EUREKA MOMENTS OF DA SCRIBE

The Future is FAME

2011-12-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

So a little while back i'm watching Fame, the 2009 remake of the 80's classic. If you've never heard about either one, Fame is a movie that chronicles the life of seven different young people admitted into the New York School of Performing Arts . They include a drama student Doris that wants to act on the stage and screen., another drama student Ralph that just wants to be on the stage. Coco that wants a career in drama music and dance.Leroy who longs to be a dancer. Montgomery that wants to be a word famous actor. Bruno a music student and Lisa another dance student. We also follow their teachers and everything they go through in the four years that they journey through the school. Some of them go on to achieve their dreams due to talent resilience and skill development and it doesn't work out so well for some others.

That movie also reminded me of Backstage , a South African tv show also about a performance arts academy and the trials of the students who often learn that it takes more than just talent to make it in the creative and entertainment industries.

This got me thinking seriously that there is the need for a performance arts academy in Nigeria. Performance Academy both at the secondary level and the tertiary level.

With the growth of the movie industry there is a need to feed it with new talent, who have crafted that talent into skill. Currently when an audition is called for there a lot of walk ins People without any training or any acting experience that just want to be famous. A lot of people like this are cast everyday in home video productions and it leads to disaster on the screen. Now granted people can have ambitions it's great when happens that a diamond in the rough is discovered. However we have to remember that a movie is like a chain, and the actors are meant to be one of the strongest links, cos even with a great director and out of this world cinematography, and £100m budget, if the acting link is weak,the house of cards falls.

Acting is a profession and it should be treated as such and not just a hobby people just jump into, or means to satisfy the hunger for being in the spotlight. Kids that want to be doctors go to medical school. Aspiring lawyers to to Law School, why can't aspiring actors put themselves through the same ropes to achieve their dreams?

I've been fortunate to work on two seasons of a talent show and in traveling across the country i could see the hunger in the eyes of young Nigerians to become actors, singers and dancers. Some should consider an alternative career but for many those that have the X-factor, they need a place that they can attend to harness those talents, a school where they can receive the proper training and go on to become the next Fela, Lagbaja , Onyeka Owenu ,Chiwetal Ejiofor. David Oyelowo,Nonso Anozie. Nigerian, both home bred and Western raised who are globally recognized for their various talents. And I'm not just talking some place where they have 6 weeks of classes,taught by someone that can't act in the first place and are dubbed actors.

Instead of spending four years studying a "safe" and professional degree which would make them just another corporate zombie. They could upon finishing secondary school be admitted into this academy. For narration sake let's call it the Lagos School of Performing Arts(LSPA). The same way a student would write JAMB or SAT to seek admission into the University, these talented kids would audition to enter the Academy and they will be admitted based on merit into a degree course and like any of their other colleagues in a regular University, come out at the end of four years with a Bachelor's degree. We have private universities started to educate professionals in other industries don't we ? Just think what a Performing Arts school could do for the Creative and Cultural Industries.

Now lets say three students seek admission into LSPA. Bola who wants to be an actor. Chioma who wants to become a dancer and Uwem who wants to become a composer. They all audition and successfully get admitted and they begin their journey for the next four years into the creative arts, harnessing their talent and developing it into a craft. Upon graduation they all seek work in their various talents.

Upon graduation they all begin their forte into the creative industries. Bola goes straight away and auditions for tv shows and movies and soon lands work on a soap, where his ability stands out from everyone else who had no training, He knows all the techniques Meisner,Method, Character,Improvisation, he knows how to wield them like a skilled pianist in a concert. This standout ability from everyone else that entered through, "i sabi person there", just being eye candy. His performance on the soap catches the eyes of Writer/Director Kenneth Alli an NFI and NYFA graduate making his feature debut after a string of successful short films an documentaries and is looking for a fresh face. It turnout out to be a breakout role for the actor and a smash hit for the director.The two form an alliance similar to Scorcese and Deniro, and go on to make many more stunning films. Did i forget to mention that Uwem scored that first film,based on Bola's referral and people could just not get the sounds out of their heads. Uwem had been making original scores and music for the theater, radio and advertisements and the movie project was just what he needed to fully show his capability.

Chioma the dancer gained popularity in her neighborhood when she taught a couple of high school girls some great moves for their Press Show. At that press show is a music video director that needs a dancer and choreographer . She does and that leads to a score of music videos which she dances in and choreographs. Soon there is a higher demand for her and she opens a dance studio. It's a gigantic hit and aspiring dancers from all over the world come to learn from her. A producer is making a talent show and he needs a Judge for the hopefuls & mentor for the finalists He asks his teenage daughter who the hottest dancer is in the country is and Chioma is mentioned. He tracks her down and hires her as a judge on the show, which becomes a monster hit and sells on CD. He also goes on to become a long time collaborator of Kenneth's and becomes one of the most demanded composers for stage and screen.

