The Power of Love!

Nkiru Oh

Saw this somewhere. I was so touched. Just wanna share how awesome our God is, and how powerful and amazing Love can be!

Twin girls - Brielle and Kyrie - were born 12 weeks prematurely. Needing intensive care, they were placed in separate incubators. Kyrie began to gain weight and her health stabilized. But Brielle had trouble breathing; heart problems and other complications. She was not expected to live....

Their nurse did everything she could to make Brielle’s health better, but nothing she did was helping her. With nothing else to do, she went against hospital policy and placed both babies in the same incubator. She left the twin girls to sleep only to return and found a sight she could not have imagined! She called all the nurses and doctors to behold this amazing picture above!

As Brielle got closer to her sister, Kyrie put her small little arm around her, as if to hug and support her fragile sister. From that moment on, Brielle’s breathing and heart rate stabilized and her health became normal... Amazing Love! Therapeutic touch!

"Love works in miracles every day: such as weakening the strong, and stretching the weak; making fools of the wise, and wise men of fools; favouring the passions, destroying reason, and in a word, turning everything topsy-turvy"- Marguerite De Valois.   

Marketing 101

Nkiru Oh


Below is one of the most hilarious jokes I ever read on the world wide web. I saw it on a wall... laughed so much that I figured it would be great to share it with all my friends. Won't be nice of me to keep a juicy fun as this to myself. Naaaah...wasn't raised that way. Laughter is said to be the best medicine. So come read with me and  let's have some fun:


 A Professor explained Marketing to Some Management Students at an evening class thus :

1) You see a gorgeous girl in a party, you go to her & say, "I am rich, marry me..."
... - That's "Direct Marketing"

2) You attend a party & your friend goes to a girl & pointing at you tells her:
"He's very rich, marry him..."
- That's "Advertising"

3) You are at a party & a girl walks to you & says, "You are rich, can you marry me...?"
- That's "Brand Recognition..."

4) You see a cute girl at a party and you go to her & say, "I am very rich, marry me..." & she slaps you...
- That's "Customer Feedback...."

5) You see a girl at a party. You go to her & say, " I am very rich, marry me... " & she introduces you to her husband..
- That's "Demand & Supply Gap..."

6) You see a cute girl at a party. You go to her & say, "I am rich, marry me...." & your wife arrives.....
- That's "Restriction from entering new market...!"

  Hope u understand marketing better now..

Killing of Trayvon Martin: Justice Must Prevail!

Nkiru Oh


Am I missing something or what? Is this a dream...a movie? Go back to February 26, in recorded calls to police, George Zimmerman talked about following a teenager [Trayvon Martin]. The dispatcher asked him to NOT pursue the boy. Zimmerman disobeyed the dispatcher...persistently followed...shot and killed Trayvon! Now fast forward...in statements to police, Zimmerman claimed that Martin attacked him and he shot the teenager in self-defense! Self defense? Lawd Gawd Almighty!

Yes, George Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and claimed he shot the teen in self-defense! And the Sanford Police Department said they cannot charge him because they do not have enough evidence to prove that his motive was not self-defense! Somebody please explain to me! Who is crazier: Zimmerman or the Sanford Police? Where does self-defense come in? Was it in following the boy around until he shot and killed him? Was it due to the fact that the boy was unarmed? He was said to be holding only a bag of candy and a can of iced tea! Or was it that the boy was about 100 pounds lighter than his murderer? What is the police investigating? Are they investigating Zimmerman's motive for telling lies or being hell bent on pursuing and killing an innocent child? Which other evidence are they looking for?

How can someone be the aggressor and still claim self defense? What or who was the threat: a bag of Skittles candy, a can of iced tea, or was it a boy 100 pounds less than his killer? I still do not get it! He chased, confronted, shot and killed Martin. And he wants to invoke the 2005 Stand Your Ground Law! No, George Zimmerman! That law does not cover aggressors! Justice must prevail! Trayvon Martin must get justice! His death will NEVER be in vain. If killing of an innocent child does not constitute a crime, I wonder what else does! And somebody should tell Zimmerman that he will not have peace because "there is no peace for the wicked!"

Man's Inhumanity: "Let the World See!"

