Help!

Hey bloggers! I apologize once again for not updating my blog in such a long time. So there's this problem that's been bugging me for some time now. I don't get enough sleep at night because I keep thinking that someone has broken into our home. The slightest noise keeps me up, and this drives my hubby crazy too because this means that he doesn't get enough sleep either. Why do I keep freaking out like this? Well, it all started a few years ago back in Nigeria. My family and I were robbed at gun point and let's just say that I've never recovered from that incident. The unfortunate thing is this was the second time it happened to us. The first robbery occurred on Christmas Day in '88 on our way back home from church. Christmas was never the same for me after that, but that's another story. Going back to the original story, my mum came over to my room trying to wake me up. I remember just getting mad and wondering what she was doing in my room at 3am waking me up. I was pretending not to notice anything, when she whispered "CNL get up.....armed robbers!". That was enough to keep me wide awake. We went on to my brother's room to get him and then got my grandmother, who was staying with us at the time. My mum got everyone into her room and and we tried calling the police and even friends but to no avail. So we all waited. It was pure torture listening these men cut through the burglary-proof window bars, walking around the house trying to figure out where we were. Even worse, the very inefficient NEPA had decided to perform their magical act and so we were in darkness. The men proceeded to the staircase and were apparently trying to open up the gate ( we had a gate at the top of the stairs!), when I noticed that the phone was on (we used one of those multilinks phones if you know what I mean). I unplugged it in order not to arouse any suspicion that we had called the police. I turned to look at my mother and with the little moonlight seeping through the window, noticed she was thoughtfully looking back at me. She then grabbed the sheets off her bed and wrapped me in them, pushing me to the back to the room just as the men entered. The next thing I remembered was the men shouting and telling us to lie down (naija people know the drill!). My mother was asked for the money in the house which she gave to them, including her second wedding ring (the first was stolen during the last robbery). They opened up her closet and threw her clothes and also my dad's (he was out of town) to the floor, looking for other valuables. I'm not entirely sure that they noticed me because clothes were thrown on me and they just moved around like I wasn't there. The one who was obviously the leader took pity on my grandmother, and asked her to seat on the bed. He actually started a conversation with her, explaining the reason for their actions which was the state of the country and also because they couldn't find any other jobs! I just remember thinking... really? Just as they got up to leave, the leader turned to my mother and said “I was told by your security guard that you had a daughter (he had been threatened and tied up). Where is she?!”. You know how one shivers during a bout of fever or malaria? Well, that's what happened to me. Lol! I was shaking so much that I thought that I would be seen for sure. My mother managed to distract them by saying that she had no daughter, and that they could take the car if they wanted. I still think that was one of my mother's finest moments. She was extremely brave that night but was injured in the process. One of the stupid men dropped his gun on her foot thus wounding her. The funny thing was she didn't even notice the wound until after they had left.

To this day, we are extremely grateful to God that nothing worse happened to our family. I know that there are other people out there who haven't been as fortunate. I still have nightmares to this day and really strict about security in my home, even in this country. It doesn't help when I call home and hear stories about similar incidents. My hope is that Nigeria's economy is improved so that our people can stop living in poverty. It only breeds sadness and crime resulting in violence.

The Weekend's Over!!

It's Sunday again and the start of a good week for everyone (hopefully). I went to the state fair yesterday with a couple of friends and it was pretty cool. There were many people in attendance and also lots of wierd stuff for consumption. Things such as a deep fried snicker bars and deep fried twinkies. So many deep fried snacks. Goodness gracious, I couldn't handle all the cholesterol and settled for a few cookies. Afterwards, we went over to see Fergie in concert and also Rooney (one of my favourite bands!). I'm sorry but I don't have any pictures to show you because we got our tickets late and in the end, had to settle for bad seats. Overall, the entire day went very well and we had so much fun!





P.S. Did anyone catch the Miss Teen U.S.A pageant? Did you listen to Miss South Carolina's answer during the question round? If not, please see the video below and let me know your thoughts about it. Take care and have a blessed week!!!

