Click here to watch the book trailer for "Nothing Comes Close"!
Enjoy and feel free to share!
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Sunday, October 07, 2012
My new novel "Nothing Comes Close"!
Book Title: Nothing Comes Close
Author: Tolulope Popoola
Synopsis: Confident, sassy, career girl, Lola meets cool, handsome, unpredictable hunk, Wole at a party in London. He pushes all the right buttons for her, and sparks fly. Wole is also irresistibly drawn to Lola, and before long, they get together in a wonderful romance. But Wole is not all that he seems, and he is holding back some dark secrets. Things start to unravel when Wole’s past begins to catch up with him and Lola has to decide if Wole is worth the trouble that threatens to overwhelm her. Find out in this captivating book if their love will overcome the trials of a murder investigation, an arrest, a meddling relative and a trip halfway across the world, or whether they both give up and go their separate ways.
Click here to download sample chapters - Nothing Comes Close Sample Chapters
Click here to download press information kit - Press Information Kit - Nothing Comes Close
Book Trailer
To buy the ebook:
Amazon Kindle US
Amazon Kindle UK
Amazon Europe (Germany, France, Italy, Spain)
Kobo
Apple iStore
Sony Reader store
WH Smith
Smashwords
Nook (coming soon)
To buy the paperback
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Waterstones
BOOKS etc.
Book Depository
Book Reviews
Review by Yejide Kilanko, Author of Daughters Who Walk This Path
In her debut novel, Nothing Comes Close, Popoola, explores a theme familiar to most of us, which is that of finding love. The novel is the story of Lola, a young woman living in London, England. We also meet her friends, Funmi, Temmy and Maureen. These middle-class, professional women, are not only bound by a Nigerian origin highlighted by colourful cultural snippets, they share a long-term friendship that has survived boyfriends and the passionate disagreements that come with intimate relationships.
Lola's world, takes an unpredicted tumble when she meets the mysterious Wole at a house party. This chance meeting, is where this fast-paced, romantic novel, really begins. In their circle of friends, Lola has the designation of being the practical one. Yet, she is not equipped to deal with chaos that meeting enigmatic Wole brings into her life. Woven into the story, are glimpses into the lives of the other women as they confront or escape from the challenges life throws at them. Just like people we know, the choices they make are not always admirable. Still one gets a sense, they are trying to deal with life as best as they can.
Nothing Comes Close is not without its imperfections. There are moments when the motives of the characters appear unclear and one becomes impatient with the pace of the story. However, an unexpected death, imprisonment, betrayal and dark secrets, add twists that make this book much more than a boy meets girl story. A fine debut.
Review by Lara Daniels, Author of Love in Paradise and Love at Dawn
One word: Riveting. Sometimes unsettling. That’s how I can best describe Nothing Comes Close – Tolulope Popoola’s sequel to her award winning series, now published into a novel.
“Nothing Comes Close” is the love story of Lola – the most outspoken and independent friend in a group of five girlfriends. The book touches on topics such as romance, loyalty, grief, and tolerance/acceptance of each other among friends who don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye on certain issues, for example, having relationships with a married man; or say, cheating on a boyfriend with an ex-boyfriend. The highlight for me, however, was the story of Wole’s past. Wole is the male protagonist in the novel and is also Lola’s love interest. To make Wole’s story pull the reader’s heartstrings, the Ms. Popoola did a very fine job of bringing into play a quite forgotten character in Nigeria’s history - Dimka – the man who led the abortive military coup against the then head of State of Nigeria, General Murtala Mohammed. I see many readers researching this important piece of Nigeria’s history as they read this book and I really appreciate the author’s effort in bringing that to the reader’s attention.
Review by Shola Okubote, Editor of Femme Lounge
Tolulope Popoola’s Nothing Comes Close is a book that I enjoyed reading, not only because of the story but because it was well written.
Tolulope Popoola is a good communicator. Her writing connects readers to the story in a way that makes it easy to relate to the characters. I particularly like her description of objects and events, and how they are tied into the story effortlessly. I think she is a writer who has taken a lot in from her environment and has articulately used it to tell a story in a beautiful way.
The book is about Lola, a young Nigerian woman living in the UK. She’s got four girlfriends each with her own dynamic personality and relationship issues, but great friends nonetheless.
Along came Wole, she loves him, he loves her too, but it will not be that simple. Riveting secrets, intruding sister, murder charge and a friend’s death are few of the many things they will have to deal with.
The characters are quite familiar, almost all of the characters reminded me of someone I know, and that is one of the things I love about the book. The lead characters are also well developed for the plot. I would have loved to see more of Naija culture sprinkled here and there in the story though.
The story is also captivating, I was really eager to know how it will all end. My prediction turned out wrong though, I was actually hoping there will be a more dramatic ‘no-happy-ending’ turn of events. But the unpredictability added a tasty spice to the story. I find the end a bit mushy, but I guess it will be the delight of some readers especially the hopeless romantics.
I have this habit of picturing books I like as a movie in my mind. Nothing Comes Close is a book I will really love to see as a movie, I can actually picture the characters and scenes in my mind already! I hope that day will come.
Richard Ali, Editor-in-Chief, Sentinel Nigeria Magazine. Nothing Comes Close explores the usual love story in a very fresh manner, employing lovely prose, suspense and the posing of serious questions to tell an immensely entertaining story. I enjoyed every moment spent reading it. Highly recommended.”
