4th’s Super 8 Audio/Video Countdown (Nigerian Mix)

So I went on a journey *cue in temple music* okay seriously, not the figurative self-awareness type journey.
I’m talking about a sit on your butt-and-hold-your-pee-till-you-get-to-a-decent-gas-station/eatery 8/9-hour commute.
Having spent the previous days cheating sleep, I planned to pay my dues to mother nature and sleep the whole X miles.
There I was trying to find the best position to snuggle in a cozy corner with my pillow under head and facemask in the ready position when I accidentally hit the play button of a playbook forgotten under another pillow.
The 1st song that filtered through was enough to wake me from my haze of tiredness and move me to a level of nostalgic bliss making that journey a memorable one.
Heck, it could pass for a self-awareness journey of sorts after all because it confirmed my appreciation for Nigerian talent.
So without much ado, here’s my who, what and why Super 8 Audio/Video Countdown for the 1st week of October.



08. Toh Bad: Niyola

image courtesy channelo.dstv.com

Toh bad is in one sentence a love song.
It details the artists struggle with the emotions in her relationship and her steadfast affection for her love interest.
The song starts slow and continues in a harmonic stirring pace.
What I like about the video is that it portrays incidents I can relate to.
From the oftentimes unwanted inputs of over zealous friends who have their own opinions of how your relationship should go, to the trials and triumphs of being in healthy relationship but I think she overreacted though.
I mean it is very hard to find a man new to fame willing to gamble his popularity by admitting to the world that he is neck deep in love with the woman of his dreams.
She should have waited for him to come home, confront him before going all mad black woman.

I like that for this song, Niyola isn’t bathed in heavy makeup. She looks like the girl next door only sexier, confident with a rocking body and a lovely voice to boot.

07. Irionor: Blixxy (D Rapking)

image courtesy notjustok.com

Irionor is about the artist’s initial struggle for recognition and his career journey so far. He pays homage to his roots (which is incidentally my root as well) by rendering most of his lyrics in Esan an Edo dialect.
Irionor is Esan for ‘na so e be’ which is pidgin for ‘that is the way it is’.
The guy apparently has a lot on his mind so you would probably have to listen to the song (with an Esan speaking fellow on hand) to appreciate the depth of his talent.
Sadly BDR is yet to release a music video for this track so here I am waiting in anticipation to see what he comes in.
Meanwhile, thumbs up bro!

06. My Darlin’: Tiwa Savage

image courtesy theucloud.com

I think I should have added Ms. to her name but it would be more out of respect for how far she has come in her career than her present marital status.
My Darlin’ is the artists rendition of her devotion for her lover. She recognizes him as a vital part of her life and a source of inspiration. It is an engaging love song.
The music video is again set in a typical Nigerian wedding theme but this time it focuses more on the pre wedding preparations.
I can relate to the old lady's ‘ginger’ to grab that poor boy's plate of jollof rice.
Seriously what is it with traditional wedding and starving guests really?
The screens in this music video swing between the on going wedding preparations and old mother Tiwa’s memories of her married life and come to end with a solo dance number by present day Tiwa.
I like her acting!
She played the part of old mother Tiwa, young girl crushing on hot dude, newly wed, new mother and grieving wife flawlessly.
Erm I don’t get why she is in white apparel for most of her screens in the video though.
Thoughts anyone?


05. Eleda mi: Olamide

image courtesy tooxclusive.com

I can’t speak Yoruba to save my life but from what I’ve gleaned from the little English he threw in around the track, the song is about (correct me if I’m wrong) reaping the rewards of hard work.
The first thing that got to me in this track was the instrumentals.
I am quite happy to listen to just about any song with rubbish lyrics (I fondly refer to such songs as noisic) provided it has remarkable instrumentals.
I often try to guess how many classes of music instruments are present in a particular mix.
Take me to an orchestra and I’d be your loyal sidekick for months to come.

The music video follows Olamide and friends hanging out and fooling around then later decide to throw a party.
He invites everyone but me *sad face*
The song reminds me of a time way back when children actually had childhoods.
A time when I could throw a party without breaking bank, have fun without fear of malaise and communication was done via physical contact or letter writing.
I don’t get this “take me now stance” I have noticed him adopt in a couple of music videos though.
What is that about?