Now that's a nice neat scenario and it doesn't always happen that way. Some people remain in the doldrums of obscurity for the rest of their career, some never make it and give up finding something else more secure. But some do make it through all the rejections and the gigs way below their talent and training, and eventually they make it. They become stars in their own home and some even gain global recognition.

Having sat through numerous auditions ranging from sitcoms, dramas and movies, my discovery is that 9 out 10 auditionees have no training They've never taken a course, a class or any form of training on a professional or amateur level. They just heard about an audition, have an aspiration to act and show up. and they already define themselves as "im an actor", even though from their audition is it evident that they don't know the first thing about acting or capability to convincingly deliver a line. Let's not even talk about finding a connection with the character or their motivations. How is a director meant to work with people that wake up one morning and decide "im an actor" just cos of the desire for fame? It does not apply to engineering . law or medicine,so why should acting be taken any less seriously?

Now there are some people who have the natural talent and they build it up along the way but there is still a need for training. Even naturally great writers have an editor that helps them polish up what they produce. Musicians still have voice coaches and producers to help them perfect what they have. Many of the best actors in the world today either went to a school of performing arts. Cut their teeth in the theatre or started acting right from their pre-teen days.Putting on shows for their friend and family. Going on to act in school plays and then enrolling in a performing arts school, a theatre program or skipping the academia and touring with a theatre troupe, learning the ropes hands on. Just like an apprentice would from a master.

Grammy wining performer the late Amy Winehouse had the natural talent , and that talent was enhanced by attending first the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School and then the famous Sylvia Young Theatre school .The school also produced a variety of performers such as Singer/Actress Billie Piper, All Saints group members Nicole and Natalie Appleton,actor Ashley Walters(Bullet Boy) na d numerous others in the British music and television industry. Alongside their training they received their GSCE, which was a pretty good deal if they decided to go an get a degree in something else.

Perhaps the most prestigious and well known performance arts academy is Julliard, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. Founded in 1905 it trains about 800 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama and music. Founded as the Institute of Music Arts because there was no Music school in the US and too many students were going to Europe. Sound familiar? The school offers various programs and degrees . Bachelor of Fine Arts or a diploma. Bachelor of Music .Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts. Know who graduated from Julliard? Here's just a few of them Christopher Reeves,(Superman),Ving Rhames(Pulp Fiction,Mission Impossible),Kevin Spacey(The Usual Suspects,American Beauty),Bradley Whitford(The West Wing), Robin Williams(Flubber,Hook),Anthony Mackie(Adjustment Bureau,Notorious),James Marsters(Buffy,Smallville),Steve Guttenberg(Short Circuit,Three men & a baby),Marcia Cross(Desperate Housewives,Melrose Place),Val Kilmer(The Saint, Tombstone, Heat) and those are just from the dance and drama department. I'd list the music department alumni but it be moot at this point. .....Ok, i'll mention two. Remember the pink panther theme? Yeah, that one.The composer Henry Mancini is a Julliard graduate. Also remember the Star Wars and Superman themes, John Williams , also a product of Julliard. Im sure the picture is painted very clearly now.

On mentioning this topic on Twitter it started an interesting debate , and the case for "natural talent" was presented. It' was stated that some people don't have to get training because they have natural talent. But i disagree, even with natural talent there is still a need for professional training. Many people have a natural talent for design, whether it be cars,or buildings. but Toyota or a Housing company wouldn't just hire them based on natural talent without any formal training in ALL that is required in safely and properly designing a car or building. Taking it further and out of the world of the arts. In sports there are many people born with talent, people like Usian Bolt, Tiger Woods, David Beckham,The Williams sisters were all talented in their various disciplines at young ages. Upon noticing this budding talent their parents took them to coaches and schools where they were trained and their raw talent transformed into professional skill. They just didn't become champions and professional athletes based on raw talent alone they went through years of grueling training to refine themselves from ambitious kids to trained professionals. Even as trophy winners and world class athletes, this athletes have coaches till this date. Just ask yourself, what would the Premier League,NBA,Olympics be like if all the athletes were admitted based on raw talent alone?

For the Film industry to rise to the next level and take prominence on the global stage, we need more people actually trained in the creative arts, as a profession, rather than just it being filled with people that stumble into it. We would see better written scripts, greater performances, directors that take us on phenomenal journeys. Cinematographers that paint with light and show us amazing moving pictures. We'd have more people dedicated to their performance, doing the necessary leg work it takes to portray their roles. These are the disciplines that would have been ingrained in them while in school. We don't treated our Medical,Law,Engineering or any other profession with such nonchalance , i think it's time we gave the same respect to the Film Industry.

THE CINEPHILE CHRONICLES- THE WHAT'S AN "AFRICAN STORY" RANT??