Review by Pamela Stitch; Writer, Blogger and Radio Presenter
Tolulope’s book definitely belongs to the genre of chick lit in that it shares the stories of Lola as the main character and three of her other educated, highly achieving Nigerian friends looking and in some cases finding love in London, United Kingdom. These young women are Lola, Funmi, Temmy and Maureen and each of these women come with different personalities that will seem quite familiar to those who keep and have a close knit collection of female friends. Almost like sisters, we get to feel the familiar angst as they circumvent different issues of love and life in London while keeping close ties with their cultures. For many of us, these stories will resonate - you know the story of a woman who dates a married man, another who crosses tribal lines because of love and also the issues that come with such crossings and of course another who deals with having a loved one on the other side of the law. We find ourselves crying, jumping with glee and generally, ‘cheesing’ at different junctures of the book. I also have to add that this is a clean romantic book, so you can give it to anyone.
More Book Reviews
Review by Adura Ojo
Review by Africa Book Club
Review by AdeOla of Jostwrite
Review by Bookshy
Review by Mary Okeke Reviews
Author Interviews
Author Q&A with Ms Ojikutu
“Above the Fold” Feature on Apex Reviews
Tolulope Popoola in the Punch Newspaper
Tolulope Popoola on the Emerge Review
Tolulope Popoola on Under 35 CEO
Tolulope Popoola feature on African Daydreams
Interview with Mary Okeke Reviews
Feature on Femme Lounge #WomenWhoWrite
Meet…. Tolulope Popoola on Bookshy
About the Author (Me!)
Tolulope Popoola is a writer, blogger and voracious reader. She was born in Lagos, Nigeria. She moved to England for her university education where she studied BA Accounting and Business Economics and a Masters in Finance and Investment. But she never lost her love for reading, and as time went on, she began to wish for a different career path. She started writing a blog in 2006, which rekindled her love for writing and telling stories. She took a few writing classes, created an online fiction series called In My Dreams It Was Simpler and started writing both fiction and non-fiction for magazines. In 2008, she left Accounting to concentrate on writing full-time. She writes short stories, flash fiction, and articles for many print and online magazines. Nothing Comes Close is her first novel. Tolulope lives in London with her husband and daughter.
You can interact with me online via:
Blog: www.onwritingandlife.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TolulopePopoola
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TolulopePopoola
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/TolulopePopoola
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tolulopepopoola
Related Posts:
Book Launch for Nothing Comes Close
Ebook and Trailer for Nothing Comes Close
Choosing My Book Cover
Excerpt from Nothing Comes Close
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
My Interview with TELL Magazine
I did an interview with TELL magazine earlier in the year, and I was really honoured to be featured in the edition for last week! You can read the attachment, or go HERE to read the full magazine from the TELL website.
Thanks!
Special thanks to Tundun Adeyemo, who did the interview.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
My.First.Rejection.Letter
I got my first rejection letter from a publisher yesterday. It is a rite of passage for every aspiring author :) In fact I got a text from my published writer friend to say congrats! Apparently it means I am now a real writer! lol.
As far as rejection letters go, this one's not too bad actually. The publisher said "Unfortunately with the publishing industry in it's current state, I felt your novel would not be commercial enough". I want to remain positive, so I will take that to mean the novel was not completely rubbish, and her rejection is simply down to economics and timing. I've heard of editors giving some really funny reasons for rejecting a novel to the tune of "Do yourself a favour and don't give up the day job"! So FG will pick herself up and carry on. As someone else said, it can only mean I'm one step closer to meeting the right publisher.
The fear of rejection was one of the things I was so worried about when I first decided to start writing, but I think I've had to see it as one of the things that come with the business side of writing, and not take it personally. Even the most successful authors who have won long lists of awards for their writing had to face rejection at some point. Determination and resilience is an essential strength to have in this game, and a thick skin is also very useful!
On to other news:
To say a big thank you to our readers and supporters, we are running a competition and giveaway for the next three weeks on our series blog! Check it out! This is the first one and entries will close on Monday the 14th. There will be two more competitions and prizes until Christmas, so make sure you click over to the blog now and enter. You could be a winner!
Hope you enjoy the rest of the week and have a great weekend ahead.
FG
As far as rejection letters go, this one's not too bad actually. The publisher said "Unfortunately with the publishing industry in it's current state, I felt your novel would not be commercial enough". I want to remain positive, so I will take that to mean the novel was not completely rubbish, and her rejection is simply down to economics and timing. I've heard of editors giving some really funny reasons for rejecting a novel to the tune of "Do yourself a favour and don't give up the day job"! So FG will pick herself up and carry on. As someone else said, it can only mean I'm one step closer to meeting the right publisher.
The fear of rejection was one of the things I was so worried about when I first decided to start writing, but I think I've had to see it as one of the things that come with the business side of writing, and not take it personally. Even the most successful authors who have won long lists of awards for their writing had to face rejection at some point. Determination and resilience is an essential strength to have in this game, and a thick skin is also very useful!
On to other news:
To say a big thank you to our readers and supporters, we are running a competition and giveaway for the next three weeks on our series blog! Check it out! This is the first one and entries will close on Monday the 14th. There will be two more competitions and prizes until Christmas, so make sure you click over to the blog now and enter. You could be a winner!
Hope you enjoy the rest of the week and have a great weekend ahead.