Nkiru Oh

My body cringed after watching a CNN video footage of the slaughtering of about a dozen family members in the Syrian city of Homs, people believed to oppose the government. Not the first time I have seen gory pictures, but I have not been able to comprehend the insanity involved in such heinous acts! My questions have remained, why are human beings so wicked? Why should man kill fellow humans under every flimsy excuse? How can any human being have the heart to hurt or kill a child? What joy does any anyone derive from the massacre of the innocents? What has slaughtering a family got to do with opposing the government? Do humans not have the right to oppose a regime? Wouldn't it be so boring if there are no opposing voices? Are we not yet done with dictators? I really don't get it. Honestly, I don't, and it hurts me real bad!


Syria is said to be a nation with a Sunni majority governed by a minority Alawite, an offshoot sect of Shia Islam. Am thinking, why can't humans coexist peacefully. Animals of same specie live together. They do not attack, kill or eat each other. Why can't humans do the same? If Islam is a religion of peace, why should one sect slaughter members of another sect? Are the different sects not worshipping the same Allah? Where lies the peace as stipulated by the Quran? Why do humans twist the teachings of their religion to suit their selfish motives? Where is the love?

Mind you, this is not an attack on or condemnation of Islam or Muslims. Never! I just do not understand all the massacre going on in the world. Are wars the only option? How about dialogue? From the indiscriminate killing of innocent citizens in Afghanistan by a rogue soldier, to the murder of Trayvon Martin by a racist lunatic, and then this! How do those murderers sleep at night after spilling the much blood of the innocents? Do they believe in God? What do they tell their God in prayers? Are they so wicked that human lives mean nothing to them? What can be done to stop all these killings? One of the rescuers in the CNN video said, "let the world see". The world has seen, then what? How much blood should be spilled before the powers that be do something? Give your suggestions please!

Ghost Stories

Nkiru Oh

Disclaimer: all the names in this write-up bear no semblance to any one living or dead.

Some things have been baffling me. Don't get me wrong. I am a Christian. I believe in the Trinity. I also believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior! But there are things yet indescribable and incomprehensible to me! Wish any one would explain. The existence of Ghosts and man's ability to see them with his mortal eyes are some examples.

A conversation I had with a co-worker few nights ago opened the floodgate of these all-time stories. Luther told me about an incident in his village several years ago: Tinkom and Gbenga were friends. In their late twenties, from same town but different villages, resided in different cities. One day, Tinkom got sick, died and was buried. Eight days after his death, three days after his burial, Gbenga went home and, as usual, visited Tinkom's parents in their village. He told them Tinkom visited him eight days ago and had been in his house ever since. Tinkom's parents knew Gbenga was too responsible to play with their loss and pain. The father called his brother, Tinkom's uncle, to bear witness. Gbenga repeated his story. There was an outburst of fresh wailing which confused and scared Gbenga. Shortly after, they took him to Tinkom's grave. Tinkom had died eight days ago, the same day he visited his friend, Gbenga! Gbenga was speechless. When he got back to the city, Tinkom was gone and never came back!

That reminded me of what happened back then in our school. One beautiful afternoon, there was pandemonium on campus. Nimbi, our female security guiard was hysterical and inconsolable. We were told her younger brother's ghost visited her. Bintu, one of our classmates, swore to have seen the boy-ghost: A young man came to Nimbi crying. When Nimbi wanted to hug him, he pulled away with the excuse that he had a fever. Said he's been sick and hasn't eaten for the past three days. Bintu warned Nimbi against allowing 'these player-undergrads' to cheat her out of her hard-earned cash. When she learned that the visitor was Nimbi's younger brother from out of state, Bintu collected money from Nimbi, went and bought him rice and beef-stew. All the while he ate, the young man was in tears. Nimbi also crying, could not leave her job but asked him to go to their elder brother in town who was a doctor. He agreed but asked Nimbi to ensure she came to the village that weekend. As he stepped out to board a taxi, Nimbi called their brother at work to inform him of  Koside's status. The phone fell out of Dr. Abel's hands three times before Nimbi finished her story. Koside had died three days earlier and his corpse was in the morgue! The family knew but had not yet informed Nimbi! The Saturday Koside asked his sister to be home was the day fixed for his burial!

So while our eyes were almost popping out of their sockets, Bintu told us why she wasn't petrified. She experienced a similar incident some years back: One evening, their grandma visited from the village and slept over. Bintu's mother was in the hospital, in labor with her seventh child. Early the next morning, Bintu's father got ready to go to his safe at his store to withdraw some cash. At the door, he met four of his kinsmen from the village. He was surprised they already heard about his wife's safe delivery and came to rejoice with him. The sad look on their faces stopped him in mid sentence. He then insisted they should tell him their mission. His mother had fallen inside a well and died the previous evening! He laughed sarcastically and warned them of their foolishness in playing with fire. Bintu's father took his kinsmen inside to prove to them how insane they and their story were! They searched the entire house but their visitor was gone and never came back! Scary, these stories, right? Do you have any story to share?