04. Marry me: Falz featuring Yemi Alade and Poe

image courtesy tooxclusive.com

Marry Me addresses The Problem Of Societal Expectations And The Female Ticking Biological Clock. Three amazing singers came together to create this piece.
Yemi Alade took time off in her search for “Johnny” to represent the ladies and the pressure put on them by society that they in turn put on any man bearing a slight resemblance to their prospective better halves. Falz (the man I know as the funny one with comical short video’s pertaining to his search for a valentine, wife, etc.) and Poe (who I’m just getting to meet) spoke on behalf of the men who are just a little bit confused as to what their relationship goals are *dodges flying shoe*.
The video gives tiny glimpses of what a typical Yoruba wedding is like and the goings on in the background of said weddings (or should I say the corners *wink*) including the dynamics of getting served in relation to where you are seated, using eye contact to pass and receive messages from a prospective "new catch", the accusatory glances from partners in a long relationship that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere and loads more!
I like the white and red wedding colors abi asoebi and Falz’s accent.
He makes the H factor sound sexy (OMG, did I admit that out loud?).
Okay, on to the next one!




03. Irawo: Seyi Shay

image courtesy goldenicons.com

This is actually the song that set me off on my journey to #.
Ms. Seyi Shay put so much positive infectious energy into this song that it was impossible to sleep afterwards.
I kept replaying the track till I was sure one of my travelling companions would toss the music device out the window in frustration.

Irawo which means destiny in this sense became true to the word after the playbook which was buried under a pillow found a way to beat the odds and be in the right position at the right time to get turned on my me.

In honor of the message of the song I am picking this song as my party anthem for my birthday (October 4, 2015).

About the music video; I can’t give a definite take on my opinion because I am confused.
At first it seems like the music video begins with the end and recounts the adventure of a fair maiden chosen as an offering of sorts for a young dashing prince (the dude looks familiar, abeg the guy be?) she startles her captors and escapes by running into the ocean.
The difference in costume at the beginning and the end is what has led to my confusion.
Now would be a good time for uncle C. Peters to enlighten me on his idea behind the Video for Irawo.


02. Baby Mi Da (Baby Jo Wo) Remix: Dr Victor Olaiya featuring 2Face Idibia

image courtesy spinlet.com

This is a remix of an original highlife classic by Dr. Victor Olaiya.
Remember what I said about my feelings for instrumentals and rhythm?
Well, this song is rich in that and then more.

I was stuck between pledging allegiance to Dr. Olaiya and 2Face but past history with 2Face proved him as the winner.

Up until a few years ago, 2Face was going to be my fall back guy for when things did not work out as planned between the now late Michael Jackson and me.

2Face is one of the few musicians I know who can turn just about any piece of musical item into a classic by having his name on it. He is a standard and an icon, someone who has proved to have Nigeria’s best interest at heart.

Baby Jowo is a song dedicated to Dr. Olaiya’s love interest.
He apparently offended her, is afraid to loose her so he is trying to find a way back to her heart.

01.Gollibe: Flavour

image courtesy youtube.com

This is my number 1 song for this countdown and I believe it would remain on top of my list for a long time to come.

He is playing a piano for crying out loud!

The song is mostly in Igbo but he manages to pass the message across.

Gollibe is a love song but unlike other love songs, Flavor sings like the words are directed to me personally.

Between us, it was love at first sight.
He has been searching for me and he has finally found me.
I am his soulmate and he is mine.

The music video is in two plots.
The first is the story of the crown prince who has returned to the kingdom to take a bride in preparation for his ascent to the throne. He meets and falls in love with a common village girl whose charisma and virtue are the highest points of her beauty.
Like the epic beauty pageant held in the courts of the Persian King Ahasuerus to replace Queen Vashti in the biblical story of Esther, a pageant is held in King Edochie’s court to find a befitting wife for Flavour the crown Prince.
From all the fair maidens presented to him, he picks and presents Ebiere the village girl to be his bride and they live happily ever after!
The second plot is a reminder of where we came from.
A reminder and representation of a time Nigerian children were brought up to respect their elders, taught how to be responsible adults at an early age and to be proud of their heritage.
A time when social events consisted of coming together to listen to stories laden with admonitions, history lessons and proverbs, learning intricate dance moves and songs to be presented at the stipulated time and reveling in their identity.
A time when we were Nigerians without the foreign accents.