FG
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Meeting My Mentor
The Christmas season is upon us. I can tell by all the ads on TV and the hundreds of emails I get telling me about one item or the other I need to have "the perfect Christmas". It gets on my nerves to see how much Christmas is commercialised in this part of the world, but I can't do anything about it so I just have to ignore it
Last weekend I was privileged to have lunch with Abidemi Sanusi, one of my mentors. We had been chatting online for a while and I was really excited when she invited me to have lunch at home with her. (She said she figured I was not a stalker, weirdo or time waster, lol!). She's been a great great help to me in the past two years, giving me encouraging comments about my work, taking time to teach me stuff about how the industry works, critiquing my work when I needed it. We had a very good afternoon, bonding over food and wine, talking about everything ranging from books to gender issues. She's great! I had been quite nervous about meeting her but she's very down to earth, no airs or pretenses at all and she put me at ease immediately. It felt like I was meeting up with an old friend. I learnt a lot from her in one afternoon, some stuff that other people have to pay money for :). Thanks Bidemi! I look forward to meeting you again, this time I'll host :)
It's funny how we don't realise how attached we are to our gadgets. My laptop was out of order for five days and I couldn't do anything! I experienced severe withdrawal symptoms because even though I could access the internet on my phone, I still could not do many other things! I couldn't open, write or edit Word documents or pdf files, I couldn't download stuff, I couldn't catch up on some of the programmes I had scheduled. Besides the tiny buttons and screen on the phone got tired after one day. Sigh. Thankfully I have my laptop back and the world is alright now :)
Have a good weekend everyone!
Last weekend I was privileged to have lunch with Abidemi Sanusi, one of my mentors. We had been chatting online for a while and I was really excited when she invited me to have lunch at home with her. (She said she figured I was not a stalker, weirdo or time waster, lol!). She's been a great great help to me in the past two years, giving me encouraging comments about my work, taking time to teach me stuff about how the industry works, critiquing my work when I needed it. We had a very good afternoon, bonding over food and wine, talking about everything ranging from books to gender issues. She's great! I had been quite nervous about meeting her but she's very down to earth, no airs or pretenses at all and she put me at ease immediately. It felt like I was meeting up with an old friend. I learnt a lot from her in one afternoon, some stuff that other people have to pay money for :). Thanks Bidemi! I look forward to meeting you again, this time I'll host :)
It's funny how we don't realise how attached we are to our gadgets. My laptop was out of order for five days and I couldn't do anything! I experienced severe withdrawal symptoms because even though I could access the internet on my phone, I still could not do many other things! I couldn't open, write or edit Word documents or pdf files, I couldn't download stuff, I couldn't catch up on some of the programmes I had scheduled. Besides the tiny buttons and screen on the phone got tired after one day. Sigh. Thankfully I have my laptop back and the world is alright now :)
Have a good weekend everyone!
Monday, February 09, 2009
Random Things About Me
I got tagged to write this note on facebook - 25 things about me - so I'm putting them up here as well. Enjoy!
1) I’m very shy and quiet when I’m in a crowd of unfamiliar people. But with my close friends, I’m playful and talkative.
2) I process information for weeks. For example, I could watch a movie on Monday, and still be analysing every scene a week later. Or I could read a book and be thinking of an alternative ending to the story 2 months later.
3) I'm such a keeper. I hold on to emails, letters, text messages and birthday cards for as long as possible. I still have letters my friends wrote to me when we were in secondary school, birthday cards from three years ago and more.
4) I would rather spend money on experiences like travelling, enjoying good food, going to see plays and shows than buying stuff. I think life is for living, not for accumulating material things that only depreciate. For example, I would rather spend £2000 on a nice holiday than on the latest “IT” bag.
5) I love listening to music. Even when I'm working, I have to have some kind of music playing in the background, or in my head. Can't stand absolute silence.
6) I learn songs quickly. I can hear a song twice and learn all the lyrics off by heart. Sometimes this is good, because people are impressed when I know the latest songs off by heart already. Sometimes it is annoying because I pick up songs that I don't even want to.
7) I try to avoid getting addicted to anything. When I realise I have started liking something too much, I stop doing it immediately.
8) I have a terrible sweet tooth. I love things like ice-cream, chocolates, yoghurt hmmmm.... Never put me and cake alone in the same room.
9) I am a night owl by nature. That explains why I’m awake at 2.43am typing this. That also explains why I hated the 9 – 5 work routine.
10) I recently cut all my hair and decided to start over. I realised perms and weaves don’t work for me.
11) I can be so disorganised, procrastinating with work even when I have deadlines fast approaching.
12) I have a very low boredom threshold. (I’m already getting tired of this meme).
13) I am very loyal to the people I really care about.
14) I have just started learning how to drive. Hey, better late than never!
15) I admire naturally fashionable and stylish people but I’m quite clueless with throwing things together and coming up with a striking outfit. Who can help a sister out?
16) I love reading books and magazines. My dream holiday would be: sun, sand, sea and a heap of good reading material.
17) I'm very indecisive but I can be very stubborn once I’ve made up my mind.
18) I absolutely hate feeling guilty. I would go out of my way to avoid upsetting anyone, and if I have then I’ll apologise at once.
19) The worst thing a person can do is to betray my trust.
20) I’m not really a TV person. I don’t watch many shows because they require commitment to follow. And I don’t like watching the news; most of it is depressing stuff anyway.
21) I’m obsessed with my kitchen and bathroom. I don’t care much if every other room in the house is untidy but I can’t stand a dirty kitchen or bathroom.
