testing ISP

My ISP decided to make its way back to life!

While i was away, i came across this article that made for an interesting read!

Power to the Yoni!

But seriously, where would we be without the Yoni and the Yang?

15 Crazy Things About Vaginas | Psychology Today:

'via Blog this'

No Long Thing

I have not abandoned this blog.

I have been tres busy with work, life and just living.

Now, to make matters worst, my ISP(no advert) decides to have a downtime!

See you all soon!

Of Senators and Gays/Lesbians

Below is what i think of the new law passed by the Nigerian Senate.

Political Correctness/Freedom of Speech: The Nando's Ads

I came across this advert by South African fast food chain, Nando's during a recent web-crawling and i was struck by a couple of things: 1. What limits do we have on freedom of speech? As much as the advert was funny and witty and a very good use of poetic license,

Grumblings from Overseas! The Pepper Spray Movie in pictures

 I am posting this not for laughter only but to show that we all in this world are one!

See wetin we dey experience since like forever! So na just pepper way de inside can na him dem cause so much wahala? Make dem come 9ja see wetin MOPOL n Police dem use awa eye see!

Forgive my speaking broken English, here is the translation of the above paragraph ( for those who don't understand it)! We have been experiencing police brutality since like forever and i can not just imagine that pepper spraying of innocent protesters is causing so much rumpus! Non Nigerians need to visit Nigeria to witness first hand what Police brutality is really about!

Lt. John Pike has made himself popular though infamously but he is going down in history as the Causal Pepper Spray Policeman. Here are some pictures of him being meme(d). ( Photos courtesy of The Guardian on Facebook). Don't know what a meme is?
Pls google it or wiki it!

How to Enable the New Facebook Timeline NOW

Hi Folks,

Have you enabled the new Facebook timeline?

What? You havent? Thats so 199 pre Fb...

Here is how to as presented by our good friends at Mashable .com

P.S. I enabled (right word is develop) my timeline in September 2011 and my FB experience has not been the same... If you dont want to, you can wait till Markus and his crew do it for you but 800million time lines to enable is no small thingy.

P.P.S. It's presented in a way that even a Six year Old can follow and understand. Just click on the link....

How to Enable the New Facebook Timeline NOW:


P:P:P:S 16th Dec 2011

Now you can enable with one easy click

http://mashable.com/2011/12/15/facebook-timeline-how-to/

Nigeria

I love Nigeria.

What about you? You don't right? That's exactly the problem with Nigeria... We all have desires of the Nigeria we want but how many of us are actually doing something positive in that regard?

I really want to say something on the issues raging through social media in Nigeria at the moment a la carte National honours given to some people on Monday

Crass Materialism

What is the problem with modern day Nigeria?

If you ask me, CRASS MATERIALISM...

Why do i say so? Simple
In Nigeria of my pikinhood childhood, a child was taught some fundamental principles which were applicable all round..
1. Respect for Elders: This was drummed  knocked into our heads from a young head. you have to greet everyone first time you saw them in the day whether they were known to you or not, provided they were older than you. You wouldn't dare to interrupt an elder when he or she was talking( who dashed monkey banana) but what do we have this days?
2. Dignity in Labour: I swear money wasn't the big deal it is today back then. Our parents worked hard, were content with the little they had( at least my father was)maybe the fact that Life was much easier then was a factor but the rate at which most young men and women of this times pursue money owo, ego, kudi, dough, duchy etc and go to any length to achieve this is sickening to me at least. maybe i am too weird for my own good but i feel that we all in a quest to live the good life miss the plot totally.. Don't get me wrong, if you are fortunate to earn 7 figures from a legitimate source of income, jolly well you but do not buga come to show to me your new wonder on wheels cos frankly that doesnt freak me...I would be happy for you but i will also pray for you.
3. Sense of Importance: this is the main reason why i am typing this note at an hour i should be getting my beauty sleep.. We lost the plot totally  when we started to place importance on titles.. imagine someone who happens to be an engineer going by this hailings: Chief Engr.(Dr.) Pastor or the one that sets me off my tangent (Ballister) no apologies to any misconceived notion. Haba, any lawyer worth his wig n gown will not stand up in court to introduce his name as Ballister GANI Atawewe as his outfit already announces him as one. mind you, the ONLY time a lawyer is a barrister is when he is functioning in that office of advocacy before the court. immediately he (no gender at the Bar) removes the wig n the gown, he is plain old mister or miss or mrs as the case may be. it has gotten so bad that everybody now uses some title or the other before their name: Dame, Engr, Barr, Tpl(town planner), Arch, Pharm, Acct, Pastor...
4. i wan go sleep... i don tire..

