Friday 30 December 2011

Is this the fault of Technology or Imaptience? U b d Judge!

I remember sometimes in the early 90`s when Communication Technology was yet to go full swing in this part of the World...things seem to be normal, we send messages with no abbreviation (everything spelt out correctly), we write missives in their full format. These days, NEVER! You will hardly see a write up, a message on your mobile, a letter (formal or informal) or Post and Updates on these Social Network sites without a word abbreviated. Really, I have tried to come to a conclusion about the problem several times but could not arrive at one. (I found it hard myself to come up with this write up without any abbreviation although I cross-checked about thrice). Have you scrolled through your mobile messages to see if there is any message without abbreviation? Trust me, there is a 100% percent chance you will not find any. Maybe you do not get the picture yet, take a look at this Application letter by a graduate seeking employment in a Media and Advertising Agency:

40, Adebowale St,
Ajase Poki-poki, drive
Lafunwa Way,
Lasgidi.
                                                                                                                                                             Sept. 19, `11.
D HR Mgr
Dangote Grp of Companies
V.I
Lasgidi.

Sup Dude,

APPLICATN 4 D POST OF A MARKETIN MGR

Me saw ya ad. in da Punch Nwspaper dropd d oda day & me likey d vacancies, but most of all, d vacant office of da Markettin Mgr., (brave muv, u myt say, lolz) and in response 2 da ad, decided 2 4ward ma apps, cos imma luv 2 work wit guys in ur groove.

Am a young dude of a lil` bit ova 20yrs of age who luvs 2 work wit peeps who gat i-level of focus like ur organizatn **winks**. I finished 4rm da "1st & da Best", u dig, 1 & only "Premier Uni." (...u intimidated, lolz, dnt b dude!), U.I wit 1st class honors in Markettin a coupla months back and decided 2 skip dat "ish" called NYSC, cos I aint gat tym 4 dat holy-drab. Imma spare u d long tin by fixn ma CV & all oda Pry and Sec. school "ish" u peeps myt need.

I aint doubtin d fact dat u guys r gonna employ me cos I was roflmao wen I tore da suposed promotion leta ma ex-boss gav me all in a bid 2 tie me 2 his f**ked company **tongues out** due 2 ma indispensability.

Lukin 4wrd 2 hearin 4rm u, dude, but till den, imma stay unda d radar.

Btwn @payroll officer: Imma giv u d acct numba I want ma salary paid in2 cos som of dis nu-generatn banks r whack & cant b trusted. @personnel: I`d prefer if ma official ride is a jeep cos imma oppress all `em ladies in ma hood big-tym not forgettin sayin "hi" 2 ma ex-boss. I know u dig.
#GMAM#

Tis ur boi,

Hardeydharyour "Sussed-n-Sassy" Horlarwarley

 You may laugh it off as impossible, but sit down and ask yourself this question, with the way things are going on these Social Network sites, what do you think will be the future of our written and Spoken English? I rest my case hoping to hear your opinion.

Monday 19 December 2011

Mentor or Menthol?

Oprah Winfrey is my Mentor, Christiano Ronaldo is my Mentor, Barrack Obama is my Mentor, Kenneth Hagin is my Mentor...such comments and many more is what we hear from the mouth of the Nigerian youth these days? Which leaves me wondering what exactly they have "A Mentor or a Menthol"?
A Menthol as we all know is an organic compound naturally occurring in mint plants....which, because of it`s cooling effects is used in products meant to relieve skin irritation, sore throat, or nasal congestion.
A Mentor on the other hand is an adviser, counselor, coach, guide, tutor, teacher, guru, and friend whom you can trust for valuable perspective. A conversation with one’s mentor should be uplifting because it helps bring clarity and a sense of new possibilities to the protégé. A mentor provides listening and sounding board advice in a casual manner. They go out of their way to help protégés set important goals and foster the development of skills to reach the goals. In a formal mentoring relationship, the mentors have an ongoing commitment to help protégés reach these goals in a planned manner over certain period of time.
I`ll like you to look out for the embolden words and watch out for them in the person you claim to be your Mentor. Mentors are torchlights meant to help us walk through a situation that looks/seems dark to us (a situation we have never experienced before or one we had a bad experience in). If it makes you feel good naming someone as your "Mentor" in the presence of friends and colleagues without the person having a direct and personal influence on your life, then I`m sorry to tell you that all you have is a Menthol and nor a Mentor...cos as we already stated a Menthol is appreciated mostly for it`s cooling effect on it`s protégé.
If you are still in doubt or at a crossroad here, I`ll like you to ask yourself this question in your closet with a truthful answer:
  1. Does any direct relationship exist between me and my "so-called" mentor?
  2. What`s the foundation of my relationship with my "so-called" mentor?
  3. When was the last time I contacted my "so-called" mentor?
  4. Have I ever heed the advice of my "so-called" mentor?
  5. What profit has my relationship with my "so-called" mentor brought to me?
  6. Do I ever contact my "so-called" mentor wheneva I`m in a dilemma?
  7. Do I believe in my "so-called" mentor to successfully guide me?
All these questions and many more that will pop into your head as u read this piece "if properly/truthfully" answered will tell you if truly it`s a "Menthol" you`ve got or a "Mentor".
The truth is, some of us have true but wrong mentors, it will do you a lotta favour to ask yourself this question to be sure about your status and that of your Mentor:
  1. What have I gained from the experience with my "so-called" mentor?
  2. What has been the biggest disappointment, if any, with my "so-called" mentor?
  3. What makes this relationship with my "so-called" mentor work?