22) I like cooking and trying new recipes. Dear hubby gets to eat all my experiments – good or bad ;)
23) I usually spend ages brushing my teeth, often more than thirty minutes. (Totally random, yeah?) Well, actually that’s because I’m daydreaming at the same time.
24) I love photography – just haven’t found the time and commitment to focus on it.
25) I love God and I’m complete in Him.
I thought I should throw in a few extras:
26) I love travelling! I love the planning, the anticipation, and the excitement of discovering a new place, a new culture, trying new food, etc! And I love taking photographs and collecting souvenirs. *Sigh* If I could get a job as a travel writer, that would be just perfect.
27) I love seafood - give me shrimp, prawns, mussells, squid, scallops etc over chicken or beef any day. When I eat out I check for seafood on the menu first.
28) I'm a gadget girl. I love getting a new gadget and getting to grips with it, reading the instruction manual and what not.
29) I really want to learn a foreign language - French, Spanish and Italian top my list.
30) I'm still not sure if I want to have kids..... Oops, did I just type that, the in-laws mustn't read this...
YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED IF YOU READ THIS!!
1) I’m very shy and quiet when I’m in a crowd of unfamiliar people. But with my close friends, I’m playful and talkative.
2) I process information for weeks. For example, I could watch a movie on Monday, and still be analysing every scene a week later. Or I could read a book and be thinking of an alternative ending to the story 2 months later.
3) I'm such a keeper. I hold on to emails, letters, text messages and birthday cards for as long as possible. I still have letters my friends wrote to me when we were in secondary school, birthday cards from three years ago and more.
4) I would rather spend money on experiences like travelling, enjoying good food, going to see plays and shows than buying stuff. I think life is for living, not for accumulating material things that only depreciate. For example, I would rather spend £2000 on a nice holiday than on the latest “IT” bag.
5) I love listening to music. Even when I'm working, I have to have some kind of music playing in the background, or in my head. Can't stand absolute silence.
6) I learn songs quickly. I can hear a song twice and learn all the lyrics off by heart. Sometimes this is good, because people are impressed when I know the latest songs off by heart already. Sometimes it is annoying because I pick up songs that I don't even want to.
7) I try to avoid getting addicted to anything. When I realise I have started liking something too much, I stop doing it immediately.
8) I have a terrible sweet tooth. I love things like ice-cream, chocolates, yoghurt hmmmm.... Never put me and cake alone in the same room.
9) I am a night owl by nature. That explains why I’m awake at 2.43am typing this. That also explains why I hated the 9 – 5 work routine.
10) I recently cut all my hair and decided to start over. I realised perms and weaves don’t work for me.
11) I can be so disorganised, procrastinating with work even when I have deadlines fast approaching.
12) I have a very low boredom threshold. (I’m already getting tired of this meme).
13) I am very loyal to the people I really care about.
14) I have just started learning how to drive. Hey, better late than never!
15) I admire naturally fashionable and stylish people but I’m quite clueless with throwing things together and coming up with a striking outfit. Who can help a sister out?
16) I love reading books and magazines. My dream holiday would be: sun, sand, sea and a heap of good reading material.
17) I'm very indecisive but I can be very stubborn once I’ve made up my mind.
18) I absolutely hate feeling guilty. I would go out of my way to avoid upsetting anyone, and if I have then I’ll apologise at once.
19) The worst thing a person can do is to betray my trust.
20) I’m not really a TV person. I don’t watch many shows because they require commitment to follow. And I don’t like watching the news; most of it is depressing stuff anyway.
21) I’m obsessed with my kitchen and bathroom. I don’t care much if every other room in the house is untidy but I can’t stand a dirty kitchen or bathroom.
22) I like cooking and trying new recipes. Dear hubby gets to eat all my experiments – good or bad ;)
23) I usually spend ages brushing my teeth, often more than thirty minutes. (Totally random, yeah?) Well, actually that’s because I’m daydreaming at the same time.
24) I love photography – just haven’t found the time and commitment to focus on it.
25) I love God and I’m complete in Him.
I thought I should throw in a few extras:
26) I love travelling! I love the planning, the anticipation, and the excitement of discovering a new place, a new culture, trying new food, etc! And I love taking photographs and collecting souvenirs. *Sigh* If I could get a job as a travel writer, that would be just perfect.
27) I love seafood - give me shrimp, prawns, mussells, squid, scallops etc over chicken or beef any day. When I eat out I check for seafood on the menu first.
28) I'm a gadget girl. I love getting a new gadget and getting to grips with it, reading the instruction manual and what not.
29) I really want to learn a foreign language - French, Spanish and Italian top my list.
30) I'm still not sure if I want to have kids..... Oops, did I just type that, the in-laws mustn't read this...
YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED IF YOU READ THIS!!
Monday, December 01, 2008
I Believe In God
I believe in God for many reasons, I don't even know where to start listing them.
God is the very reason why I breathe, why I exist and why I live. The whole world is in His hands. He made the planets, the sun, moon and stars. He created every living being and they are all for His glory.
God is the very foundation on which my life rests, without Him, I am nothing. He created me, formed me and knew me even before my parents.
God upholds me everyday, without Him, my feet slip and I fall down and can't get up. For several periods in my life I ignored God and went my own way. Who was I kidding? My life stopped making sense until I crawled back to Him.
God loves me unconditionally and I know this. That's why I can fall and rise up again because He gives me countless chances. He never gives up on me.