Cheating with a married woman is safer | Daily Times Nigeria

This blog post was written by a very good friend, Ugo Chime(visit her blog here: www.flourishingflorida.net) and makes for an interesting read..

I am sharing it here as the salient issue it raises is one worthy of discourse..

Cheating with a married woman is safer | Daily Times Nigeria

TV couple expecting 20th child Photos | TV couple expecting 20th child Pictures - Yahoo! News

TV couple expecting 20th child Photos | TV couple expecting 20th child Pictures - Yahoo! News:

'via Blog this'

Homosexuals and the Rest of Us, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

Homosexuals and the Rest of Us, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

Lat-mo (sisi ton lo).mp4

Lat-Mo - Sisi To Nlo

Lat-Mo - Sisi To Nlo by Lat-Mo

Writer’s block, Baba Suwe, Ghaddafi et al…….

Dear Web log,

It has been a while since I wrote you. How have thou been? Did you miss me like I missed you? I bet you didn’t since you are too busy like Oyingbo market to note who came or not…

Seriously, I suffered over the past two weeks from a severe strain of influenza which I hear is going around and that culminated in my being seriously indisposed as the cough and catarrh that flowed along with the flu was unimaginable. I managed to catch it early but the damage was done already…

Which damage, you might ask? Yes you guessed right… I tried to write this post but absolutely nothing flowed….. Except for that already mentioned…

I mean, this has not happened before… That I, the great talk active would not have anything to say or write… I mean it’s legendary (amongst people who know me) that if ever there was a talk-a-thon, I would be a great candidate…. As I write this, I am feeling the beginnings of a migraine as my brain feels like its being stressed just to compose this post. Now I understand why writers sometimes don’t publish regularly and say they suffered a writer’s block…. It simply means they couldn’t write as their brains were blocked by catarrh….LOL…

Now unto the issues of the moment, I have refused to take a stand on the on-going tragio-comedy of gargantuan proportions that is the Baba Suwe/NDLEA movie that is being acted out day by day in Nigeria… I mean the scriptwriter for this movie has to be one with a writer’s block…I say this because the gaps in the story are too ludicrous to be believable. Initially, we were informed by rumours on social networks and other new media that he excreted 16 pellets of substances suspected to be cocaine. Then it was rebutted by official sources. Then NDLEA got a court Order to hold him for a further 15 days. The rumors surfaced again…. The other day, an unnamed NDLEA officer said and I paraphrase “the man must be using some serious juju to hold the drugs in his stomach as the two scans conducted show the drugs are in his stomach but he has not excreted them yet (REALLY??????) I have not seen this level of juju before”. I mean seriously, what do we make of that statement? I think something is amiss AS THERE IS NO FIRE WITHOUT SMOKE and the truth will prevail.... eventually someday…
P.S.Justice Idowu of the Lagos High Court has ordered Baba Suwe to be released on Friday, 3rd November 2011 if further excretions revealed no substances were found. She granted bail in the sum of $3,300 only...

Well, it’s no longer news that the strongman of Africa/Libya, Mummar Ghaddafi is dead… while that’s supposedly good for the NATO backed rebels and the Libyan people, I find reprehensible the growing notion in international law that laws can be broken in order to get criminals.. It happened with Osama when Obama sat back in the White House bunker and watched on large screen TV as Osama was assassinated without a due trial for crimes he committed and the same treatment was meted out to Ghaddafi… Don’t misconstrue my views, I am not in support of Ghaddafi's attempt to transform his country to a monarchy, the same system of government he came to over-throw as being too archaic and out-moded. Its my understanding that Libyans will have accepted his son, who was being touted as an English trained Arab as president if they had been presented with a semblance of having elected him through the polls but Mummar chose to disregard his people and he paid for it with his life. i wept at seeing the various videos and pictures showing his last few minutes... Makes one wonder if it was all worth it...Moral of the Ghaddafi's story is this, DO NOT TAKE YOUR PEOPLE FOR GRANTED AND IF YOU DO, DON'T CALL THEM RATS TO THEIR FACES AND HEARING, THEY MIGHT JUST TURN ON YOU....

Welcome to My Fave Place: Building a blog from the basics..

7 Simple Steps To $1 Million by Glenn Curtis

While we await the gist merchant to finish construction of his fave place, here are some pearls of financial wisdom for us all to utilize...

Still under construction...

GM.

P.S. This article was culled from the internet and posted to Facebook by my significant other, Feyi Pitan in November 2009...

People,
Saw this article online and thought it beneficial to us all. Hope you will keep sight of the principles espoused in it. See you at the top.
Feyipitan

Let's face it; we all don't make millions of dollars a year, and the odds are that most of us won't receive a large windfall inheritance either. However, that doesn't mean that we can't build sizeable wealth - it'll just take some time. If you're young, time is on your side and retiring a millionaire is achievable. Read on for some tips on how to increase your savings and work toward this goal.

