Do Your Part

"Let me go, take off this lock!" Kunle aggressively said to Kehinde. Kehinde who was expressively confused looked at him with his mouth ajar. He was more confused about the fierce look on Kunle's face as much as he was getting offended by the abuses and accusations Kunle was laying on him. Not minding him, he stepped out of the house. Few days later he came back and to his surprise Kunle repeated what he did the last time, ignoring him, he left without saying a word.

A week later, he decided to come back to see if Kunle had gotten over whatever had been eaten him up. He was wowed to see Kunle in the same position he left him the last few times but this time he had had it up to his neck. He had to speak before Kunle would start calling him names. 

Kehinde simply told Kunle to put his hands out the protector and take off the padlock holding the gate against him cause it was opened. Kunle, trying out what Kehinde said to his utmost surprise realized all this while he had been free but he caged himself without knowing. He foolishly stayed there blaming Kunle without even trying to reach out to the lock on the gate. He was ignorant of the fact that the gate was open.

Kunle feeling discomfited, apologised to Kehinde and thanked him for opening his eyes to the truth.

******************

The message is simple. 

Most of us are like Kunle, always putting the blame of what is not working for us on people, things, witches from our village, government, economy, the system, church, etc not knowing that we are the ones who chose to be ignorant on taking those steps to release us.

Our problem usually is us. 

Get your hands out there and unlock those fears keeping you from moving forward. When you have God, you need not fear. 

Do your part and He will do the rest.

I rest my case.

My Thoughts.

©Ala O. Wilcox

#doyourpart

Old but new story...

Did you know that the OED is updated four times a year? Every March, June, September and December.
Yeah! Yeah! I know this is not totally new but it is for some individuals.

The material added to the dictionary includes revised versions of existing entries (which replace the older versions), and new words and senses both within the alphabetical sequence of revised entries and also across the whole A to Z range.

Published quarterly since 2000, the updates make up the Third Edition of the OED.

March 2017 update

More than 500 new words, phrases, and senses have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary this quarter, including hate-watch, pogonophobia, sticky-outy, and things aren’t what they used to be.




 hate-watch,

a 21st-century verb meaning ‘to watch (a television programme, etc.) in a spirit of mockery, as a form of entertainment’.

pogonophobia,

a jocular term for a strong dislike of beards that was coined in 1857 but may be more relevant than ever given the current proliferation of barbigerous hipsters; and heliopause, the astronomical term for the very outer edge of the solar system beyond which the solar wind is undetectable, a boundary traversed by the touch of humanity for the first time in 2012, when the Voyager 1 spacecraft crossed it to enter interstellar space.


Sticky-outy, adjective

The charmingly colloquial adjective sticky-outy means ‘that protrudes or sticks out’, elaborating upon the form of the synonymous earlier word sticky-out by adding an additional –y. The OED’s first citation comes from a letter written by the Australian composer and pianist Percy Grainger to his mother in 1921, lamenting ‘My hair has taken a wild fit, all sticky-outy in ends.’ Indeed, Grainger’s hair was notable for its sticky-outiness, as photographs of him from this period attest.


Things aren’t what they used to be,

English-speakers have been lamenting that things aren’t what they used to be, expressing the idea that circumstances or standards have deteriorated over time, since at least 1847, but the phrase enters the OED for the first time today. The entry’s quotation evidence reveals the term’s contradictory connotations. In literature, this statement of nostalgia for a better time in one’s youth is often put in the mouth of an old-timer depicted as speaking regional or colloquial varieties of English, so the quotation paragraph for OED’s entry includes nonstandard versions of the phrase, such as ‘things ain’t now as they used to was’ and ‘fings ain’t wot they used T’be,’ as well as formal versions like ‘things weren’t what they had once been’.  However it was uttered, by 1926 the wistful expression of attachment to bygone days had become such a well-established trope that it began to be used to critique nostalgia rather than express it: ‘Things aren’t what they were!.. They never were!’


That's it for now. In further posts, I'll enlist the new words added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Happy New Month to you.

Source: www.google.com/public.oed

Did You Know?

Did you know that a 60-minute nap can improve alertness for up to 10 hours? The most widely accepted record for going without a nap—or any sleep whatsoever—is 264 hours (11 days).

Now you know😊.
Please endeavour to nap when you can inorder to stay healthy.


Source: Google

On This Day In History

1789 -First U.S. House of Representatives elects speaker.

1952 -Big Bang theory proposed in Physical Review by Alpher, Bethe & Gamow.

1970 -Nixon signs legislation banning cigarette ads on TV and radio.

1976 -Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs found Apple Computer in the garage of Jobs' parents house in Cupertino, California.


It's 41years already for Apple.
I was just wondering what it would have being like if Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak didn't take the bull by the horn and start from where they were.
Start from where you are..👍👍

Culled by Ala O. Wilcox
Source: Google.

Daydreaming

In the dew of dawn,

The sprinkles of the morning mist,

the quirking and cooing of the birds with the atmosphere of silence accompanying the hushing sound of the wind, 

whistles through my ears.

The change of cloud,

darkness turns gradually to light.

A long stare into the sky, 

clarity overclouds my mind,

giving room to a much more brighter sky.

The clouds forming into clogs and separating into bits,

The heavens revealing.

Suddenly,

Tap!

On the rusty sheets,

The old rusty roofing sheets,

Tap! tap!

The clarity begins to seize,

Tap! tap! tap! tap! tap!....

The silence breaks.

The firmament with various shapes of clogged up clouds,

Somuch sound,

Revealing the durability and tenacity,

The wind blows more,

The open eyes gets weak,

Turbulence and uncertainty.