2011-07-13T05:01:00.000-07:00

I'm a Cinephile, phewwww, there , i said it. i LOVE movies, there are few other things i love more than a great movie. In addition to that i'm a film maker myself , so talking shop about movies , the movies i'd love to make,the one's i wish i had made and the directors i admire is one of my favorite past times and something i often find myself doing when i get with fellow cinephiles.

When i express the desire to make certain genre specific films , with stylized dialogue, pop culture references, every once in a while i'll get some Afrocentric Malcom X type that says As an African, you need to tell "African" stories, tell "our stories/culture". This has increasingly begun to get me peeved.Why, because it presupposes that there is something specific that is an African story.

What exactly is an African story, and why should i be restricted to this? Should creativity or artistic expression be limited to your genetic code, culture or geographical settings? Is an Artist born in France only limited to drawing the Eiffel Tower, Croissants,Stripped shirts and Marie Antoinette. Is a German writer bound to only write about WW2, German engineering and skinheads.

It reminds me of a time a friend was mad at MTV Base when it first came out. Mad at their assumption that because we were African we only listened to Hip Hop and R&B ,and therefore they never showed any Rock or Alternative music.Should creativity be limited only to what one has experienced or sees around them? If so, George Lucas had stuck to this "your culture" babble he would never have created the Star Wars franchise, there would be no Superman, Lord of the Rings, He Man, Robocop or any story beyond human experience

So what is the definition of an African Story? Is it one set in Africa? Is it one that tells of a historic event or historical figures. Is it something that puts African traditions and culture on display? Is it one that involves out fore fathers , mythology and superstitions?

Is it one from South Africa ,Kenya , Nigeria or Sudan. If there is an African Story is there also a European story, that British,French,Italian, Russian film makers have in mind and should tell?

Is the African story that which Hollywood has portrayed in films like Amistad, The God's must be Crazy , I dream of Africa. Those films that give westerners the idea that we all run around in loin cloth chasing wild animals and retreating to out huts. Or is it those War child,Famine,poverty, martyr boring 'African' movies that win at festivals but you wouldn't want to watch at the cinema even if they gave you a free ticket , pop corn and a massage. I suppose Native American film makers should only make films about Tepees, Totem poles,Peace pipes, performing rain dances and being chased by cowboys.

When you talk with some people about making a film.You get excited , cos it's inspired by a classic, it has stylized dialogue, great sequences and enough pop culture references to blow QT's and Kevin Smith's collective load. They start to push , an African Story agenda on you. "That's not African,you have to make an African Movie". You have to make something bus drivers, area boys and people in the village can enjoy. By the time they are done, they have watered down every creative juice from your idea and it is a bland,dull semblance of it's former self. An emaciated version which you'd cross the street to avoid.

But let's really take a look at this from a Global point of view. Tarantino has Italian roots, Guillermo Del Toro has Hispanic roots,Hitchcock was British and Truffat was French, all great directors from diverse cultures.But you never see any of them , making films that say "hey , look at me, this is my culture.And i hardly think when picking projects , any of them thought, "Hmmmm. Let me tell them, my Italian,Hispanic,British or French story". Nor do the fans, go to the cinema thinking,"i want to see a European story".

I, like many others grew up reading books by foreign authors like Enid Blyton, Roahld Dahl, Judy Blume ,Alan Ahlberg,Dr Seuss etc Not for a second did i read the back of the book and say ,"Huh, that's a good British/Swedish story, let me read it". The one and only thing that drew me were the story, the plot and the reading pleasure i perceived I'd get from reading them.

Also as a cinephile i love a wide range of movies. From the works of Frank Capra to Hitchcock to Woody Allen to Guy Ritchie etc . They make great movies, which you can enjoy regardless how different your culture is from theirs. It never feels like you are being schooled on their culture. The engaging story with interesting characters is what grabs the viewers attention, and if we learn something new about another culture , that's great.

Now, there are specific films that are like constant exposition of a certain culture, which still manage to be entertaining . Usually stories involving ; Culture clash, e.g An Indian girl growing up in England wants to play football much to her parents chagrin . A wedding eg A Greek Girl marries outside her culture and the groom learns how bizarre their traditions could be. Fish out of Water stories do this quite well.

If say, someone chose to adapt Chimanda Adiche's book 'Half of a Yellow Sun' for the big screen, THAT would be a good telling of the Biafran Story, not only will it cover a significant aspect of history, but many traditions and cultures of the characters involved. Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart was a brilliant African story, the key word being STORY. It was a human story that happened to be set in Africa, and that is why it did so well. The events could have happened half away across the world ,granted a few changes here and there,but it was the human story, and not the African story that captured our attention.

Like in mythology, it's the construction of the stories and the characters that capture us, and not necessarily their geographical location. For example, Shongo is a mythological god of thunder in Nigeria, but all the way over in Scandinavia , they have Thor, in Greece it's Zeus in Roman mythology it's Jupiter. Some could surmise that it's all the same character seen from different cultural perspectives. Now, their geographical locations will affect the cultures they come from, and there is where the culture is put on display.