"We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey."

---Stephen R. Covey

Day One...

Nkiru Oh

I received my Nutrisystem order today. Got it at 12:23pm. One look at the meal packages and I really felt like throwing a tantrum! Jeez! Had I been younger, I would have just found any excuse, no matter how frivolous, to start crying, or weeping rather. I would have accused my older brother of stepping on my toes, or elbowing me as he walked past me, or giving me an evil look, and used that to cry bucketfuls! Oh how I wish I were a kid now! Would have gotten away with a whole lot today! But I am a full grown, matured woman so I am not allowed to do throw tantrums...mmmmmh...!

But seriously, I need me some wailing! Yes, it's like the loss of innocence. The portion size I mean! The discipline involved. What are they thinking? What really are they thinking? Yea, what are those Nutrisystem people thinking when they packaged those meals that look like they are meant for week-old babies? You know what, everybody should steer clear of me throughout this first week just in case I decide to throw some well-deserved, adult-tantrum any way! Yea! I mean, why not if that would make me feel good?

But I am determined to succeed! Can't afford to fail. Just cannot! So I weighed myself...recorded the weight in my journal...ate my special lunch, one of the littlest meal portion I've ever seen, to me though! One thing I must tell u is that the food tastes great. Yea, I like it! To avoid misbehaving, I got busy writing and blogging away. The experts say that it takes our brains twenty minutes to feel full. So while I was busy, twenty minutes lapsed. I forgot to think about the tiny portions anymore. And so, I saved me from having a 'weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth' episode this first day, and that's nice. But my journey just began...

"Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home."

--Matsuo Basho

Give Thanks

Nkiru Oh


For all that I have; for all that I am and will be; for all you have done, are doing, and will do; I am grateful Oh God! Help me to always be appreciative and thankful. Help me to see your glory and beauty in creation. Help me to love and worship you more, and to love others as myself. Help me to put a smile on the faces of people, the hurting, the needy, the sick, the less-privileged, the lonely, and the down-trodden. Help me Oh God to always reach for the highest good, amen!



Photo culled from Diggy Simmon's Wall

"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there's love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong."-Ella Fitzgerald

My Journey!

Nkiru Oh

Yes, I am embarking on a journey! Am sick and tired of  wasting my time! And how best to undertake this journey than to share my steps with the world knowing that it is a joy to share good tidings! See, I've been wanting to do this for long! Procrastination is the number one killer of success! Many procrastinate but it's never a good thing to do. So after all these years, I made up my mind to change! I have made several attempts before. But this one is like no other.

I am talking about a journey to weight loss! Fear is not always bad. Fear can be a motivator. Yes, I have allowed my fear of Type 2 Diabetes and other obesity-related diseases to force me to change for the better! Added to that is my fear of being crippled with Arthritis such that I'll not be able to wear my block high heels! Did you just say am vain? No dear, I ain't vain. Just being real! Delay can be dangerous! Yesterday, finally, I joined Nutrisystem! Yes, for weight loss! Oops! You thought it was some sort of a grand thing I was about to share with you? Well, to me, this is incredibly grand! This is great! Unbelievable! Super indeed! It is a journey of a lifetime! As we get older, our perspectives change. We become more health conscious. Moreover, any one logging about one hundred pounds, or more, of excess weight will understand what am talking about and why I am ecstatic and out of myself for my action! Yea, I don't look like a blob, right? I know...thanks! But truth be told, I am too heavy for my height! And that is very risky!

See, I don't want to use ugly names to describe me or my weight. I am a very beautiful woman inside and out! It's as simple as that! No one is gonna tell me or make me see me otherwise cos I need only me to validate Me! Thank goodness, I do not have any health issues! But it's sort of foolhardiness for me to wait until I fall sick to lose some weight. Besides, I need to motivate all those people who believe in me and look up to me. So yesterday, March 5, 2012, I took a quantum leap. I ordered my first 28-day Nutrisystem plan, and I've been congratulating me ever since! As Lao Tzu rightly said, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. I've taken my first step. Yea, lemme receive my order first, then I'll take take it from there! And that, to me, is so cool!