With that, I have come to the end of this countdown.
Phew! That was quite a ride.
Do you have an opinion? Share it!

Until next time, here is the link for Irawo by Seyi Shay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK1vi8Dtat8


cheers mates!

Sunday magic!

How do I love you?
Let me count the ways…

The first was in a black Nissan jeep. He rolled down his window and looked at her. She felt an excited shiver all the way to her little toe. He was perfection personified. His teeth were even, his palms looked strong, he had the carriage of a man that savored hard work both in work and “play”. Her mind wandered. She thought of boat cruises, passionate kisses and trysts on sun-warmed beaches.
A car honked behind her, she returned to reality.

Next was a stately looking man.
A man smiling foolishly and nodding as he drove caught her attention. She checked for a handsfree or any device to indicate he was on a call; it would mean he wasn’t a driving madman.
It was then she saw him.
Seated at the back seat was another man. He bore a look that would make the wealthiest sultan quake. His clothing was crisp, his skin looked like a chocolate bar, opened at the right temperature and his hair oh his hair. His hair was sprinkled with enough grays to tease her obsession. She realized she was staring. Both men had stopped talking the driver obviously did not appreciate his boss being stared at like food. Who could blame her? He did look delicious.
Ah well she popped a mint-flavored candy into her mouth their loss.

Temptation was the one now ahead of her at the cash register. Earlier, he had held open the door for her, complimented her outfit and you know, done things that would make the crudest waif feel like a lady. He smelled right, talked right and acted like he was valedictorian at his finishing school.
Decked in safari shorts with a polo shirt that did nothing to hide his masculinity. He took her hesitation as a challenge and set about dousing her with charm.

The mistake was in a Danfo.
Dressed in white with dark locks flapping in the wind. She had recently been studying pictures of ‘Marley Hair’ so when she taught she saw a live sample on a woman she strained for another look. It was then he turned. He caught her perusal and gave an encouraging nod. Startled, she looked away but doubted she was a he. Thinking it was safe she turned to the subject once more wanted to be certain he wasn't a she. He wore white pearls in his earlobes and a velvet cap on his head and was blowing her a kiss? Horrified she looked away.

The door was open she walked in. Lying down in his Pajama bottom with his fingers faithfully scratching his balls was the one she lived with. Multitasking for him was channel surfing while scratching his balls. He paused for a moment and looked at her. With a lopsided smile, he bounded up, caught her wrist and pulling her gently to himself, fell back on the sofa. he eased off her heels, stroked her cheek and planted a kiss on her forehead. With a sigh he whispered. You are beautiful.
She snuggled into his embrace reassured and content.

The end

The blood you are sharing

Once upon a time…

After a couple of years of not knowing what my HIV status was, I took it upon myself on a bright and sunny day (spent running errands for everyone in my house but me) to stop at the next diagnostics lab slash hospital I saw along the road and find out.
Almost immediately I came to the decision I happened along a sign for a hospital that boasted pregnancy test, ultrasound, fertility booster and blood screening amongst it services.
Curious, I followed the path beneath the sign and came up to a somewhat abandoned building. I took it as a sign that maybe today wasn't a good day to get poked.
As I was about to turn around and go home, a youngish looking lady in a nurse’s outfit materialized from thin air and steered me in. I told her what I wanted to do, she confirmed the service was available and told me the doctor was on seat to counsel me.
Initially I thought counsel me for what now? Were all their patients positive? But gave myself a mental shrug and sat down. Since I was there, I might as well go the whole 9 yards.

A few minutes later I was ushered into the doctors office and came face to face with *Junior!

Junior used to follow me around when he was younger; he had crush on me about the size and feel of a hungry cheetah. The last time I saw him, he was in secondary school uniform.
I held unto the doorknob considering the wisdom of my next move.
I stole a glance at him. He looked older, more matured and crush free maybe he wouldn’t remember me? I wore a blank expression stepped into the office and greeted the ‘kind doctor’ it was the near smile on his face when he responded to my greeting that gave him away.