For example,if we properly wanted to tell a story "our story" distinct from a Western story, with elements of our culture;let's take a coming of age story, with characters , say 12 years old boys.

They skip going to after summer tutorials(lesson) to instead go shoot at lizards with catapults, throw sticks at fruit trees in a crazy neighbors house, and get chased, a general day of adventure and exploration.They are pre teen boys morphing into adolescence and developing new interests, and we see how it affects their friendship, as some mature faster than others. Wrap all those element around the story of one of the boys dealing with his father's conflict with the extended family over his turning down of a Chieftancy title that could make them all rich because of it's clash with his "western" religious beliefs, BOOM, there's a story.

And things along those lines.

Many "African" films that manage to make it to film festivals , are , stating it bluntly, DULL . They may have great cinematography and performances,but ‎are more effective as Valium than entertainment, and won't be flying off DVD rental shelves anytime soon. And personally, even the African American films,with themes that shout "i am black, hear me roar"."We are black here's how we are oppressed". Let's put sentiment aside,i find them exhausting,a bit depressing and have not desire to watch them.

If instead of setting out to tell a good story, you want to force feed er sorry, i mean educated people on "this is my culture check us out" , you might as well go and make a documentaries for National Geographic and The History Channel.

Now don't get it twisted, there are stories that need to be told. Historical events, both from the immediate past and from yesteryear. Figures in our nation that need biopics made about them. Dark stories of keeping traditions that need to be brought to light so they are eradicated, it's not all about escapology. But, that all depends on the interest of the story teller. Directing is often equated to getting married, If one is not totally passionate about it, there is no point. There is a reason Michael Bay makes different type of movies from Michael Moore, or Kevin Smith from Paul Greengrass. So i am not totally opposed to telling stories that inform both the world and upcoming generations ,who we are and where we are coming from. But back to the case at hand

We need to tell a great human story that captures the emotion,and imagination. Whether it be to make one laugh, cry, shout or sit down and reflect, should be the most important agenda. Tell an engaging story with fascinating characters FIRST and then, the location,nuances, idiosyncrasies, slang and speech patterns and world view of your characters will represent their culture, THEN you have your African Story. KAPISH.

CONFESSIONS OF A MEDIA BRAT

2011-07-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

Some people talk about being an Army Brat;a child of a career soldier esp one who has lived in various places as a result of military transfer ,but i on the other hand, am a Media Brat.

In my twenty some art years i consumed a dosage of NTA, VHS recordings of Fun Factory ,The Discovery,History and National Geographic channels, Channel O,TNT(before becoming TCM),Cartoon Network. Insomnia ridden nights were occupied by reading the Britannica. I started reading Sidney Sheldon and Jefferey Archer novels at as young as 14, a long way off from my Roahld Dahl,Judy Blume and Enid Blyton days. If this was an interstellar journey, you can call me Jean Luc Picard.

In recent times I find that in the excitement of conversation the other party gets lost in translation as I unleash a constant barrage of pop culture references. If they ask me “what are you doing tomorrow night” and I reply in a devious tone “same thing I do every night ……” when something works out I say “I love it when a plan comes together” . If on a journey and i am asked the correct road, a smug reply of “Roads! Where we’re going , we don’t need ,roads”.

When a friend is being elusive, I talk about going Woodward &Bernstein on them. If they flaunt their skills of deductive skills I may give a “Well done Sherlock” or “Way to go Nancy Drew” naturally, dependent on plumbing. A reference to a good friend may land a “Kimosabi”,and bewilderment can conjure a “whatcha talking bout Willis”. When a female storms out incited by an action or statement of mine a grinning “she wants me” in the best Elvis voice one could muster(not that it happens).

Naturally, the very best is , in the prediction of conflict produces “going to the mattresses”, and negotiation brings on “make him an offer he can’t refuse” A person that manages to display real genius is Dexter or better yet Einstein.

When confounded I want to exclaim, ” Great Scots” or "Billions of Blistering barnacles”, but that one rarely, if ever ,comes out. Houdini, for those that manage to untangle themselves from the most awkward of situations or you might remind a mouthy individual about the curious case Jimmy Hoffa, don’t know who he is ! EXACTLY.

If you are lost right now,and you have no idea what I am on about,you are probably an alien to the immersion and invasion of dialog, by the almighty frequency that is, pop culture . Either that or pop culture is a third language that you grasp little snippets of before having to sift through the onslaught and halt the slugger for a slower pitch. As a child of the 80′s that ‘teened’ in the 90′s, where sitcoms crafted the shuffling contradiction of cognitive dissonance known as my mind, it was a GREAT time to be young, being raised by the neighbors on Sesame Street, playing with the odd kids that lived at Fraggle Rock, as Mr Rogers tried to tell you a story, childhood was blissful.