God is merciful. He forgives me when I sin and He receives me when I return to Him.
God communicates with me. Oh! I can't describe the joy and privilege of hearing my Heavenly Father speaking to me. And He listens to me too! How wonderful and amazing is that? I can tell Him anything bothering me. I can be open and honest with Him and He is not going to be shocked.
God is my confidence and I get my self-worth in Him. Growing up I struggled with self esteem issues, I thought I was not worthy to receive love from anybody. I hated myself and several times I wished I could be someone else. I tried to get over these evil thoughts by myself but I couldn't. Not until I turned to God and allowed Him to take those feelings away and He did! God showed me who I am in Him, that He loves me so much, enough to send His Son to die for me. Now how can I turn my back on such love?
God is my provider. I can't count the number of times I've been flat broke and God provided for me in the nick of time.
God is my refuge and strong tower. When I have the One who made the universe by my side, I don't have to be afraid.
God has great plans for me. He is my guide in life. He knows everything, including my future. So when I am confused, I simply have to ask Him for directions and He reveals which way I should go.
God is full of surprises. The more I get to know Him, the more He amazes me. I long to be in His presence everyday, to know Him more, to hear from Him more.
God is my everything really. He's my relationship adviser, He's my Creative Director, He's my Father, He's my friend, He's my Shepherd, He's my companion, He's my peace.
So those are a few reasons why I believe in God.
If you believe in God, I hereby tag you to write a post and tell the world why. If you don't believe in God, I challenge you to seek Him and give Him a chance to prove Himself to you. After all, you have nothing to lose and eternity to gain.
See why these other bloggers believe in God:
Chichi
~Mimi~
Jaycee
Believer
Simeone
Writefreak
Jewells
Rita
Have a great week!
God is the very reason why I breathe, why I exist and why I live. The whole world is in His hands. He made the planets, the sun, moon and stars. He created every living being and they are all for His glory.
God is the very foundation on which my life rests, without Him, I am nothing. He created me, formed me and knew me even before my parents.
God upholds me everyday, without Him, my feet slip and I fall down and can't get up. For several periods in my life I ignored God and went my own way. Who was I kidding? My life stopped making sense until I crawled back to Him.
God loves me unconditionally and I know this. That's why I can fall and rise up again because He gives me countless chances. He never gives up on me.
God is merciful. He forgives me when I sin and He receives me when I return to Him.
God communicates with me. Oh! I can't describe the joy and privilege of hearing my Heavenly Father speaking to me. And He listens to me too! How wonderful and amazing is that? I can tell Him anything bothering me. I can be open and honest with Him and He is not going to be shocked.
God is my confidence and I get my self-worth in Him. Growing up I struggled with self esteem issues, I thought I was not worthy to receive love from anybody. I hated myself and several times I wished I could be someone else. I tried to get over these evil thoughts by myself but I couldn't. Not until I turned to God and allowed Him to take those feelings away and He did! God showed me who I am in Him, that He loves me so much, enough to send His Son to die for me. Now how can I turn my back on such love?
God is my provider. I can't count the number of times I've been flat broke and God provided for me in the nick of time.
God is my refuge and strong tower. When I have the One who made the universe by my side, I don't have to be afraid.
God has great plans for me. He is my guide in life. He knows everything, including my future. So when I am confused, I simply have to ask Him for directions and He reveals which way I should go.
God is full of surprises. The more I get to know Him, the more He amazes me. I long to be in His presence everyday, to know Him more, to hear from Him more.
God is my everything really. He's my relationship adviser, He's my Creative Director, He's my Father, He's my friend, He's my Shepherd, He's my companion, He's my peace.
So those are a few reasons why I believe in God.
If you believe in God, I hereby tag you to write a post and tell the world why. If you don't believe in God, I challenge you to seek Him and give Him a chance to prove Himself to you. After all, you have nothing to lose and eternity to gain.
See why these other bloggers believe in God:
Chichi
~Mimi~
Jaycee
Believer
Simeone
Writefreak
Jewells
Rita
Have a great week!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Funny News - Blogger Plant
Hi everyone! I've been MIA from blogville for a while. I'll be back soon to do a proper update. I just want to put up this story that I stumbled on today from the Telegraph news site:
Blogging plant posts daily news on its mood
A potted plant that posts daily news on its mood and health is believed to be the world's first botanical blogger.
Midori-san, which lives on the counter of a Japanese café, writes regular updates with the help of sensors attached to its leaves.
The detectors pick up electronic signals on the surface of the plant, which responds to light and human touch.
The data is then combined with weather and temperature information and translated into chatty blog posts using a computer algorithm.
"Today was a sunny day and I was able to sunbathe a lot... I had quite a bit of fun today," it wrote on October 16 from its cafe in Kamakura, near Tokyo.
A more recent entry was less perky: "It was cloudy today. It was a cold day."
Satoshi Kuribayashi, part of the team at Keio University behind the project, said that the aim was to reveal something of the hidden internal world of plants.
"We were initially interested in what plants are feeling and what they are reacting to where we can't see," he said.
Midori-san is a hoya kerrii, which are more commonly called "sweetheart plants" because of their heart-shaped leaves.
It joins a blogosphere that is thought to have several hundred million members across the world. More blog posts are written in Japanese than either Chinese or English, according to a 2007 study.
Interesting stuff! lol If you can read Japanese, check out the blog here: http://plant.bowls-cafe.jp/index.php
Have a great evening!