But,

Deep inside, 

in the midst of it all, 

the soothing and relaxing feeling overwhelming.

Hhaaaaaaauuuu!!

Stretching arms,

Yawning mouth,

Sleepy eyes,

Tired body,

The sound of three blades sitting above me,

The warmth of the quilt, 

the sound of the turbulence

being like sweet sound

all come in unison

forgetting everything 

I'm tucked into day dreaming....

******************************

In times of peace

Storms arise 

Don't try to be the solution 

Let God take care of it 

And the storm will be like a lullaby.

MY THOUGHTS
Ala O. Wilcox

Unexpected Kiss

He quickly gave me an unexpected warm and breathtaking peck with his hands on his lips then onto my lips while he was getting off the taxi. At that moment, I felt like I had turned pink but thank God he wasn't there to see me blushing. 

While my journey home was still on, I was wondering and asked myself "Ala are you in love?"

He did it again but I didn't expect it 'cause the few times we had gone home together after that day he first did it, he never attempted it. Believe me, it was like my heart flew out of my chest and came back after some seconds. 

On a very good Saturday, I was doing my laundry with my untidy hair then my mum called and said I had a visitor. I couldn't even imagine who my visitor was but I quickly washed my hands, wore shorts and a top then found my way to the Living Room. Lo and behold, the beloved 'He' was just sitted, smiling and talking with my mum and at that moment I felt like the ground should open up and swallow me. I just braced up my confidence and acted like I was the cleanest girl at that moment. Hahahaha!!!

Okay! That very dirty me Saturday, while walking him out, I got my first unexpected french kiss and Oh!! how I blushed and wanted more plus I lifted my right leg up. Lol! Immediately that happened it was true love for me based on the American movies and books I had seen and read. #Laughing hard

Growing up in one of the worst environments which was called *COLOMBIA* and remaining disciplined as a teenager was quite a big one. An environment where prostitution, hard drugs, brutality, fighting and killings was the order of the day. It was as bad as if you didn't see them break someone's head in a day, you've had a boring day. Or is it the part where guys are pricing prostitutes 300 Naira when you go to buy something from aboki? Smh

He knew I liked him somuch and wanted a relationship with me but my answer was a "NO" not because I didn't think I loved him but because I told myself I wouldn't try dating till 18. It was hard fighting those emotions mostly when your peers are all in relationships but my word was my bond. To me, kissing him, loving to kiss him, fantasizing on how

we could spend our lives together, my right leg coming up while kissing him, etc was the signs of my love for him. How foolish I thought.

Love is not a fairytale, love is not lifting your right legs up while kissing a guy/girl, love is not thinking of just that one person, love is not buying or getting gifts from or for a guy/girl, love is not enjoying the time you spend with the person, love is not enjoying having sex with him/her, love is not enjoying the romance sessions you have with each other neither is love just a word you say to feel good.

Love is deep, sensible, truthful, patient, selfless, kind, not boastful, not rude, not violent, not sensual, never gives up, never threatens, never loses faith, always hopeful, above all, LOVE is SACRIFICE. 

God is a perfect example of a lover that He sacrificed He's only son for us because of the unfailing love He has for us that we might be redeemed. 

Show love not just to your spouse, spouse to be or family but to every single person you come across on this planet even the destitute. Love is beyond one individual.

Change your mindset about love.

As for the 'He', you need not know his name. *winks*

I rest my case.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Ala O. Wilcox

Lessons from my ordeal 2

Just the thought of the pains I'll go through made me finish the eba (garri) and okro soup (my none favourite food then) my mum brought to the hospital for me after we were told I would be undergoing an emergency appendicitis operation the next day.

Let's rewind....... My economics teacher Mr Collins was in class and was asking for our Economics note. If you ask me how I forgot mine ehn, I can't even answer but I sure did and I knew I had to be ready for some strokes 'cause my smiling or answering questions won't save me today. Not when WAEC preparations were at hand.

Just at the moment he asked for the note, I felt the sharp pain that seemed like one I had over  a year back and it came really strong that I couldn't even stand straight.

"Wilcox, don't start joking with me, where is your note" Mr Collins said sharply. Omor! The man thought it was one of those my escape pranks but I was almost fainting there. Here comes the Vice Principal, then the Principal and I was asked to be taken home. You can imagine the joy of going home when your mates are in school, your parents are at work, it wasn't school fees drive but the "I'm not feeling well" excuse and you just have an opportunity to do anything you wish for within those few hours you have.

Home, hospital, fastforward to ....... Garri and Okro soup then operation the next morning.

Farting on the second day and climbing the hospital stairs the third day was risky for me but paramount cause I had waec the following week.

How I disliked mathematics but had to study on the hospital bed for my exams, calling my classmates and teachers to give me a run down of what was happening.

The seventh day of carrying my stitches was my first paper, Mathematics (my worst subject at that time) and I took myself up in a  dauntless manner and stepped into school and as my surname will decide my seat number I was the last and only person on a seat. I stuck to my principle, it wasn't my best paper but I was proud I proved everyone who felt I was too fragile and weak to be up and doing with stitches, cramp pains and operation pains wrong. I still rocked my dress to church and gave a testimony for a successful operation. I still studied at night despite the fact it was almost impossible sleeping cause of pains but I had a goal in mind to be fervent in my studies. An operation that came at the wrong time wasn't an excuse, wicked cramp pains added to the operation pains wasn't an excuse either.


Lessons:


* Thou art inexcusable.

* You can make it through any ordeal only if YOU decide you want to.

* When people think or say you can't do it, prove them wrong by doing it. Even if you feel fear that you will fail, it's better to try and fail than not try at all. Just keep pushing and one day, your not succeeding will become a success.

* Have a positive mind.