Frank Friday: Cheap Thrills

TGIF? Ok, this is meant to be like a tongue-in-cheek responsorial piece to Sia (I must say, I like Sia. A lot) but I'm honestly not trying to be funny. Do well to look out for those small bursts of seriousness, it wouldn't hurt to pick out some home truths to run with.

So, Sia wrote a song 'Cheap Thrills' and like the human being that I am, rather than listen to songs that intrigue me, I first scope out the lyrics. If it's A-okay, I zoom off with it. But if it's Z-not-ok, OYO (on your own).

While Sia's message is about not having to clear one's bank account in order to have fun, I can't help but dwell on that word 'Cheap Thrills' cos most times that's what we engage in compared to life's bigger picture.

Our society thrives on instant gratification. See it? Covet. Like it? Buy. Want it? Possess. Why wait when you can have it now?? We've taken to satisfying our wants by all means without entertaining thoughts of how it may shape our future. YOLO right? So why not take the chance? Let the future take care of itself.
Swallowing quantity/hype over quality which satisfies for a while and then leaves you aching and longing for more. These cheap thrills are everywhere and come in different wraps and packaging, glittery and alluring.

Cheap thrills = present wise, future foolish or as a friend puts it; play now, pay later.

Can't remember where I was going with this post, but here's my answer to the ones who constantly badger me to go have fun, especially when your idea of fun is 'questionable', I don't do cheap thrills, ha ha. Enjoy the weekend folks.

No offence Sia, we still good.
Trivia: Why do I like Sia?

Photo Credit: 7×7

My Dream

This is the Nigeria of my dream.

A Nigeria where a pretty young lady can afford a comfortable lifestyle without being labeled an aristo/call girl/runs girl.

A Nigeria where one's lifestyle's choice isn't questioned, where one can stay single for as long as desired without society calling names and making up stories about the reason for that and intimating that something must be wrong with you else you should be hitched by now.

A Nigeria where I can walk to the park without being harassed/tackled by touts and nearly brought down.

A Nigeria where I am free to be me in all my weird glory; a deviant, an anomaly, strange and different and be relatively safe.

A Nigeria where I can freely talk about my faith/beliefs without being labelled a religious bigot/fanatic.

A Nigeria where I can speak grammatically correct and sound English without being labellled an efico/show off/forming.

A Nigeria where I can trust my neighbor to watch my back. 

A Nigeria where the dissenting voices are patiently given listening ears in view of resolving issues

A Nigeria where every naturally endowed fair skinned lady isn’t attributed to skin bleaching toning. Where I make healthy lifestyle choices without being labeled a health fad junkie.

A Nigeria where I prefer my own company without being considered haughty and proud; a snob.

A Nigeria where I am recognized by merit.
Where I can be gainfully employed based on my skills and not by who I know ('connections').

A Nigeria where a young man’s wealth acquisition is attributed to the dividends of hard work and not 'yahoo'/nefarious activities.

A Nigeria where I chose to be my own woman and not called a failure because I have neither husband nor child.

A Nigeria where I can walk down the street poker faced without random strangers asking me to smile because pretty girls ought to smile more.

A Nigeria where friendship(s) with opposite sexes exist without speculations running rife.

A Nigeria where I am not shouted down because my opinions differ from my neighbor’s.        

A Nigeria where I write this down and not have hastily drawn conclusions about my person.

This, is the Nigeria of my dream. 
And then some more.

Photo Credit: Google

Managing Expectations

I have learnt from experience that the only way to avoid been disappointed is to expect nothing from no one. Expectations are breeding grounds for disappointments which in turn produces resentment and bitterness (should they be unmet) in varying degrees depending on how one longed for such expectations to be met. 

Source 

Blues...

Gosh, like Alex I was going to say "what a terrible,  horrible, no good, very bad day," but Les Brown's taught me to refer to such days as character building days :) and of course, I'm not Alex.

I've been bombarded with quite a lot of character building days of late and I'm begging crying, enough already and this is is where I say...wait for it, wait, wait...

"Thank God it's Fridayyy!!!" Whew.

This week was so far from being nice to me abi the love sharing ended with Vals day? No na. Talking about Valentine, it's finally come and gone. How was it? Did anything special? Everyday should be valentine mbok, I'm in dire need of some special loving.

I'm freeeeeee...@least for now, lol

But come to think of it, is this a way the Universe' telling me to get out of the blue collared job and do my own thing? I doubt it.

Universe, is that you? Can you please be more clear and specific as it's not by throwing these challenges my way you'd get me to listen.

I'm so proud of how I've handled them so far though I've had some not so proud moments -tantrum throwing, impulsive crying, sullenness- hmm, in retrospect,  I've not exactly done so well but I'm getting there.

So, how do you handle your "character building days"? On another note, how do you handle difficult persons as well?

Image Credit: Google 

I Don't Know!!!

Hey people,

I know it's the first week of the Valentine's Month (yup, some persons are counting down in case you aren't) and I'm pretty sure you'd be expecting content of like nature but I can't. I just can't. I mean what's wrong with me?

Let's hope that the Valentine spirit comes upon me soon, else...but enough about Valentine, I want to share something that's had me bothered for a while now. Growing up, my favourite answer to any question, read, disturbance was "I don't know." It was my go to answer for whenever I needed to be left alone, my default mode. You see, I wasn't exactly a talker, I was more given to mince words. Getting me to talk was like trying to extract a confession from a guilty person.

I quickly discovered that pulling the I-don't-know card was the quickest way to end a conversation. By and by, I was set on a roll. That is, until it expired as everything has an ending.

Transitioning into adulthood, I realised that my fail safe answer wasn't going to cut it for me because as an adult, you're expected to know things or at least have an idea about things. 

Now, I'm not in anyway trying to glorify ignorance, by all means go to school and be enlightened but is it really compulsory to know everything? Can't I just be allowed to remain in my blissful state of ignorance? Can't I be allowed to say I don't know every once in a while? I mean, adulthood comes with a lot of responsibilities (I doff my hat to parents) what, with pulling a 9-5 job, battling traffic, dealing with antsy staff/colleagues, coming back home to deal with the children, house chores and a host of other stuff. Tell me shouldn't  adulthood of itself be termed a full-time  job? And then you're expected to top that off by being omniscient, please.

I find adulthood tiring sometimes (really), but would I want to exchange it for ice cream? Heck no. I love my freedom too much for that.

With life tugging at you from all sides demanding answers, when is it okay to say I don't know?

"Now that you've graduated what next?" I don't know.

"Ah corper, you have finished? So what next na?" I don't know.

"Now that you've gotten a job, what next?" I don't know.
"Ehn, your sister's married when are we coming for yours?" I don't know.

It's okay not to know everything especially if you know the One who knows, sees and hears everything. 

It's very much okay to sometimes look at yourself in the mirror and admit to not having all the answers. 

It's very much okay to look life in the eye and state emphatically, I don't know!!!

So, when is it okay to actually admit to not knowing a thing? Should it be a thing of shame to actually not know stuff? Who's to blame in propagating this know-it-all mentality?

The truth is, we can't know it all. Make peace with that.

I'd like to hear your thoughts, don't be shy in hitting the comment section.

Photo Credit: Google