Take Some Wine 2

Continued from here.

He on the other hand, slept like a baby till morning, when he began to ask everyone around him how he ended up in hospital. They told him to wait till I came in to explain to him. When he saw me, he was very sorry for his conduct. Moreso, when I told him of the waiter who fainted and had to be admitted also. The young man had regained consciousness few minutes after he collapsed and was just kept for observation.

Later that morning, his wife came to the hospital worried sick. Her husband’s friends had told her he was being treated for a cut sustained as a result of an accident at the club. The nurse was going to tell her that her husband was brought in drunk, when I stopped her and whispered in igbo language, that his friends wanted to do the explaining themselves. The nurse commented, still in Igbo, that the lady was quite unlucky to have married such an irresponsible man and I concurred.

“Nwunye ya bu onye Igbo o”, his wife said quietly. (His wife is Igbo).

Red-faced, the nurse and I apologized. We had assumed she was not Igbo because her husband wasn’t.

“It’s alright”,she replied.

“You wouldn't believe we got married few months ago. He has fallen into the gutter several times, slept off by the roadside, and so on. When he goes out, my prayer is that he will come home alive. You would think he is uneducated but, not only is he a graduate, he is in a management position at work.”

I really didn’t know what to say to her. Should I blame her for marrying a man who was given to drink?, or blame his friends for enabling him?, or blame his father for not frightening him as mine did by telling him alcohol would make him walk on his head? Her shoulders were slumped. She looked years than she was. A dark, slender and pretty lady, worry had etched lines across her forehead that shouldn't have been there.

What am I saying? It begins from one glass. Yeah, I know you can hold your own but, why do you need to anyway? Alcohol has very few benefits, and they are far out weighed by it’s disastrous consequences. Many a family has been torn apart; many people have ended up with chronic diseases. I don’t know anyone who claims his life has been bettered by strong drink. Every doctor has shaken his head at one time or the other over the foolishness of patients who drink their liver into cirrhosis. We preach and preach and people ignore us, thinking we are making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Alcohol is addictive. The more you drink, the more you want to drink. If you say no, your friends may laugh but you will outlive them.

Can you refuse to take that first sip?
Can you reduce the number of glasses or bottles you take per week?
Can you switch off your phone over the weekends and tell your drink buddies you are busy? Make the decision today to live free. Takeyour destiny in your hands. Spend more time with your family, get more work done, read a new book. Consider you biography. I’m sure you wouldn’t want your epitaph to read, “Here lies the drunkard!” Be blessed as you live a healthy life.
Note that the scripture I quoted earlier is in 1Timothy 5 : 23 and was Paul’s specific instruction to Timothy because he had some illness we don’t know of.

www.drnsmusings.wordpress.com

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I don't know why I found the story ridiculously funny. LOL.

Take Some Wine For your Stomach

This is one of those scriptures men pull out when they want to indulge in alcohol and other such substances. Yes, even Christians who exercise self control in other matters, think it’s okay to visit bars to socialize with non -christian friends. (Got to keep the deals coming right?) Growing up, I remember a fib my dad told us to discourage us from trying to taste his beer. He told us we would walk with our heads if we drank it. We believed him; he never lied (not my dad). Sometimes he actually offered us some of his beer but we shuddered and ran away; not wanting to end up upside down, legs in the air. Lol.

One night, I was on call in the hospital. It had been a busy night and at about 11pm, I was hoping to turn in for some ‘shut-eye’, when I heard a ruckus at the gate. 4 men were trying to lift a 5th man out of a car. He was putting up a fight, yelling, cursing, struggling, kicking and what not. I thought he had suffered a psychotic incident. Standing close enough to observe, but far enough to prevent him from harming me, I noticed his right hand was bleeding. He was a very huge man, as strong as an ox, and as angry as a lioness whose cubs were abducted. (No I have never seen a lioness whose cubs were abducted).