To add excitement to the ordeal he drew blood from me trice, declared me pregnant and HIV positive 1 and 3 times before finally deciding I was not.
I asked him to run the test twice again because by that time I had lost faith in his accuracy ( I repeated the test in another place months later still).
It was the act of drawing blood that drew my attention to another practice I hadn't done in a while; blood donation.

Present day…

June 14 is world Blood Donor Day.

During my undergraduate days, we got malt and meat pie after being successfully screened and donating blood. Compared to paying to have Junior play ‘touch and go’ with my emotions, those days were fun.

I don’t know if the malt and meat pie still follow, because blood donation these days isn’t popular in my present society. Maybe it is because people are scared of needles, afraid their blood will be used for 'ritual purposes', don't trust the storage facilities in the country or are just not aware.
Whatever reason there is, the simple truth is that you should because it’s a nice thing to do.

Aside from providing blood for accident victims, pregnant women in labour, cancer patients, sick anaemia patients and all other people in dire need of blood transfusions (minus vampires obviously) you could unwittingly be saving yourself because before blood donors are accepted, the donors are screened first – verbally and physically (via blood screening et al) thereby exposing any hidden disease you might be harboring.

Donating may actually help you control your blood pressure, reduce the number of circulating bad cells, and remove excessive immunoglobulins.
Then there’s that feel good aura you get knowing you have played a part in saving a life.

There are several types of blood donation (Whole blood, Platelets, Plasma and Double red cells) with Whole blood being the most common.

To qualify as a blood donor, you must be aged 18 to 65, weigh 50kg and above, have a normal blood pressure and acceptable PVC level.
Before a donor's blood is taken, a test is carried to determine if he/she has enough to sustain him after donation. However, pregnant and lactating women are not accepted for homologous blood donation as well as;
i. Anyone who has ever used injection drugs not prescribed by a physician, such as illegal injection drugs or steroids not prescribed by a physician
ii. Anyone who has ever received clotting factor concentrates
iii. Men who have had sexual contact with other men since 1977
iv. Anyone with a positive test for HIV (AIDS virus)
v. Anyone who has had hepatitis after his or her 11th birthday
vi. Men and women who have engaged in sex for money ( ashawo/runs people) or drugs
vii. Anyone who has had babesiosis or Chagas' disease

viii. Anyone who has taken etretinate (Tegison) for psoriasis
ix. Anyone who has risk factors for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) or who has a blood relative with CJD
x. And people with tattoo’s

Male donors can give blood every 12 weeks. That's approximately every 3 months or 4 times in a 12-month period. Female donors can give every 16 weeks or approximately every 4 months.
It is advisable to get plenty of sleep the night before you plan to donate, eat a healthy meal being careful to avoid fatty foods, such as hamburgers, fries or ice cream (tests for infections done on all donated blood can be affected by fats that appear in your blood for several hours after eating fatty foods) and drink an extra 16 ounces (473 milliliters) of water and other fluids before the donation.

In response to the saying “voluntary blood donation is good but na when person even chop belleful im go remember that one” have it in mind that if you're a healthy adult, you can usually donate a pint of blood without endangering your health. Within 24 hours of a blood donation, your body replaces the lost fluids. After about 21 days your body replaces the lost red blood cells with fresh and more vibrant cells, so you not only loose old and weak cells by donating, but you gain stronger and fresher cells.
So next the next time you are in the mood to go for a blood drive and actually see it through have it in mind that the blood you are sharing could and would save a life.


End




* Junior is not his real name

Talitha kum – ANNIE PART 1

She groggily opened first one eyelid then the other and blinked. Her throat felt hoarse and her eyes heavy. Awareness of her surroundings hit her with it memories of the events that led to the moment.
A pained moan escaped her throat, squeezing her eyes shut she pulled the tails of her shirt closer to her body and rolled up into a ball.
She was on her bed fully clothed complete with shoes and gold-chained purse now hanging across her chest. The bottle of sleep pills she considered emptying into her mouth earlier lay forgotten on the floor she ended up taking just enough to help her sleep. Albeit briefly.
She felt dirty, very dirty. She did not think a bath was enough to clean her but it was a start. She winced as she got up from her tiny student bed the memory of the ordeal intensifying her pains. she hobbled to the kitchen reached for her electric kettle and filled it from the tap while ignoring the telltale marks on her wrists.
She placed the kettle on its hub.
Changing her mind, she got out the ring boiler from the lower kitchen cabinet filled up a 25 liter bucket, placed the ring boiler in the bucket and connected it to the power supply. While waiting for the water to boil, she drifted towards the bathroom, reached for the light switch and shielded her eyes from the intensity of the fluorescence bulb. moving to stand in front of the mirror hanging above the bathroom sink she dared to look at her reflection.