1. Stop Senseless Spending
Unfortunately, people have a habit of spending their hard-earned cash on goods and services that they don't need. Even relatively small expenses, such as indulging in a gourmet coffee from a premium coffee shop every morning, can really add up - and decrease the amount of money you can save. Larger expenses on luxury items also prevent many people from putting money into savings each month.
That said, it's important to realize that it's usually not just one item or one habit that must be cut out in order to accumulate sizable wealth (although it may be). Usually, in order to become wealthy one must adopt a disciplined lifestyle and budget. This means that people who are looking to build their nest eggs need to make sacrifices somewhere - this may mean eating out less frequently, using public transportation to get to work and/or cutting back on extra, unnecessary expenses.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't go out and have fun, but you should try to do things in moderation - and set a budget if you hope to save money. Fortunately, particularly if you start saving young, saving up a sizeable nest egg only requires a few minor (and relatively painless) adjustments to your spending habits.

2. Fund Retirement Plans ASAP
When individuals earn money, their first responsibility is to pay current expenses such as the rent or mortgage expenses, food and other necessities. Once these expenses have been covered, the next step should be to fund a retirement plan or some other tax-advantaged vehicle.

Unfortunately, retirement planning is an afterthought for many young people. Here's why it shouldn't be: funding a 401(k) and/or a IRA early on in life means you can contribute less money overall and actually end up with significantly more in the end than someone who put in much more money but started later. (To see how this works, check out Why is retirement easier to afford if you start early?)

How much difference will funding a vehicle such as a Roth IRA early on in life make?

If you're 23 years old and deposit $3,000 per year (that's only $250 each month!) in a Roth IRA earning and 8% average annual return, you will have saved $985,749 by the time you are 65 years old due to the power of compounding. If you make a few extra contributions, it's clear that a $1 million goal is well within reach. Also keep in mind that this is mostly interest - your $3,000 contributions only add up to $126,000.

Now, suppose that you wait an additional 10 years to start contributing. You have a better job and you know you've lost some time, so you contribute $5,000 per year. You get the same 8% return and you aim to retire at 65. When you reach age 65, you will have saved $724,753. That's still a sizeable fund, but you had to contribute $160,000 just to get there - and it's no where near the $985,749 you could've had for paying much less.

3. Improve Tax Awareness
Sometimes, individuals think that doing their own taxes will save them money. In some cases, they might be right. However, in other cases it may actually end up costing them money because they fail to take advantage of the many deductions available to them.

Try to become more educated as far as what types of items are deductible. You should also understand when it makes sense to move away from the standard deduction and start itemizing your return.

However, if you're not willing or able to become very well educated filing your own income tax, it may actually pay to hire some help, particularly if you are self employed, own a business or have other circumstances that complicate your tax return.

4. Own Your Home
At some point in our lives, many of us rent a home or an apartment because we cannot afford to purchase a home, or because we aren't sure where we want to live for the longer term. And that's fine. However, renting is often not a good long-term investment because buying a home is a good way to build equity.

Unless you intend to move in a short period of time, it generally makes sense to consider putting a down payment on a home. (At least you would likely build up some equity over time and the foundation for a nest egg.)

5. Avoid Luxury Wheels
There's nothing wrong with purchasing a luxury vehicle. However, individuals who spend an inordinate amount of their incomes on a vehicle are doing themselves a disservice - especially since this asset depreciates in value so rapidly.

How rapidly does a car depreciate?

Obviously, this depends on the make, model, year and demand for the vehicle, but a general rule is that a new car loses 15-20% of its value per year. So, a two-year old car will be worth 80-85% of its purchase price; a three-year old car will be worth 80-85% of its two-year-old value.

In short, especially when you are young, consider buying something practical and dependable that has low monthly payments - or that you can pay for in cash. In the long run, this will mean you'll have more money to put toward your savings - an asset that will appreciate, rather than depreciate like your car.

6.Don't Sell Yourself Short
Some individuals are extremely loyal to their employers and will stay with them for years without seeing their incomes take a jump. This can be a mistake, as increasing your income is an excellent way to boost your rate of saving.

Always keep your eye out for other opportunities and try not to sell yourself short. Work hard and find an employer who will compensate you for your work ethic, skills and experience.

7. Bottom Line
You don't have to win the lottery to see seven figures in your bank account. For most people, the only way to achieve this is to save it. You don't have to live like a pauper to build an adequate nest egg and retire comfortably. If you start early, spend wisely and save diligently, your million-dollar dreams are well within reach.

by Glenn Curtis, (Contact Author | Biography)

Glenn Curtis started his career as an equity analyst at Cantone Research, a New Jersey-based regional brokerage firm. He has since worked as an equity analyst and a financial writer at a number of print/web publications and brokerage firms including Registered Representative Magazine, Advanced Trading Magazine, Worldlyinvestor.com, RealMoney.com, TheStreet.com and Prudential Securities. Curtis has also held Series 6,7,24 and 63 securities licenses.

