The Crucible.

According to WIKIPEDIA, a crucible is a cup-shaped heat resistant container which is used in heating metals to a very high temperature of 500 to 1600 degree celcius or more. It can be made from platinium,nickel, zirconium or made from graphite with clay as a binder.A crucible is placed into a furnace and, after the melting, the liquid metal is taken out of the furnace and poured into a mold to solidify.During the whole process,the metal is refined to a purer state.

The metal gold,when it passes through this process becomes more valuable than it was in it's former state.The whole process of refining is basically to give or add more value.
In life, leaders were transformed in their very personal crucibles.An example of such leaders is the great Nelson Mandela of South Africa.Though locked up, isolated and humiliated as a prisoner on Robson Island, he never gave up his dreams of freedom rather the hardship metted on him only acted as a catalyst to an inner transformation within him that spurred him on to greater achievements.
I remember sitting with my father one calm evening some years ago.He was telling me about his past and how he used to be the last student in his class to pay his school fees and how he used to wash toilets to make extra bucks. His hardship demanded of him to think of alternative ways of making good money.He saved all he had to pay his way through a technical school and finally,he landed the job that made him who he is today. Washing toilets he says, is his crucible.This inglorious act that was turned down by others perpetuated him into reforming his life.To a lesser man it would spell defeat but to a stronger man, an avenue to propagate changes.This is what seperates leaders from ordinary men.

Our everday challenges should not make us cower in defeat.I prefer to call them challenges and not problems because, as challenges,it makes us want to tackle them without fear and see them as something possible to resolve but as problems,there is always a lingering fear of failure attached to it.To all my brothers and sisters out there, consider hard times as the crucible periods, it will only refine us to be better men.

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Special thanks to WIKIPEDIA for the use of definitions and pictures from their gallery.

I'm back.

What a rush! I've got adrenaline pumping fiercely in my veins,I'm happy to be back again.Almost ten days gone and I haven't had the chance to pen down a word or two. I had a problem with my PC.This little piece of miracle suddenly went into a spell,causing me great anxiety...believe me,it was just a little web configuration problem but this "Agbaya" couldn't handle it.Too much "eba" has deadened my brain cells but not to worry,we are just getting started in here. Stay glued.Matse out!

Passing dusk...

I see alot of people give up on life and sigh in resignation.Heads bowed forward, hands clenched together; the ultimate sign of hopelessness. I beckon to you with the age old adage that says,"No matter how long the night is,dawn must come." Why do we underestimate our abilities when we have not fully tapped into them yet? The wise saying of an old man I know is that, "The Law of Averages is always on the side of the positive thinker" We all, should try to accept the setbacks in life and forge ahead with determination,knowing that we can make it,despite all odds.I remember a while ago when I used to be laddened with depression.I never looked forward to my day,I actually dreded standing up from my bed.I felt I was ugly and dull and that no one wanted me.The cause of my depression was a multitude of silly things that may make no sense to you but all the same,I was down.My ever loving mother tried to cheer me up to no avail.I was wallowing in self pity and disgust.One lovely morning,I took the bull by the horn by telling myself that I am a wonderful human being and I kept chanting it to myself like a mantra on and on again.I went out that day and bought a sticker that said "I LOVE U" and pasted it on my bathroom mirror to remind me everyday that I love myself.That prooved to be the cure to my predicament.Take note,that I took the step to help myself.I choose to paint a brighter picture of me in my mind and the picture became a reality.We should not give ourselves limitations but have the belief that we can do all things.I shook myself and decided to start my healing process from the inside and then,the outside.I got searching for the hair styles that suited me best and the clothes that made me feel good about myself,you may not be able to afford new clothes but good personal hygiene also does it.I developed an interest in reading at large every and any book I could lay my hands on just to gain more knowledge and insight in general.Do you know that if you read a minimum of three books a week for one year,you would be as good as a Professor?...Yes! It's true.Your conversations dramatically changes and you get a boost in confidence knowing that you can hold your own anywhere.With this positive attitude,you start believing that you can tackle anything...(well,not necessarily everything) but the feeling is awesome and it transends into every aspect of your life making you a much better person who can face the world with a smile.Your situation may not be similar to mine but remember that after night,comes day...Always.

Bootilicious!

This "Booty Wahala" 'Na wa o!' I was in a taxi one sunny day when suddenly I spotted a girl with an extraordinary booty walking at the right hand side of the road.Obviously this sister knew what she had because she was swinging and rolling her hips with great delight. I being a woman couldn't handle the heat emanating from this sister,how much more the poor guys walking and driving along the road.One poor 'Okada' rider who was hungrily looking at this sister,ran into an orange seller and sent the oranges flying everywhere like a colour spectrum.The Orange seller didn't hesitate to seize the Okada rider and the battle of "Pay me my money!" began.

I couldn't help erupting with laughter and tears streaming down the sides of my eyes.The whole scenario played back in my memory in slow motion and it was very amusing.I continued laughing at intervals and to the unknowing onlooker,I may seem like a person with mental disorders but it was an event worth witnessing.A moral lesson to learn from this ordeal is that,while the booty gets the "Bobos" into trouble,the owner of the booty sashays away and only you,"Brother" will dance to the tunes you have created.To all the brothers out there,enjoy the sight but keep your eyes on the road. Matse out!

NB: Photography by Ndidi Dike

20-Something Wahala.

I was standing in front of my mirror,slowly scrutinizing my face.The frownlines were doing me no good at all,etched on my temple like a spider's web by the cruel fingers of mother nature. Humph! I sighed,secretly consoling myself while pondering that there is nothing "l'Oreal" botwax or the almighty botox couldn't handle. After all,"no be me be the first nor go be the last to wan use am." Oh,the dark circles around my eyes! "Something's gotta handle that too" I thought.
"Oh girl your biological clock is ticking,you will soon be thirty o!" came the whinny little voice inside my head."Abeg hold your own" I told the voice. "Am I blind? Do you have to use the age factor to creat an aged aura around me? Oya! Get behind me pecky,prickly Miss Conscience." "Well,I wouldn't tell my age if you don't" I said smiling into the mirror,challenging Miss Conscience.After all,the quick fix to cellulites and stretch marks on the butt is to wear a great pair of jeans and I am perfectly sculpted...who will see what lies beneath? "Abi no be so?"
Suddenly,"Sweet Mother...I no go forget you..." floated from my phone.The caller id was screaming "MUM." I mentally started preparing myself for the familiar pattern of conversation that was going to follow.Finally,the topic of the day landed "Gbosa!" "Did you hear that little Maureen got married last weekend? She is only twenty three years old...Oh what a lucky girl...nice timing...nice planning! Did you know that she got married to her childhood sweetheart?...Remember that tall,short,slim,fat,dark,light twenty,thirty something year old boy,that lived down the street..." It went on and on.
"Haba Mama,spare me naa!" Such tales only make me blue. "Maureen and Matse" start with a "M" but that is where the similarity ends.We don't sound the same,neither do we mean the same. "Matse?" My mama called at the other end of the line. "Why are you silent?" Silent? My brain screamed. I thought you were giving me the biography of "little Maureen."
"Em,Mum!" I said,"I need to rush down to the office.My boss called me to tell me that I needed to see to some important issues,I will be calling you soon Mum,I love you and bye."
"Ewo!" I sighed. "Some daughters do have them." I know you love me to death Mum and you want the best for me...I understand.Let's take it easy "Ma".You will carry your grandchild when the time is right (laughing).