The eyes staring back at her didn't seem like hers.
Hers were vibrant, these were empty. The ever-present spark of good-natured mischief that danced within her gaze had burnt out.
She was in pain both physical and emotional.

She felt a chill trickle down her spine but did not move. She continued to stare. With a pained sigh, she let her mind wander to earlier that day.

The day it all went wrong.

Pumping an excited fist in the air she spoke loudly so she could be heard over the music. “Udeme, I’m having so much fun!” Annie wondered why her elder brother Murray had warned her off him, he seemed like such a cool guy. She checked her wristwatch. It was a few minutes to seven. Emptying her glass of chapman, she reached for her purse and made to stand while talking “Udeme, its getting late. I have to start going back to campus, my bestie’s group is presenting tomorrow, I want to give her emotional support.” She giggled. He reached for her. “Come on girl, relax, you just got here. We haven’t seen in like 2 years. Relax.” He nudged her back into a sitting position. “You know what? Come up with me to my room, I want to show you something. Do me a favor and I’d have my cab guy drop you at your doorstep.” She raised an eyebrow and gave him a cynic stare. “Yeah right, Udeme I’m not that type of girl biko, let me be on my way and FYI if it’s the same cab guy that brought me here, I chatted with him while coming he told me he was closing for the day.” He finished his drink. Signaled for the bartender to bring the bill and hopped off his stool. “Come on Annie, don’t be like that. Your brother is my very good friend. Do you think I’d do anything to hurt his little sister? I am checking out of the room today I want to pack my stuff and move to GRA please, please come with me?” he pouted and batted his lashes at her. She laughed. “okay, lets go.” “great!” he dropped some Naira notes on the table shook his head at the bartender to forget about the change and lead her towards the rooms. Reaching his apartment, he used the keycard and stepped back to let her pass. He swirled around in the middle of the room and spread his arms above his head in an eagle like fashion. “nice?” she clutched the strap of her bag tighter and spoke in a whisper. She was anxious. “Udeme pack up your things quickly please. Its getting late.” He picked up his phone. “I’m calling the cab guy okay?” “okay.” She let out a sigh of relief while he spoke to the cab guy. “oya talk to my friend, she no believe say you dey come.” He handed her the phone. The cab guy assured her he’d be with them shortly and was going to drop her on campus then disconnected the call. She handed his phone back to him. Not liking her pensive mood he stepped back and pouted. “oya smile na.” she chuckled. “That’s better.” He put a parcel aside as he packed. When he was done he zipped his duffel bag closed, picked up the parcel and walked towards her. “This is the favor I want from you.” He pushed the parcel into her hand. “This is the first on my designs, I want you to try it on.” She unwrapped the parcel and was amazed by the sight before her. “wow, its –its beautiful, wow.” She traced her fingers along the pattern. He smiled. “go, on, try it on.” She blinked. “here?” “the bathroom is through that door.” She hesitated. “Erm Udeme?” “Annie please now?” she shrugged. “Oh okay.” She padded to the bathroom making sure to bolt the door behind her. Putting on the dress, she let out an amazed gasp. It was beautiful. The design was like something an Egyptian queen would wear, it enhanced her figure and the finishing was flawless. The back of the dress was something else though the cut was too deep, she could almost see her panties. Udeme knocked on the door. “Annie, the cab is here”. Come out. “Okay, let me change back into my clothes.” “No time for that, put your clothes in the parcel you’d change when you get to your room and give him the dress to bring for me.” “Uh okay.” Grabbing her clothes, she unlocked the door, purse and parcel in hand and hurried to catch up. Udeme’s jaw dropped open. “Annie f*ck you are beautiful.” She blushed. “Thank you. Oya lets be going.”

... to be continued