While they were struggling to put him on the examining couch of the accident and emergency ward (A&E), I pieced together the history. It turns out he had gone to a night club with his friends. They noticed he had had too much to drink and asked him not to drive home but, he refused, insisting he was fine. Driving behind him, his friends saw that he was driving erratically, weaving in and out of lanes. One of them pulled up sharply in front him, forcing him to stop. He burst out of the car, shouting angrily at his friends for the stunt they had pulled. When they insisted that he should get into another person’s car, he screamed in fury and smashed his car’s windscreen with his hand. They then appealed to him to let them drive him to a hospital to get treatment for the injured hand but he refused.One of them had to call the owner of the club to send 2 waiters to assist them. It took 4 of them to force him into a car and restrain him for the drive to the hospital.

By then I was wondering why I was often the one on duty when such cases showed up. The nurses had severally accused me of attracting difficult patients. This was not the case of what a man can do a woman can do better, dear readers. Can somebody say ‘Amen!’ All the while his hand was bleeding profusely. I decided against sedating him as I could not get a history of his possible allergies or drugs he was taking. Preparing to suture the gash on the back of his hand, I asked the four men to hold him still. He was too angry to feel any pain. While they held him, he was struggling, ranting and threatening us all. Suddenly, I heard a thud. One of the waiters who was helping me restrain him had fainted. The sight of the blood was too much for the young chap. I asked a nurse to admit him and revive him while I finished up. Thankfully, I was able to suture the cut without further incident. His friends begged me not to tell his wife how he ended up in the hospital but to tell her he was involved in some sort of accident. I agreed to keep their secret on the condition that they would do the lying while I simply refused to tell her anything. They said she had not been married to him for long and might be disillusioned.

To be Continued.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo Mommy will eventually be your bestfriend! You will tell her everything and want to speak with her everyday.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo you're not that smart. You'll fail at many things but you also will suceed at many things. Take the good with the bad.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo for some reasons, Mommy and Daddy are always right, listen to them. They know better anyway.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo yes yes, you have some not so good friends but you'll eventually have the best girls and be stuck with them. Better to have few good ones than a million terrible friends.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo everything will be okay. It will pass.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo so what if people gossip about you? Haha piece of cake compared to real life problems.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo Maths is not hard, you're just lazy.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo you will not become a Lawyer.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo you'll come to love God more than you can imagine. Hehe.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo when you eventually finish school, don't do NYSC. You'll regret doing the crap and wasting your time. Just move on with your life.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo it's okay to be good. Do not ever feel bad for making good choices.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo the less you know about the future, the more interesting it will be. Stop with the curiosity and just live.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo you'll go from being very lackadaisical and nonchalant to being very anxious and being a worrier. It's still too hard to say which is better. Perhaps moderation?

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo you really are beautiful, girl! Embrace it! You are divinely made and crafted, don't feel sorry for that. Embrace it.


#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo you should stop trying to bring yourself down to other people's levels just to make them feel better about themselves. If you know stuff, speak out. Don't ask someone about  something you already know just to help the person's ego.

#TweetAtYourself10YearsAgo live your life to the fullest but of course within the confines of God's words. Take each day as it comes. You're a superstar girl, shine!

Linda's New Cars And My Thoughts On Entrepreneurship.

This is going to be a really quick post and I hope to capture all my thoughts on a whole lots of issues I have always wanted to blog on like Entrepreneurship, Success, Money yada yada. I also apologize in advance, this is a somewhat serious post , it is scattered AND it is against POPULAR OPINION. SORRY NOT SORRY. Some days ago, I stumbled on some controversial tweets about popular blogger, Linda Ikeji. She had just bought a brand new, 'tear rubber' SUV, very shiny something. LOL. Then she captioned it "Daddy finally allowed me..." something like that. By the way, she turned THIRTY FOUR today. The matter of having to get permission from her Dad is story for another day. I also don't care if she posted her car and the price(I think she said it was thirty million or thereabout, not sure) or if like her younger sister, she posted receipts of her designer bags. If you ask me, some of those things seem like poverty mentality kinda thing. But moving on. Along with the picture of herself and her new car, she wrote a post encouraging young men and women to strive for success and to never give up and all that, which was an absolutely amazing thing to do. I was doing my blog round just now when I saw a post by lifestyle blogger, Sisi Yemmie about the 'things to learn from Linda's success.' I commented but it was not enough for me, I had to blog about it. 
                      