Certain times, in the middle of nowhere, I can crack up or chuckle at a random nostalgic memory that spins by like a game of Russian roulette . It could be a scene from Fred Quimby's Tom&Jerry which I had a preference to, over the less aesthetic Chuck Jones animation . Or I switch into the voice of Peter Lorre’s bug eyed scientist, whose inquiry's are followed by disturbing maniacal laugh I find amusing.

A popular one I have used in recent times is “i’m coming down with Bamboo Fever”,a little throwback remix to the early work of Spike Lee, i had to proceed to explain the part of the world where Bamboo comes from and it’s replacement of the original word.

An overtly curious female might be April O Neil, or the more popular Lois Lane(the old movies). Two good friends(guys) Tango &Cash or Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid(Billy). Aldrich Ames who is considered the Judas Iscariot of American Intelligence , can be the dude that runs his mouth on his boys, just to get the ladies in a frenzy, might end up like Tessio, and no “for old times sake” would get him out of that one.

I may sign off a conversation with “here’s looking at you kid” ,comment on an exciting new acquaintance by “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship” or fantasize about dramatically storming off, exiting with the classic “frankly my dear I don’t give a damn”.

A random, “have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?” might freak out the receiver, which precisely illustrates “what we have here,is failure, to communicate”. In recent times,it has been as welcome, as suggesting “Mien Kampf” as a Barmitzpha gift that coincides with Yom Kippur.

Just like the time I was chatting online with a female friend and went , “What’s new pussy cat?” I could almost feel the “shoryuken” come through the IM, before explaining it being the title of a classic song,which i used as an inquiry of her state of well being . Luckily it was not the case of a Bunny Boiler.

As a media brat, you notice the allusions paid to your favorite cinematic pieces . Like the TV series Prison Break, and it’s numerous allusions to The Shawshank Redemption, or noticing how similar JJ Abrahams’ Alias, is ,to earlier 90′s series ,La Femme Nikita, with Peta Wilson. The recent movie Wolverine, for a regular person, it’s awesome. However, for comic fans, and what was done to the characters ,it felt like dropping the soap at..well Shawshank. Regarding the Tarantino flick, Inglorious Basterds is a throwback to the classic men on a mission days of Dirty Dozen/Where Eagles Dare, two great films.

Being a media brat has it’s odd points, like being the only one to get an inside joke or retort heard on a tv show or movie, that no one else in the room gets, and as you roar in laughter, your friends give you the silent “i hope you are ok ” stare. Or making a reference regarding a particular situation, as i did recently on, “pulling a Ferris Bueller”, and almost getting one of those, blinking clueless stares you see and hear so dramatically in cartoons.

The most basic one , which the vast majority are familiar with, is the CSI mode to something fishy with the term “something is rotten in the state of Denmark”, if they are still puzzled, That is an indicator for plain reference and allusion free english being the modus operandi.

So, now in thought process,I shift gears into Defcon 1, when not speaking to a

Book worm+film geek+babysat by telly =Media Brat ,

I have to scream “book em danno” at the mental SWAT, who make a pre emptive strike,so i don’t deliver a pre mature “Fatality” to conversations, through thoughts that try to pull a Houdini.

So whether it’s breaking down in the courtyard after submitting final thesis screaming FREEEEEEEEDOMMMMM . Screaming “Are you not entertained” to the seething mob after defeating the school bully. Hissing back “you can’t handle the truth” at those odd questions women like to ask, but really don’t want (or like) the real answer eg Is that woman prettier than me? Do i look fat in this?

I am and for the foreseeable future , will be, a media brat, Analyze That.

there was a girl i used to know

2011-07-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

There’s just “something about you”
that seemed like you just stepped off a cloud from mount Olympus
cos, you are my cocoa butter amazon princess
some may say, it’s a “bitter sweet symphony”
or even “virtual insanity” that i consider you my “sweetest taboo”.
Sometimes i ask myself “are you that somebody’”
and as much as i try to deny it
I’ve got you “under my skin” ,
your presence makes me feel like i can “fly like an eagle”
further denial causes me “trouble sleeping”
cause im “so into you”
Your aura alone “knocks me off my feet”
and if it were FaceBook, our status would be called “half crazy”
but i have to give my “confession”
“every little thing” i do, you’re on my mind
yet you say i’m “just a friend”
My attempt at “breakin the habit” has failed “each time”,
and “it’s alright”, even though sometimes it feels like you “pushin me away”
“i aint mad atcha”
cos, you inspire my “ascension” to higher heights,
and in my mind there’s “no doubt”
that “if i ever” fall she’d be “someone like you”

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

2011-07-06T06:38:00.000-07:00

THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A SHORT STORY I WROTE YEARS AGO, STRAIGHT FROM THE ARCHIVES ,PLEASE CHECK IT OUT .