Building a blog from the basics..

So i want a blog too. Or is it not my e'too( right) as an internet savvy geek who spends a bit of time surfing......

My name is Feyi and i am proud to be a Nigerian.

My father is from Ondo State ( people say we are too stubborn but i say no, we just a tenacious people who stick to their views no matter how right or wrong we are) while my mum is from Ogun State ( Egba + Ijebu) so i am a cosmopolitan Nigerian and i do not intend to do an Andrew(remember the famous song "Nigeria go better" by Veno Marioghene (hope i got the name right) which featured Enebeli Elebuwa in the music video and contained the catchphrase "Andrew no check out" |) any time soon despite that what she sang about in 1985 is still prevalent and abounding today. If you never saw the video or heard the song, consult your nearest adult...Adult here refers to someone who was a teenager or thereabouts in 1985..
Na wa o! Has it been that long? One day e go better na poor man prayer.....

So i learnt a few things about myself recently. when i-sad trended, i saw the impact of one man's idea on people he never met and i was like whoa, what kind of obit will i get when i pay the Grim Reaper his debt?

So that got me thinking... Does money rule the world or Ideas rule the world?

Go down one step..... saw this just as i was posting.... Its in you everywhere you go...

You are still scrolling down abi? expecting to see more funny pishures  abi?







You are almost there... Keep scrolling...










You know the answer, right?


So what is your IDEA?

Welcome to my world
and here is where
i will be free
to be ME...


Still under construction.....

Come back later...
copyright 2011

Thoughts of a young(not so young) Nigerian: So i want a blog..

Thoughts of a young(not so young) Nigerian: So i want a blog..

so i want a blog. then build one. so i built one. Mind you, i was an art student..
So now that i have built one, wetin go be the contents thereof.....
Should i write my mini-autobiography online....(might keep u all entertained as i have lived a very interesting life) or should i write a themed blog or Should i write about my university days? Boring as i passed through school but school left me behind...want to see some of my school pics... click here....


www.flickr.com


so you clicked truly?


Sorry about the joke but the point i was trying to make is that at times, we need not to take ourselves too seriously and also have the grace to see humour around us as the stress of daily living can take its toll on our lives. This blog is all about me and what's on my mind.. I know some people probably might be mistaken by the address (i.e gistmerchant.blogspot.com) and conclude that i will be doing a Linda Ikeji or Olufamousblog but so sorry to disappoint you, this blog is my place on the www to rant, rave or say what's on my seriously disturbed mind.. the only gist you shall be getting is what's trending on my mind. LOL. If you want gossip and other gist, here is Linda's blog lindaikeji.blogspot.com and OluFamous' blog olufamous.blogspot.com

I am passionate about a lot of things some of which are Chelsea ( the football club o, not the drink), Nigeria( how to make it a better place than we met it), food( if i could afford it, i will be a gourmand) sports, tee-vee( i love watching series gan ni o and my favourite tv character is Dr. Gregory House played by British actor, Hugh Laurie( who just released an album) in the medical series, House MD), music( i have an eclectic taste and can listen to anything that sounds nice to my ears http://soundcloud.com/lat-mo/lat-mo-ft-fatai-rolling) in no particular order.

Watch Hugh Laurie's live performance above. See why i like him.. his little comedic performance before singing is him being him.. Some of my friends have said to me that i am seriously flawed like Dr House.. i admit that might be true as i am cynical and sarcastic as it gets. here is the Amazon link if you are interested in his albumhttp://www.amazon.com/Let-Them-Talk-Hugh-Laurie/dp/B005IFWXWU/ref=sr_1_1_digr?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1321549517&sr=1-1

So that's me...


PS. i wrote this in September 2011 but never got to posting it. so enjoy...


GM

So i want a blog..

Hello,

I am bored again.... So that means its time to write up a storm..( Not Katrina o).. I created a blog in November 2010 but left it after just a single post..... Whoa.... Give it up for me.. I sure have a nice record.. one blog post per year... No wonder Adsense said no sharperly...So i am building this new blog all by myself and discovering and remembering how learning a new thing( back in the days) was fun and could be fun..

On this blog, expect to be entertained in a way never experienced before as i bring a FRESHFLOW into blogging..(More on Freshflow later on).. so sit back and curl up on the sofa. grab whatever its you like grabbing and watch this video by Lat-Mo)

who is talking to all the shakara sisi out there...

This blog is still under construction..

Come back later....


XOXO