                                                 Linda and her new ride!
                         
                                  Linda again, with the oh so beautiful car.

First and foremost, I admire Linda and her success story. It's a lot of God's grace. It is also a great reminder that the race is not for the swift neither is food for the wise. Honestly though, a big part of me does not agree that hardwork brought Linda her success and money. I know, I know. I probably don't know her full story and I know she dabbled on quite a lot of things before settling on blogging. That's not bad in itself, in fact sometimes, to know what really suits you, you need to try a variety of things. But in regard to her blog which was what brought the fame, I strongly believe she just happened to start something at the right time. This is not to spite Linda or 'hate' on her. I am one of her voltrons, I actually do like her a lot. However, I am not one to mince words when I don't want to. Let's face it, there's hardly any creativity or depth in Linda's posts. No real  research, no nothing. Sometimes, she even posts false news and rumors. So while, the perseverance and persistence in her story is one to preach about, people need to tone it down on telling young people to start their own businesses or just start an organization. Sisi Yemmie said Nigerians need to move from the mentality that being a Doctor, Lawyer, Accountant is the only way to success.  Actually, the reverse is the case now. My greatest fear right now is that in 20 years time, there will be no Doctors in Nigeria as everybody would have gone to pursue their 'dreams'. Is it not puzzling and worrisome that the only attractive careers are the easy ways out? Young Nigerians are now only interested in making money the fast way. Nobody wants to be a Doctor or Economist or Teacher or Research Scientist, everybody and their mothers now want to be C.E.Os. Do not get me wrong, being a make up artist or photographer or musician or actress is great, they are all very dignified and resourceful ambitions. But how is it that no one takes the time to LEARN their crafts anymore? How is it that these are seemingly the only attractive positions? How is it that in every darn gathering, people are being told to become entrepreneurs and those of us who do not have the flare for setting up businesses are being looked down on as mediocre?
          
                   Wait, you thought I was joking when I said tear rubber?

                        
                                 Linda and her fleet of cars...whooshhhhh! Lol

I dare say that not everyone can be an entrepreneur. Not everyone can 'work for themselves'. Not every '9-5' is such a terrible idea. And just so you know, if the reason you want to establish a business and become a CEO is because 'you can not work for someone else', let me break it to you honey, you. is.unwise*. If the reason you want to be a CEO is because a '9-5' is too monotonous and time consuming, you.is.unwise*. Half the time, people lack the necessary discipline and commitment to create something fundamental. You think a 9-5 is draining? Honey, try starting a business or an organization. It becomes your entire life because the moment it fails, you have failed.

The other day, I found out that someone's  establishment was about making people CEOs. In other words, she spends her time bashing people who work for others and telling them how much of a waste of time their lives are. I am not kidding. I was in awe. I mean if we are all CEOs, who then will work for us? Not everyone is a leader, this may sound really absurd but it's the truth. Some people were made to serve. Not everyone is a Moses, some people were made to be Aarons; to be helpers. I am not one to say money shouldn't be your goal, everyone's goal is different. For instance, I can't imagine having a career that does not impact the life of at least one person. That's me. Yours may be that you can't imagine a career that will not be able to get you a private jet. To each his own, but RESPECT YOUR LANE. Face your work, ushe onise*. I don't know what irritates me more these days than when people hear what you do and scoff; "What do you need that for?" "Why aren't you getting an MBA instead?" How about you mind yo' own business eh?