I am embarking on a long journey. I know it is tedious but I intend to return better, healthier and happier. Would you like to journey with me? Talk to your doctor first, then join me from wherever you are. Let's do it together. For us! For health! For those looking up to us! Two heads, more ideas, more tips, more fun! Sure you realized I did not call it dieting? Yes, cos I don't want to set me up for defeat and failure! Won't want to bore me to death before I even start! Calling it a diet or dieting makes it look like a chore or some type of punishment! Naaa, not at this age and stage of my life! I'll rather call it lifestyle modification, lifestyle changes, eating healthier, healthy eating, being more health conscious, or the like. I'll rather term it my journey, 'my awakening'. Wish me safe journey. Be happy for me please! Join me! Share your health tips too! Will keep you posted...

"There is a great meaning in life for those who are willing to journey."-Jim England

Picking Up the Pieces

Sometimes the cares and worries in life tend to weigh us down. Sometimes life throws too much at one, things get so bad and out of control that all one wants to do is give up. Many a time, one feels so exhausted and afraid of tomorrow and may wish that it never comes. These happened to one of my dear friends, Gene (not real name). He was down and almost out! Things spiralled so out of control that he contemplated lots of negative thoughts! But one day, in his sunken state, he opened up and poured out his hearts. We cried, then talked for about an hour and I shared this piece with him. Because he told me reading it, reluctantly at first, and meditating on it, worked like magic to uplift his spirits, I want to share it with you too. If this poem helps one person out there to get up, pick up the broken pieces, and grab life by the horns, or someone uses it to motivate another, my aim would have been achieved. Here we go:

Be not afraid!
Be not discouraged!
Do not lose hope!
You still can cope!
Keep on believing!
All doubts removing!
It is only but a while
You will break out in a smile!
The storms of life are raging!
Life has become nothing but caging!
Things are all crumbling to pieces!
You already are down and in many creases!
Loved ones desert you!
Friends all forsake you!
Disappointments, displeasures, deceptions;
Frustrations, fabrications, falsifications;
Depression, disillusion, despair;
Everything falls apart as if beyond repair!
Life stinks like feces!
You've become an object of teases!
Things are spinning out of control!
Worries and lack are exerting their toll!
Fears within, terrors without!
Bills mounting, children going aimlessly about!
These all can pass, it's only but a while!
If you lose not hope, soon you again will smile!
Be not afraid!
Be not discouraged!
Get up and start again!
Do not waver, your goal you must attain!
Get up and pick up the pieces!
Rise up and remove all the creases!

Could That Be Bell's Palsy or...?

Disclaimer: this write-up is not intended for medical diagnosis or treatment or as a substitute for consultation with a qualified health care professional. It's solely to increase awareness about Bell's palsy.

Nandi woke up one morning and noticed that one side of her face was swollen. She touched her face but felt stiff; half her face was drooping; she had one-sided smile; and her eyes would not close! No way, this can't be true! She tried to ignore the whole saga unfolding by concentrating on her morning chores. Within few hours Nandi was having headaches, pain around her jaws and inside her ears on the affected side, and a decrease in her ability to taste.

By now she had become very alarmed! She tried to cry but the tears would not come. Nandi found out she could not make facial expressions! Not only that, she had developed increased sensitivity to sound on that affected side. That side was becoming weaker too. She looked at her face in the mirror and almost fainted from fright and the caricature-like image of her face. "This is it," Nandi cried! "Someone must have charmed me in the village! O God why? So this is how am gonna die! O God, why me?" Mind you Nandi returned from a visit to her native country three days prior. Wait a minute! Poor Nandi just experienced signs and symptoms of Bell's palsy without knowing it!

Bell's palsy occurs when the nerve (cranial nerve VII) that controls facial muscles on one side of your face becomes swollen or inflamed. When this happens, your face feels stiff and droops. Herpes simplex virus, which also causes cold sores and genital herpes, is said to be the most common cause. Other viruses that have been linked to Bell's palsy include:

• The virus that causes chickenpox and shingles (herpes zoster)
• The virus that causes mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr)
• Another virus in the same family (cytomrgavirus)

A mild case of this sickness disappears within a month but recovery from a case involving total paralysis differs. For most people, "Bell's palsy symptoms improve within a few weeks, with complete recovery in three to six months. About 10 percent will experience a recurrence of Bell's palsy, sometimes on the other side of the face. A small number of people continue to have some Bell's palsy signs and symptoms for life."

 Before you accuse that old man/woman in the village, or the wicked neighbor who recently gave you an evil look, or that person who had a fight with you at work, or in the dream last week, or..., please, see your physician first!  

Below are some  images of faces affected by Bell's palsy (from Google Image):