Sesan Davies was arrested for murder in the first degree. The neighbors were horrified at what had just taken place in their neighborhood, it was going to affect the real estate prices .The news of her death spread through the papers, the Headlines read ; MAN KILLS LOVER IN THE HEAT OF PASSION, LOVERS NIGHT ENDS IN MURDER

The fact that she was having an adulterous affair made the story even hotter .It was in the talk shows and for a while all the attention of the media was on it .The husband was said to be out of the country, and unavailable for comment. The trail was to come up, the prosecuting lawyer was Dele Thompson a hot shot lawyer, that had a good career.

From his prison cell Davies maintained that he was innocent .The anxiety for the trail was building up. The country was affected by it, those women having affairs began backing out fearing such a fate happening to them. Radio stations had a number where people could call in to give their opinion about the upcoming case. Many people called in saying he should get the chair; others said the lethal injection.

Most others said that they should lock him up and throw away the key. Davies lawyer Yemi Adedeji invited the press in an attempt to counter act the negative press his client was getting. “My client is innocent and all the evidence him is plainly circumstantial and this trail shall prove that” The case finally came up a few months after the incident .

The judge didn’t want the press in his court because of the publicity the case had been getting, and so the press waited outside for anything they could get. The jury had been carefully chosen from very young people, to middle aged to pensioners from all walks of life. The were not to listen to news concerning the case or talk about the case outside the court. They were going to be well taken for the duration of the case. Word going round was that it was an open and shut case. The commotion in the courtroom, the few people that were privileged to be in the court room discussed. The judge had a change of heart and had allowed a few members of the press inside, provided they didn’t take pictures while the trail took place.

The defendant was escorted in by his lawyer and a uniformed officer. People whispered as the handsome young man walked in dressed in a pin stripped expensive suit. In walked a face no one knew, a young man that looked like he was in his thirties ,had the handsome look of an actor from the 40’s, sort of like an ebony combination of Cary Grant & Clark Gable. He walked towards the desk to the right of where the defense team was sitting, and he sat down placing his briefcase on the table.

People started to talk wondering who this was ,and where Dele Thomson was.
The bailiff walked in with a file under his arm and announced “All rise” The court were on their feet “His honor Judge Bola Soyinka is presiding” The judge walked in and sat down, the court followed Case 90125, the State versus Sesan Davies, in the murder of Mrs. Tracy Martins. He handed the file to the judge.

Will the defendant please rise, the judge said speaking for the first time Davies and his lawyer rose up “What shall ye plea ?” We plead not guilty your honor The judge up on his podium peered over his glasses at the prosecuting lawyer He noticed this say, “Who are you sir?” ,he said because he knew Thompson ‘Good morning your honor’ ‘What’s good about the morning a man is here on trail for murder’ “I’m here standing in place of Mr Thompson who is unavailable for the case

“That still doesn’t tell me who you are” “I’m Seun King, your honor Mr Thompson had me take the case when he realized that he couldn’t be here” “Would you require a recess to prepare for the case?” “Thank you your honor, but that won’t be necessary I’ve been briefed” he went back and took his seat. The gavel came down
“Court is in session” Mr Adedeji would you like to give your opening statement.
“Thank you your honor”. He walked unto the floor and paced . My client ,Mr. Sesan Davies he said pointing him “is here accused of murder,

We will during the process of this trail, see why this accusation is ludicrous, not only is my client innocent, but he’s been framed for a crime that he did not commit he went back to his seat. “Your witness” he said. “Well it ain’t whistling Dixie” ,muttered King under his breath “Mr. King” prompted the judge.

He stood up and took the floor. “You all just heard , the defense giving a statement, and I quote not only is his client innocent but he’s been framed for a crime he didn’t commit. Is the defendant Roger Rabbit that someone would frame him for a crime . Did the big bad wolf come to Mrs. Martins residence and kill her? As this trail proceeds I’ll show the court , undeniable, irrefutable evidence that implicates Mr. Davies of the crime he’s accused of”.

He returned to his seat “The Defense calls Mrs. Sharon Silva to the stand”. The witness came up ,she was an attractive young lady in her twenties ,like one of those girls guys drool over in music videos. She wore a plaited skirt with a jacket to match , the bailiff came up to her with a Bible asking her to place her left hand on it and raise her right. “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God”?. “I do” “Ms Silva”, said Mr. Adedeji, “how do you know the defendant Mr. Davies”? “Well Sesan and I dated while we were in high school”. “And while you dated ,what kind of guy would you say he was?” “He was very sweet, always bringing me gifts, taking me to nice places”.