By the way, while failure is a sign you are probably doing something right and  you should continue to persevere, it also can be a sign that whatever you're doing is an absolute waste of time. The earlier you can figure out which category you belong, the better for you and your family.

Disclaimer; if you want to be an entrepreneur and maybe you have a great idea, then by all means, go ahead. Lol. Not that you will see me in my office tomorrow now, as the CEO of course (big grin) and call me a hypocrite.  This is not to discourage people from following their passions, it is just to let people know that sometimes, you need to be hardworking or at least have an understanding of what it is you want to do. You cannot expect me to pay you a lot of money as a make up artist for instance, only for you to turn me into a character in cirque du soleil. If you must be a C.E.O, please be one that is committed to excellence and a good work ethic. Some people parade themselves around celebrities for a living. You will also find some of such people bashing a Banker who is working for his/her hard earned money; they will say the person is 'slaving' away. Ermm, the irony. Look, nobody is worthless simply because they don't have fancy jobs. As long as you are being paid for your labor and services, you are worth much more than I can describe to you with my words.

I am NOT against ambition and  innovation, I really am just against mediocrity which is what many so called young 'creatives' are churning out these days. This post was really all over the place. That's because it was not properly thought of. I am  also probably missing many other things I would have liked to mention. I am going to leave it here for now though and hope to God nobody reads this and goes, 'hey she's just a hater' or "Why so angry?" I am not angry and I am actually having quite a good afternoon. LOL.

Love,
I

*I was going to use a worse word but I changed it. lol. Also, that is not a grammatical error. I derived it from the popular "You is smart. You is beautiful. You is Intelligent" saying in the movie, The Help.

*Also a slang. If you did not hear this gist and you're Nigerian, do you live under the rock? lol. Email me or something for  fuller explanation and meaning.

P.S; Have you checked out Loveoasis magazine today? Oya head over there now please www.theloveoasis.com You'll be glad you did, I promise.

Trying New Things.

I want to start this post by saying how BUSY I have been, so busy that I do not have time to breathe. But that will be a lie. I really have been busy but not so much that I don't have time to breathe. Also, I am blessed with a great deal of time management skills. I try to plan each waking hour, note the word, TRY. If I decide to leave home by 7:45, not a minute after that will pass without me stepping out. Maybe something else, like breakfast will suffer but I must leave home that minute. So point being I may be busy but I still have time to live.

You know how they say time/life is fleeting and we all should make the best use of it...I don't know if that's a saying. I am just trying hard to link that with trying new things out. I don't try new things. I am the type of person who when she discovers her favorite in a restaurant refuses to order anything else forever and ever. Think grilled salmon and fries in Red Lobster. Or flat bread barbecue sandwich in Panera Bread. Whenever I step into those places, that's what I order. Let's not talk about the things I never even bother to try out but yet I can't stand them. So I thought 'why not put yourself to another challenge' like I did with the anger thing.
 
                                           
                                    
 
The challenge here is to try something new each day or week; eat something different, do something different, try something different, perhaps even use a different lip gloss.

I am receiving suggestions too. But remember please that I love life very much and I plan by God's grace to live long, that's considering God does not decide to end it soon. Anyway, I am not about killing myself in the name of something different. I am not even about hurting myself or my wallet because of fun. Also, I WILL NOT EAT SUSHI. 

Unlike my anger challenge, I doubt I'll report back on the progress of this. Heck, I do not even know that I'll do anything about what I just wrote above. But I'll try. This is the first step in what is probably a lifelong journey. We should always try out new, exciting things, shouldn't we?
 
Love,
I
 
P.S; The afternoon after I originally typed this post, I walked from one state to another. Don't ask me how please. Lol. Yayyy for new things!!!

'Being Me' Blog Tag...