Blogging plant posts daily news on its mood
A potted plant that posts daily news on its mood and health is believed to be the world's first botanical blogger.
Midori-san, which lives on the counter of a Japanese café, writes regular updates with the help of sensors attached to its leaves.
The detectors pick up electronic signals on the surface of the plant, which responds to light and human touch.
The data is then combined with weather and temperature information and translated into chatty blog posts using a computer algorithm.
"Today was a sunny day and I was able to sunbathe a lot... I had quite a bit of fun today," it wrote on October 16 from its cafe in Kamakura, near Tokyo.
A more recent entry was less perky: "It was cloudy today. It was a cold day."
Satoshi Kuribayashi, part of the team at Keio University behind the project, said that the aim was to reveal something of the hidden internal world of plants.
"We were initially interested in what plants are feeling and what they are reacting to where we can't see," he said.
Midori-san is a hoya kerrii, which are more commonly called "sweetheart plants" because of their heart-shaped leaves.
It joins a blogosphere that is thought to have several hundred million members across the world. More blog posts are written in Japanese than either Chinese or English, according to a 2007 study.
Interesting stuff! lol If you can read Japanese, check out the blog here: http://plant.bowls-cafe.jp/index.php
Have a great evening!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
I Need a Wife
Yes I'm female and I'm married to a guy, excuse the tongue-in-cheek title. I've got so many things going on in my mind and I couldn't decide what to talk about. So I just decided to write whatever popped into my head today.
One day I popped into my local WHSmith and picked up a writers magazine. In it there was an article talking about how writers face time management issues with structuring their work around other daily activities, especially if they are full time writers and don't have the structure of the 9 - 5 routine. The article included a survey of writers, a mixture of both men and women, and the responses they gave. The majority of the male writers said that they had no time management problems as such, they just got up from bed in the morning, had breakfast and then went to their study to get on with work. The female writers seemed to have a more complicated day however. One of them said she has to get up, make breakfast for everyone, get the kids bathed, dressed and ready for school, go and drop the kids off, come back home, clear away the breakfast plates, do the washing up, sort out the laundry, and plan what to cook for lunch before she starts her writing for the day. She might need to also do some shopping to stock up the fridge. In the afternoon, she has to prepare lunch, pick the kids up from school, feed them, supervise them and play with them, or find something to engage them while she works. When dinner time comes around, she has to cook for the family and clear up before returning to her work. It's much harder for a female to work from home where there are a myriad of tasks that keep distracting her from her work.
The writer of the article commented that it must be nice to be a man and have a woman in your life to do all the domestic stuff for you while you just get on with your job. Somebody has to look after the home whether one or both parties are working. Nowadays there are some men who don't mind helping the woman out in the home sometimes, but it's still not automatically a shared responsibility. That got me daydreaming about how nice it must be to have someone who looks after me while I spend hours in my study writing.
(Daydreaming) I would like to wake up in the morning and my breakfast is ready for me on the table. My study has been cleaned, my clothes are washed, ironed and ready for me to wear to work. After breakfast I disappear into my study to write for hours on end and I don't come out until lunch time. When I finish working for the day, my dinner is on the table and I can just relax and watch TV. The children are tucked into bed and I go to wish them goodnight. My own bed is neatly laid when I go to sleep and when I wake up in the morning, the cycle continues. (End of daydream).
Unfortunately life doesn't work that way! For most working women, many of us have to juggle our jobs and careers with housework, whether we are single, living with parents, or married. And house chores have to be done - there is no getting away from them. I can understand why many women back in Nigeria have to get maids to help them with the housework and nannies to help with looking after young children. Personally, I don't think I would ever get a maid, because these things tend to become complicated, but once in a while I feel like I wouldn't mind having a wife to do my cooking and cleaning, to look after the kids and make sure that my home runs smoothly, while I sit in my study to write. It's nice to imagine.... LOL.
In other news, the Caine Prize Award 2008 was held last week. The shortlist was as follows:
Mohammed Naseehu Ali (Ghana) ‘Mallam Sile’, from ‘The Prophet of Zongo’
Henrietta Rose-Innes from South Africa ‘Poison’ from ‘Africa Pens’
Stanley Onjezani Kenani (Malawi) ‘For Honour’ from ‘African Pens’
Gill Schierhout (South Africa) ‘The Day of the Surgical Colloquium’ from ‘African Pens'
Uzor Maxim Uzoatu (Nigeria) ‘ Cemetery of Life ’ from ‘Wasafiri’ No52
And the winner was: Henrietta Rose-Innes from South Africa, with her story ‘Poison’ from ‘Africa Pens’. If you want to read any of the shortlisted stories, there are links on Molara Wood's blog: here
Meanwhile I need to go and check out Blogville Idols, seems like I'm missing out on all the fun and excitement going on. Hope you are having a great weekend!
One day I popped into my local WHSmith and picked up a writers magazine. In it there was an article talking about how writers face time management issues with structuring their work around other daily activities, especially if they are full time writers and don't have the structure of the 9 - 5 routine. The article included a survey of writers, a mixture of both men and women, and the responses they gave. The majority of the male writers said that they had no time management problems as such, they just got up from bed in the morning, had breakfast and then went to their study to get on with work. The female writers seemed to have a more complicated day however. One of them said she has to get up, make breakfast for everyone, get the kids bathed, dressed and ready for school, go and drop the kids off, come back home, clear away the breakfast plates, do the washing up, sort out the laundry, and plan what to cook for lunch before she starts her writing for the day. She might need to also do some shopping to stock up the fridge. In the afternoon, she has to prepare lunch, pick the kids up from school, feed them, supervise them and play with them, or find something to engage them while she works. When dinner time comes around, she has to cook for the family and clear up before returning to her work. It's much harder for a female to work from home where there are a myriad of tasks that keep distracting her from her work.