“So you’ll say he was a nice guy!” “Yes” “How would you describe Mr. Davies in general”? “He’s a nice , sweet guy a charmer , the kind of guy that a girl’ like to be with all the time she replied smiling ,while looking at the defendant across the room .Who returned a smug grin. King saw this starry eyed gaze, and cleared his throat to bring her back down to earth. “I’ll soon wipe that smug off your face, lover boy ,he thought.

“So you’d call him a gentleman?” “Yes” “Thank you Ms Silva, No more questions your honor”, he returned to his seat and King stood up and approached the witness “Mrs. Silva” “Ms Silva” she said in a correcting tone

“Sorry, Ms Silva, for how long were you and the defendant, Mr. Davies ,in a relationship?” “A year and a half” she replied confidently “Wow a year and a half, that’s quite a long time, so you must have gotten to know him quite well, didn’t you?” “Very well” “And in the period of your relationship, Did you and Mr. Davies ever argue?” “Sure we did” she answered shrugging her shoulders, “all couples do” “Sure they do, but did Mr. Davies ever hit you during any one of your arguments?” “No he didn’t, he’d never hurt anyone” “Oh really Ms Silva” He walked to his desk and brought out a file from his briefcase, he walked back

“Your honor here I have a hospital report that states Ms Silva been brought in her massive bruises to the face, and a broken wrist. Let me see that said the judge he was handed the report .The confident smug expression was gone, and he whispered to his lawyer. ”It wasn’t his fault, It was all my fault” “ The witness will restrain her self and will only speak when answering questions”, he said in a reprimanding tone” He handed it back. “No more questions your honor”, he returned to his seat. The defense didn’t look too happy. The witness may step down from the box, she stepped down feeling quite disappointed in her testimony, her eyes met with Davies ,and she looked like she was going to burst into tears .

“The defense calls it’s next witness Ms Stella Raymond” The bailiff swore her in. She was a middle aged woman that was looking quite younger than her years, she adjusted her skirt as she sat in the witness book ,as if she felt some freshman was trying to look up it. “Ms Raymond what is your relationship with Mr. Davies?” I was his the guidance counselor at his high school. “During that period you had several discussions with Mr. Davies didn’t you?”. “Yes I did” “How would you describe him”? “He was a young man that talked about the kind of future he wanted”
“And what kind of future was that?”

“One that he’d be able to relax in a house with a big backyard, where he could have barbecues with his family and watch his kids play. He said he’d like to own a family restaurant, one that he and his wife would run and eventually hand over to their kids, when retiring .It always brought a smile to his face”. “And did you come across many students like that during your time in the school?”.

“No, many of them wanted to just party a lot of them wanted to avoid responsibility”.
“So you would say he was one of those students of a sound mind and focus?”.
“Objection your honor, the witness is a guidance counselor, and not a psychiatrist; she is not in the position to answer that question. “Objection overruled” Adedeji sighed with relief “Ms Raymond ,what can you say about Mr. Davies?”

“He’s a very intelligent young man and he can do anything that he puts his mind to” “Thank you Ms Raymond, no more questions your honor” King rose from his seat as Adedeji took his “Where do you currently work Ms Raymond?” “Diamond Alliance Insurance firm, I’m a personnel officer” “Ms Raymond, where did you work before the high school where you met the defendant?”. “I worked at a youth center in another state”. “And why did you leave that employment?”. “I didn’t like the place it was too hot, so I moved to a cooler climate, she said grinning”. The court chuckled , Order ,yelled the judge bringing he gavel down repeatedly “Are you sure you don’t want to change that statement Ms Raymond?”. “No, I’m quite sure” “Do you know a Dr Edozie?” She shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

“No”.

“No! Let me refresh your memory” he said picking up a file and reading from it “Stella Raymond diagnosed with Nymphomia Addictium. Patient is addicted to sex and has an intense craving for it. Psychological treatment advised”, he stopped reading .He held up the file for all too see ”This is a psychological evaluation of Ms Raymond by Dr Charles Eberechi for the youth center she worked in, after she was found quote “infran grante delicto” with one of the young persons she was counseling. Isn’t that the real reason you left the youth center, Ms Raymond”? She was shaken, her past had come back to haunt her “Need I tell you, need I remind you Ms Raymond, that you are under oath” “Yes it is”.

“Did you or did you not have a sexual relationship with Mr Davies which led to your discharge from his high school?”. “Objection your honor, the prosecution is badgering the witness’. “Sustained,Mr King, you will refrain from asking questions that are not directly related to this case, the jury will disregard the question”. It was too late the damage was already done.

“No more questions your honor” The defense was stark faced, two of his witnesses have been shot down and discredited. It was too early in the case to be having such luck The prosecution calls Mr. Fred Agbaje The witness a chubby balding man in his fifties was sworn in “Mr. Agbaje tell the court what you do” “I own a restaurant on Kole Adeshina street, Mrs. Davies used to come there” “Do you know that man?” he asked pointing at the defendant “Yes, sir I do, he and Mrs. Davies started to come in together on a regular basis a few months ago”. “Is there anything you want to tell the court about Mr. Davies”? “Yes sir, about two weeks ago when he and Mrs. Martins came in he became angry and violent after he saw Mrs. Martins looking at another man.’ “When you say angry and violent, tell us exactly what you mean?”.