Finally, you wanna choose a mentor, only God can truthfully direct you into choosing the right person cos the truth is, He has appointed people in strategic phases of your life to help guide you into fulfillment. A discovery of those people at the appointed time is what makes a stress-free and colourful destiny. However these questions can help shapen your orientation of who to look out for as a Mentor:
What have I done in my past, say until a year ago? What are my strengths and weaknesses?What is my current situation? What do I do today/this year? Do I like what I am doing?What is my future? Am I doing the work that is leading me to what my future should be?What am I currently involved with that utilizes my experience outside of work?What activities do I do related to community or being a good citizen?

I think I need to rest my pen here, give it a thought today and make the necessary changes! Peace!

The Essence of CHRISTmas!!!

Going through my Facebook Notifications, I saw a post by a close friend of mine which read

“I'm getting uncomfortable with d word X-MAS. Why replace Christ with X? X has never been a favorite letter as it has been used to denote bad stuff e.g X-rated movies. I don't think CHRISTMAS is too long a word. #thinking out loud”.

This has got me thinking about how the reason for the season seems to fade away every year, and the devil has even tried crafting a new name "Xmas" for the occasion all in a bid to make us TOTALLY forget the celebrant. Friends, we must not give the devil that opportunity, let`s say it boldly everywhere that CHRIST is the reason for the season. I dug into my archive of write-ups to bring to our remembrance, the personality we are celebrating annually at this time of the year...have a wonderful time reading...

Dear Friends,
As you well know, we are getting closer to My birthday. Every year there is a celebration in My honor and I think that this year the celebration will be repeated. During this time there are many people shopping for gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials, and in every part of the world everyone is talking that My birthday is getting closer and closer.

It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of Me. As you know, the celebration of My birthday began many years ago. At first people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for the celebration. Family and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but they don't know the meaning of the celebration.

I remember that last year there was a great feast in My honor. The dinner table was full of delicious foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates.  The decorations were exquisite and there were many, many beautifully wrapped gifts. But, do you want to know something? I wasn't invited. I was the guest of honor and they didn't remember to send Me an invitation.

The party was for Me, but when that great day came, I was left outside, they closed the door in my face... and I wanted to be with them and share their table. In truth, that didn't surprise Me because in the last few years all close their doors to me.

Since I was not invited, I decided to enter the party without making any noise. I went in and stood in a corner. They were all drinking; there were some who were drunk and telling jokes and laughing at everything. They were having a great time. To top it all, this big fat man all dressed in red wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling Ho-Ho-Ho!  He seemed drunk. He sat on the sofa and all the children ran to him, saying, "Santa Claus, Santa Claus"... as if the party were in his honor!

At 12 midnight all the people began to hug each other; I extended my arms waiting for someone to hug Me and ... do you know ... no one hugged Me.   Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one with great expectation. When all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one for Me.

What would you feel if on your birthday everybody shared gifts and you did not get one? I then understood that I was unwanted at that party and quietly left. Every year it gets worse. People only remember to eat and drink, the gifts, the parties and nobody remembers Me. I would like this Christmas that you allow Me to enter into your life. I would like that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago I came to this world to give my life for you, on the cross, to save you. Today, I only want that you believe this with all your heart.

I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite Me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party. I'm still making the final arrangements. Today I am sending out many invitations and there is an invitation for you. I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a reservation for you and write your name with golden letters in my great guest book. Only those on the guest list will be invited to the party.  Those who don't answer the invitation will be left outside.

Do you know how you can answer this invitation? It is by extending it to others whom you care for...

I'll be waiting for all of you to attend my party this year...

See you soon... I love you!

~Jesus~