The writer of the article commented that it must be nice to be a man and have a woman in your life to do all the domestic stuff for you while you just get on with your job. Somebody has to look after the home whether one or both parties are working. Nowadays there are some men who don't mind helping the woman out in the home sometimes, but it's still not automatically a shared responsibility. That got me daydreaming about how nice it must be to have someone who looks after me while I spend hours in my study writing.
(Daydreaming) I would like to wake up in the morning and my breakfast is ready for me on the table. My study has been cleaned, my clothes are washed, ironed and ready for me to wear to work. After breakfast I disappear into my study to write for hours on end and I don't come out until lunch time. When I finish working for the day, my dinner is on the table and I can just relax and watch TV. The children are tucked into bed and I go to wish them goodnight. My own bed is neatly laid when I go to sleep and when I wake up in the morning, the cycle continues. (End of daydream).
Unfortunately life doesn't work that way! For most working women, many of us have to juggle our jobs and careers with housework, whether we are single, living with parents, or married. And house chores have to be done - there is no getting away from them. I can understand why many women back in Nigeria have to get maids to help them with the housework and nannies to help with looking after young children. Personally, I don't think I would ever get a maid, because these things tend to become complicated, but once in a while I feel like I wouldn't mind having a wife to do my cooking and cleaning, to look after the kids and make sure that my home runs smoothly, while I sit in my study to write. It's nice to imagine.... LOL.
In other news, the Caine Prize Award 2008 was held last week. The shortlist was as follows:
Mohammed Naseehu Ali (Ghana) ‘Mallam Sile’, from ‘The Prophet of Zongo’
Henrietta Rose-Innes from South Africa ‘Poison’ from ‘Africa Pens’
Stanley Onjezani Kenani (Malawi) ‘For Honour’ from ‘African Pens’
Gill Schierhout (South Africa) ‘The Day of the Surgical Colloquium’ from ‘African Pens'
Uzor Maxim Uzoatu (Nigeria) ‘ Cemetery of Life ’ from ‘Wasafiri’ No52
And the winner was: Henrietta Rose-Innes from South Africa, with her story ‘Poison’ from ‘Africa Pens’. If you want to read any of the shortlisted stories, there are links on Molara Wood's blog: here
Meanwhile I need to go and check out Blogville Idols, seems like I'm missing out on all the fun and excitement going on. Hope you are having a great weekend!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Nigerian Proclamation
IN RECENT HISTORY, NIGERIANS HAVE BEEN OVERWHELMINGLY BETRAYED BY THOSE CHARGED WITH ADDRESSING THEIR NEEDS. INSTEAD OF SERVING THE PEOPLE, PUBLIC SERVANTS HAVE SERVED THEMSELVES TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE MASSES. THE RESULT IS A NATION LACKING ADEQUATE INFRASTRUCTURE, ORGANIZATION AND SECURITY.
THE INEFFECTIVENESS OF NIGERIAN LEADERS INDICATES A LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE CONSTITUENTS. NIGERIANS ARE NO LONGER RELEVANT TO THE LEADERS, THUS, LEADERS DO NOT FEEL RESPONSIBLE TO THEM.
THE RECENT FAILURE TO CONDUCT A FREE AND FAIR ELECTORAL PROCESS WAS YET ANOTHER ILLUSTRATION THAT THE NEEDS OF THE MANY ARE SECONDARY TO THE WANTS OF THE IMPORTANT FEW.
FROM THIS DAY, ALL NIGERIANS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS GREAT & POWERFUL COUNTRY.
CONSEQUENTLY, ALL NIGERIANS MUST COMMIT THEMSELVES TO THE FOLLOWING:
1. WE MUST DEMAND THAT ELECTED OFFICIALS BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS AND IN-ACTIONS.
2. WE MUST EXPECT DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES TO BE HONORED, RESPECTED AND MAINTAINED.
3. WE MUST BELIEVE THAT ALL NIGERIANS ARE EQUAL UNDER THE LAW AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH.
4. WE MUST APPLY OURSELVES TO IMPROVING THE LOT OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL NIGERIAN REGARDLESS OF GENDER, RELIGION, TRIBE OR SOCIAL STATUS.
5. WE MUST STRIVE TO MAINTAIN A UNITED REPUBLIC DESPITE OUR DIFFERENCES.ONLY UPON ACHIEVING THESE PRINCIPLES CAN WE AS A PEOPLE FULLY LIVE UP TO OUR POTENTIAL AS A LAND OF GREATNESS. FOR OURS IS A COUNTRY RENOWNED FOR ITS ILLUSTRIOUS PEOPLE, AMPLE RESOURCES AND SHEER PHYSICAL BEAUTY.
This has been put up as part of Solomonsydelle's movement to show that Nigerian and other interested bloggers are unified in our disappointment with recent and ongoing political events. By using the same document with the same title on May 29th, we hope to attract some attention by making The Nigerian Proclamation 'rise' to attention on Google and various other search engines when anyone uses 'Nigeria' as a search term. Let the world know that Nigeria's people too are far from impressed.
