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My soul will praise the King of Heaven,

I will lay my tribute at His feet,

For He has ransomed, healed, restored and forgiven me,

Who shall sing his praises but me?

Praise the everlasting King!

Like a father, He takes care of us,

He knows too well our human frailties,

He holds us gently in His arms,

And shelters us from all hurts,

Praise Him, for widely do His mercies flow.

Shylock Knew Why He Was The Way He Was

At this point in my life, I reckon that the most uncomfortable situation I've found myself in is owing people for extended periods of time. What could be more embarrassing than having to avoid someone repeatedly, or continually give what can only be perceived as excuse after excuse, for why you have not paid up by the time you promised you would? Which is why I would rather have next to no money for myself and pay off any outstandings - even if its a tiny bit at a time.

As life would have it, no man is an island. Therefore, people will ALWAYS be there to throw a wrench in your works and ruin your plans. Put you in awkard situations and make you seem a dodgy and dishonest person. The way I see it, this will go beyond the present, and affect your credit records, because the next time some situation comes up, no one will be willing to part with anything on your behalf. As embarrassing as having to owe a person for ages, is the vexation, annoyance and extreme inconvenience of having someone/people owe you money for extended periods of time with no seeming plans of paying you back.

The result of this equation? An strong disinclination to assist anyone monetarily beyond what you are comfortable with letting go altogether. But what is one to do in a situation where what you can let go is not actually going to do anything for their cause? Doing that is just to ease your conscience, and really, all you're doing is getting the person off your back.

My possible solution? Involve God from the get-go and pray that it all works out evenly in the end. Hoping of course that the end is sooner rather than later.
And thus, I find myself waiting outside someone's house, going on an hour-and-a-half, waiting to return money.

God is great.

Things I Would Like To Acheive By 1st June This Year

1) Attain Marked Progress On My Path to Maturity - spiritually, mentally, emotionally.
Read a blog today that made me think. If I were to present myself before God to give account of my time spent, what will I have to show for it? Hours spent crushing endlessly, dwellling infinitely on the opposite sex, be it on bfs of friends, my friends, or "possibilites". When did I let my life get focused down on this? I am here to serve Him, to help all I meet on their Way to Him. That includes not being an obstacle in anyone's way, or a temptation in any form (encouraging deceit even minute forms, dressing or dancing in manners which encourage the oh-so-visually-stimulated to engage in cerebral flights of wander).

2) Finish That Darn French Audio & Move On To Some Other Language.
Seriously. This is going into 3rd Year. Getting a shuffle instead of a player with a screen, just so I listen to the lessons as opposed to having easy access to music has long lost its motivation. I MUST overcome.
Plus I've made sacrifices for this. Both the Shuffle & other monetaries.

3) Make a Permanent Move To Less-2"
It's all boils down to commitment and how bad I do want that waistline. Heck, anorexics can do this. Gymnasts and a large number of Athletes do this. At last check, we all have only one head each. {Yes, I know one or 5 million readers of this may have more than had it with my incessant (seeming) obsession with a smaller waistline, but really, if I can't go broken-record on my own blog, where else can I whinge??? Move on to another friggin' page.}

4) Be an absolute stranger to all-out lying, fibbing, excuse-making, procrastination, laziness, forgetfulness, and be an all-round more dependable person.

5) Be Time-Conscious.
Not just more time-conscious, but practically the watchword. I won't always have a lenient boss who is willing to overlook a tonne. Or be able to find some resolution to slip-ups. Someday, the shite will hit the fan, and backdrop will be a stinker. Yes, I shall create a eutopia where time as we know it can be set by the Nigerian Clock.

The Better of Which Ways?

Subsequent to two trips to Lagos, I have been informed that I will not be moving forward to the next stage of the Sahara interviews. (Once more to mama's surprise), I was not upset. If nothing else, I've logged more hours of interview experience. But I can't help feel I'd rather not have to receive more rejection letters - be it school- or employment- related.
Of late, I find myself increasingly contemplating the idea of setting up my own business. So I enjoy baking (especially when things turn out the way they're supposed to). Why not start up something along that line (asks FT Lily)?


Arguments In Favour of This:
1) There's no harm in trying.
2) It is something I will enjoy doing, so making a living of it will be a definite plus.
3) Flexible hours! (1st Translation: I can sleep late, both at night and in the mornings. Yay!)
4) I don't (technically) have to be rejected ever again. At least job wise.