Miss Teen USA 2007 - South Carolina answers a question

Chronicles of A Non Blogging Lady

It's Friday baby!! Sorry that i've been incognito for a while. The internet connection here has been hay wire! Anyways, I'm so glad it's the weekend finally. You know what that means? Shopping, shopping, and more shopping! Ok, maybe I'll try to do some window shopping instead, but who knows, I might see something I can't do without, lol. The past few days have been kinda wierd for me though. I called mum and she gave me the usual lecture, about why I shouldn't be with my husband and blah blah. This might seem mean, but I never look forward to speaking with my own mother. There's this feeling of nervousness and tension all around the house, kind of like the feeling you get before taking a tough exam, if you know what I mean. She's absolutely convinced that if only she had made me transfer schools earlier on in college, my hubby and I wouldn't have been together today. Can you imagine, she actually tried fixing me up with a friend of mine (I'll call him S) in college. Here's how the conversation went on that fateful day:

CNL: "Hello mum."

Mum: "Ha my daughter, thanks for calling. There's something i've been meaning to discuss with you."

CNL: "Ok......"

Mum: "I have noticed that your friend S, likes you. Both of you will make a very good couple. He's Yoruba and that's good."

CNL: "But mum, I'm already seeing someone else. You know that."

Mum: "And so what? I have told you that you should stop seeing that boy! I don't even want him around me o!"

CNL: "We just can't stop seeing each other like that now. We have been together for a while...."

Mum: "CNL look ,don't waste your time and also that boy's time. Marriage will never happen."


CNL: "But who's talking about marriage now. Anyway, S is like a brother to me and thats that."

Mum: "I have spoken my mind CNL!"


Mothers can bring a lot of hell into your life sometimes! I know she means well, in her own way, but it can be frustrating at times. Anyway, we spoke in our usual polite manner, but the conversation only ended in anger. I had been quite depressed until last night, when a couple of good friends took me out in order to relax. I feel much better, thanks to them, but I honestly wish I had a good relationship with my mother. Maybe some shoe therapy will make me feel better. Lol!


Update: Still haven't found those silly pumps yet, but I have my eye on another pair!

What Happened to Good Music?!

So I called my little brother to check up on him, when I heard the most terrible thing ever. There was music playing in the background and I was pretty interested in knowing what he was listening to, well, since I had never heard it before. My bro D (i'll just call him that) puts the reciever close to the speakers and to my horror, I hear the chorus "I'm in love with a stripper"! What in the world....?! What sort of music are these record companies putting on the airwaves today? I was really shocked that my dearest baby bro was exposed to such nonsense (I wouldn't exactly call it music now). Where have all the good songwriters gone?! Some of my fondest childhood memories involve listening to great songs by some of the very best artists ever. My dad would play his cassette tapes (remember those?) every day while getting ready for work, most especially on Saturday mornings. Oh, how I looked forward to listening to songs by artists such as Sade, Tears for Fears, Spandau Ballet. Ah...Spandau Ballet! I still remember the first time I heard "True". There I was putting up a fuss because I wasn't allowed to go over to my friend's house when I heard the song. I ran over to the living room, and there it was. The music video was being shown on the t.v. Let's just say the house was quiet after that! Lol. This lady was too little to understand all the words that were spoken in that song at the time, but she did know it was a good love song. Probably one of the best ever written. Artists such as Common, The Fray, John Legend and John Mayer are giving me some hope. Sigh....those were the days!

Spandau Ballet "True"

Nollywood, Lipstick Jungle

Happy Sunday! Yours truly finally finished Candace Bushnell's "Lipstick Jungle" and it was a pretty good read. It's very much like "Sex and the City" with a couple of 30-40 something professional women with relationship issues. So, if you are a huge "Sex and the City" fan, as I am, you'll probably enjoy reading this book as well. It would be a good idea to read this soon because a series based on the book, starring the ageless Brooke Shields starts this fall!

I'm about to watch a nollywood movie titled "Girl's Cot" starring Genevieve Nnaji. I hope it's good and not a waste of my precious time and energy because some of these naija movies can be very disappointing! I'm trying to get the hubby to watch it with me right now. He's not really into nigerian movies, though he's been a little impressed with a couple so far. So, here's hoping.......lol!