THE INEFFECTIVENESS OF NIGERIAN LEADERS INDICATES A LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE CONSTITUENTS. NIGERIANS ARE NO LONGER RELEVANT TO THE LEADERS, THUS, LEADERS DO NOT FEEL RESPONSIBLE TO THEM.
THE RECENT FAILURE TO CONDUCT A FREE AND FAIR ELECTORAL PROCESS WAS YET ANOTHER ILLUSTRATION THAT THE NEEDS OF THE MANY ARE SECONDARY TO THE WANTS OF THE IMPORTANT FEW.
FROM THIS DAY, ALL NIGERIANS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS GREAT & POWERFUL COUNTRY.
CONSEQUENTLY, ALL NIGERIANS MUST COMMIT THEMSELVES TO THE FOLLOWING:
1. WE MUST DEMAND THAT ELECTED OFFICIALS BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS AND IN-ACTIONS.
2. WE MUST EXPECT DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES TO BE HONORED, RESPECTED AND MAINTAINED.
3. WE MUST BELIEVE THAT ALL NIGERIANS ARE EQUAL UNDER THE LAW AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH.
4. WE MUST APPLY OURSELVES TO IMPROVING THE LOT OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL NIGERIAN REGARDLESS OF GENDER, RELIGION, TRIBE OR SOCIAL STATUS.
5. WE MUST STRIVE TO MAINTAIN A UNITED REPUBLIC DESPITE OUR DIFFERENCES.ONLY UPON ACHIEVING THESE PRINCIPLES CAN WE AS A PEOPLE FULLY LIVE UP TO OUR POTENTIAL AS A LAND OF GREATNESS. FOR OURS IS A COUNTRY RENOWNED FOR ITS ILLUSTRIOUS PEOPLE, AMPLE RESOURCES AND SHEER PHYSICAL BEAUTY.
This has been put up as part of Solomonsydelle's movement to show that Nigerian and other interested bloggers are unified in our disappointment with recent and ongoing political events. By using the same document with the same title on May 29th, we hope to attract some attention by making The Nigerian Proclamation 'rise' to attention on Google and various other search engines when anyone uses 'Nigeria' as a search term. Let the world know that Nigeria's people too are far from impressed.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
If......
If I knew what I know now at 15, would I make different choices ?
If I could rewind and freeze time, would I stay in the past?
If I could rule the world for one week, what decisions would I make?
If I knew how many days I had to live on earth, how will I live them?
If I don't try to conform with the world around me, who would run out of excuses?
If I had a choice before birth, would I have chosen to be me?
If I had the vision of me in 20 years' time, what would I advise my 23 year old to do?
If I hold the key to happiness, would I share it with others?
If I never procrastinated or broke my promises, how much of a better person would I be?
If I never put in 100% effort, I would never know what I am capable of.
If I don't dream it, I would never achieve it.
If I can make a difference in the world around me, I should
If I have never truly grasped the meaning of love, I haven't lived
If I smiled at one stranger everyday, I would have even more friends.
If I could rewind and freeze time, would I stay in the past?
If I could rule the world for one week, what decisions would I make?
If I knew how many days I had to live on earth, how will I live them?
If I don't try to conform with the world around me, who would run out of excuses?
If I had a choice before birth, would I have chosen to be me?
If I had the vision of me in 20 years' time, what would I advise my 23 year old to do?
If I hold the key to happiness, would I share it with others?
If I never procrastinated or broke my promises, how much of a better person would I be?
If I never put in 100% effort, I would never know what I am capable of.
If I don't dream it, I would never achieve it.
If I can make a difference in the world around me, I should
If I have never truly grasped the meaning of love, I haven't lived
If I smiled at one stranger everyday, I would have even more friends.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
My Ideal World
A world without suffering.
A world without pain.
A world without guilt.
A world without war.
A world without hunger.
This would be my ideal world.
A world without greed.
A world without selfishness.
A world without fear.
A world without hate.
A world without strife.
This would be my ideal world.
A world without crime.
A world without tears.
A world without sorrow.
A world without disappointment.
A world without sickness.
A world without prejudice.
This would be my ideal world.
A world without jealousy.
A world without divorce.
A world without lust.
A world without poverty.
A world without unforgiveness.
This would be my ideal world.
A world without famine.
A world without drought.
A world without conflict.
A world without division.
A world without disasters.
This would be my ideal world.
A world with peace.
A world with love.
A world with joy.
A world with laughter.
A world with honesty.
A world with acceptance.
A world with forgiveness.
This would be my ideal world.
Oh and one more thing. A world without taxes would be my ideal world!
A world without pain.
A world without guilt.
A world without war.
A world without hunger.
This would be my ideal world.
A world without greed.
A world without selfishness.
A world without fear.
A world without hate.
A world without strife.
This would be my ideal world.
A world without crime.
A world without tears.
A world without sorrow.
A world without disappointment.
A world without sickness.
A world without prejudice.
This would be my ideal world.
A world without jealousy.
A world without divorce.
A world without lust.
A world without poverty.
A world without unforgiveness.
This would be my ideal world.
A world without famine.
A world without drought.
A world without conflict.
A world without division.
A world without disasters.
This would be my ideal world.
A world with peace.
A world with love.
A world with joy.
A world with laughter.
A world with honesty.
A world with acceptance.
A world with forgiveness.
This would be my ideal world.
Oh and one more thing. A world without taxes would be my ideal world!
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