This could very well be the answer to my prayers. Amen!

Someone just called in to ask what times my office experiences more traffic - mornings/afternoons/weekdays/weekends. I'm having visions of her fishing for information to decide what time is best to set off a bomb. Too much television.

My account has just been debited 150% over for a payment. What the heck???

Weekend Before Test

My friend went to SA and all he got me was a white Tee (instead of my requested Mace spray). Bugger. Ok, it was one of the (now internationally famous, at least in the African Axes) Ama Kip Kip Tees, but it reminds me of Iggy's bridal shower bridesmaid one, cos its plain white and the lettering down the front is in glittery fuschia (is that spelt right???).

So there I was today at work earlier, going through pictures of SA put up by Ze Hustla (since my said friend is reiterating his characteristic photo-huggingness), and we (me and other office gyals) keep seeing the recurrent fyne bros, who we finally identify. After myself and two others rapidly fall in 5-sec crush with him, we (btw ourselves, and a Dr) identify him as a frequenter of the Plaza, his workplace, his marital status (and about to change paternal standing), among others. X-ed that and moved on. But he's sha fine sha. Or rather photogenic. After I closed, was driving out when I noticed a black Ama Kip Kip Tee afar.

"Ha! A kindred wearer!" thought I. On closer inspection, it turns out to be Mr. Fyne (Married&Soon-To-Be-Father) Bros, who apparently is not as fine in person. I might have appreciated the beauty more if I'd met him first before seeing the pictures. Any dregs of crush are rapidly stamped into ash-dust at this point.

But was there really a crush in his direction??? You see, I think I just might be setting myself up to fall in crush with a friend. I think. I'm not sure. And this is the very reason I'm unsure, because if I'm going to crush, I just do so without abandon, and not wonder or unwonder about it. His company is easy, and I'm even willing to date up until (should incase) I leave for school this september. But does he look at me that way? In a not fun-for-the-passing-moments appreciation, but I-really-do-like-her-on-the-whole?

I do think I might be strongly over-nalysing this.

On a more serious note, I've got a Sahara Job Test thing come monday. Wish me luck y'all!

Also allegedly have admission to Salford & Portsmouth! The Lord is good.

Matching Ankle Band

Hop, Skip, Jump, Impact awkwardly, twist ankle.

It turns out that a twisted ankle is something of a greater inconvenience than a twisted (or recovering-from-assault) wrist. Initially, I just stretched it out and kept jogging, but I think with time, the stiffness is beginning to set in. I can only hope this won't impede my jogging (you think???).

Went running this morning for the first time since my hijack. I guess subconcisously I was avoiding walking past the scene of the crime, but then I must move on ba? Plus, since mother dearest is still not aware of the incident, she was only more than happy to get me out of bed, and back into form before I creep off into another exercise lapse. Getting up at Oh-Five-Thirty is a pain, but I gotta say, I love running.

Looking @ My Banded Orange Wrist

I'm ... not sad. But very perceptibly not as upbeat as I could be.

Exactly 14.5 hours back, my right wrist was viciously attacked, and my koklet forcibly taken off my person. I honestly don't know if God has helped me not be attached to the material (I would much like to believe so), or its because I religiously backed up the music and pictures, but I'm more upset that I got robbed than I am at losing the phone itself. The greater inconvenience is losing my contacts, and having to repeat over and over to callers that I've lost all of them.


The last thing I want to be put through right now is anyone giving me a lecture on how foolish I was to openly display my "valuable" as I was walking along a road at night (who says this town isn't on the same risk level as Las Gidi???), or that I chose to go for a walk period. Which is why I'm scrambling to replace the phone before the parents pick up on the loss. Amazing. I'm hassling myself to get a phone not for my use, but for my uninterrupted peace of mind. Oh well.
Priorities, and all that.

I reckoned I just might feel better if I could share this experience with someone, with whom I could laugh over this, (who obviously would not give me any due criticism). It didn't help any that again, my contacts are mine no more. So here I stand (or sit), sharing.


So there goes an unbudgeted 30G. There goes my hollywood wax this month. Welcome, extremely frugal spending, and cutting as many expenditures as possible, and no splurging. After all, I must still pay off some debts and contribute to housekeeping. Perhaps I'll lose an inch off my waist by month end? (One must look to any possible silver linings, no?)