Halos. My blogpost today is something quite different from my usual posts. It's a tag I first saw on La Bella Imperfezione and one I had been meaning to do but kept putting off. Anyway, I figured since I don't have anything to post, why not just do it. It is a fun tag, at least to me. It's also one that would tell a little more about me. The good part is, it's not the usual serious and uptight stuff I post. I really am not that uptight in real life, I don't think I take myself that seriously. That was a lie. I really am that uptight in real life. At least that's what people say. As a matter of fact, I may be a little more uptight than what my blog tells you. Some other people may even think I am judgmental but I disagree with that. Let me tell you a quick story.

I was talking with an acquaintance the other day when she mentioned that her boyfriend was in a neighboring school. Then she quickly added 'We don't live together though.' What has that last part got to do with me? Confused face. I felt like she quickly added the last part as if to preempt me, you know, before I form  opinions about her or judge her. For some reasons unknown to me, people are typically very defensive around me. Anyway, moving on.

There was a time this blog was about the most serious thing in my life; I would come here to argue serious societal issues, defending my stand and condemning what I believed was wrong. While trying to NOT get personal. Things have changed and they have changed drastically. The blog is probably the least serious thing in my life right now. It is high time I infused the lackadaisical side/part of me into the blog. I will make it  a bit more personal but perhaps on the 'fun' side. I feel like there are now appropriate channels where I can talk passionately about the societal and maybe political issues I care about. It is not this blog. I probably still will, but errm it will not be very serious. I'll come here to unwind and 'flex'. Just before you close your browser, let's get started on the tag. So, here's to changes. Here's to growth. Here's to new beginnings.
                                                   
                                                        My selfie from Instagram. Filtered of course ;-)
ARE YOU NAMED AFTER SOMEONE?

No, I wasn't. Not my first name or my other twelve names either. -__-

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

Not so often anymore. But today, I was reading a blog owned by a woman with five children and a husband who went through abject poverty. I cried because I was angry I had just been whining about something so inconsequential. Hiss.

DO YOU HAVE ANY CHILDREN?

No, I don't.

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE A FRIEND OF YOURSELF?

ah, tough one man. I think so...probably.

DO YOU HAVE GUILTY PLEASURES?

Of course. YouTube; sigh. I may need to check into rehab for this one. LOL. Wendy's show.

DO YOU LIKE HANDWRITING?

I'm indifferent.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?

It used to be Kellog's Coco Pops (But where the heck is this cereal in the whole of U.S.A?) It's currently Frosties though. yum.

WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

I actually have no answer to this. Maybe their command of English? I really dunno. For guys though, nails! I can't stand long nails in guys. Bleh.

WHAT'S THE COLOR OF YOUR EYE?

Black.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Happy Endings!

FAVORITE T.V SHOW

Law and Order; SVU and Criminal Content (Thanks Daddy!), Prison Break, 24, MODERN FAMILY!!!, Grey's Anatomy. Notice the one in caps hehehe.

WINTER OR SUMMER TIME?
Summer, because I hate cold not because I love sunshine. Go figure.

HUGS OR KISSES?

In the general sense, none. Get yo' body off me please. Lol. Kisses.

SPECIAL TALENT.

Ugh. Here again. Look, none. I am beginning to not believe in talents sef. I may know how to tell stories though if I practice more.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

Omo Eko ni mi o swaggggga! Lol.

HOBBIES?

Honestly, I don't even know. Watching my favorite shows over and over again. Reading biographies of people (Wikipedia is my second home). Writing too. I like to talk too. Daydreaming; I spend about a quarter of my day in the future. Eating. Looking for my younger sister's trouble.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?

I can't even stand them.

FAVORITE MOVIE

This isn't a good question; too broad. If I had to pick one, it'll be Life of Pi.

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR CAR?

I don't have one. At least not yet.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GROW UP?

Do you want an entire blog post just on one question? If not, the answer is I don't know. Bye please.

This was fun! I want moreeeee *pouting*  LOL. Thanks for reading! You are tagged.

Love,
I

P.S; Have you checked out Loveoasis Magazine today? Please do at www.theloveoasis.com

P.P.S; I put a bulb in a lamp for the first time today.