”Well, he got very angry and wanted to start a fight with the man he then dragged her into the car.”
“Then what happened, did they drive off ? ” “No, not immediately, they argued in the car and then he hit her”.

“Thank you sir, no more questions your honor” “Does the defense have any questions for this witness?”, asked the judge “The defense has no questions for this witness”. The Attorney and his client had the unspoken look of loss in their eyes The case was turning to a nightmare; he couldn’t believe the luck he was having. The prosecution was just killing every rabbit he could pull from his hat, and he was beginning to run out of options. He was dreading what was going to happen next.

“The prosecution calls it’s next witness, Dr Osaki Braide” A middle aged man in a Yetunde Phillips two piece suit ,walked up to the witness stand.
He was a respectable looking man, and from the Harry Fernandez watch he was wearing was doing quite well to do in his chosen profession. He was sworn in by the bailiff. “Dr Braide, can you please tell the court what you do”. “Well I’m a Pathologist ,with a Ph D in Anatomy , I ‘m an expert on the structure of the human skeletal structure amongst other things .I lecture at the Lagoon University and I have a private practice off Broad Street.” “Can you please tell us how you got involved in this case?”. “ I carry out independent post mortems for the police when requested.” “And why would there be a need to carry out an independent post mortem?” I was told that it was requested by the defense, they he felt that the police were conspiring against his client.” “A conspiracy theory?” ”I guess so”. “And what were your findings doctor”? “It was discovered that the victim died of a broken neck, there were also serious lacerations on her throat, which would indicate, that she was also being strangled.” “And what kind of force would it take to cause some one’s neck to snap?” “A reasonable amount of force, it’d take someone quite strong to do that” “Doctor, is there any evidence that links the defendant ,Mr. Davies, he said pointing at the defendant ,who had an expression like his hand had just been caught in the cookie jar, to the victim’s death” A cotton swab was taken from the victims genital area, and some semen was found. It was analyzed and the DNA was an exact match to that of the defendant’s sample that was taken when the investigation was going on” “Was there any indication that anybody else had sexual contact with the victim”. “No there wasn’t “Thank you Doctor ,no more questions your honor ,he returned to his seat.

Peering over his glasses the Judge asked, “Does the defense have any questions? “No your honor ,no questions” Over the next few hours, the prosecution tore down every witness that the defense could bring up.

They presented evidence that proved Davies violent past, and his early involvement in crime. Forensic evidence showed that, the defendant had last sexual contact with the witness, and that the marks around her throat had the witness marks all over it. The evidence against him was outstanding; he was found at the scene of the crime and was the only one that was seen entering the house, with the exception of the deceased.

The defendant gave his own story and held his claim of innocence stating that she was already dead when he got there. The counsels were asked to give their closing statement. The defense knew he had lost and in an attempt to save his client he made an pathetic emotional statement ,all he could do was to pray for some sort of miracle . They waited in anticipation to hear what this Prosecutor that had performed so brilliantly would say.

He stepped up to the floor pacing, everyone waiting with bated breath “Ladies And Gentlemen of the jury, over the past few hours we’ve heard accounts of witnesses. They have come here to give us evidence, concerning the character and past of Mr. Davies.

As was revealed during the course of this case, we’ve seen that Mr. Davies certainly has a way with the ladies. He was able to charm his way into the heart of a married woman. We’ve also seen that he got an early start in crime; attempted rape, assault, armed robbery and now his latest murder. Do we believe the story of a sex addict, that had relations with him, when she says he had a focus and future .Do we believe a woman that still defended this man after he brutalized her and made her a constant visitor to the casualty ward ?

The evidence mounted him some say is circumstantial. However, do I need to remind the court of the testimony of the coroner that showed Mr. Davies had sexual contact with the deceased, and was found naked, at the scene of the crime?

You’ve heard the testimony of an independent consultant .He’s told you that it’d take a reasonable amount of force from a strong person to break the human neck. There is no physical or genetic evidence that anyone else was in the house. There were no signs of forced entry, and the defendant himself said he had a key. There were bullets holes in the wall, which indicated that Ms Davies tried to defend herself fro ma violent lover. So, who did it? The candy man? Mr. Davies was in a con game, his victim fell in love and grew attached and he had to do something about it, so he killed her.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I hope I have been able to prove without a shadow of doubt, that the defendant is guilty of the crime that he is accused of”. He returned to his seat. “This court is in recess until the jury deliberates”. Down came the gavel .The judge walked out and as the people spilled out of the court they discussed the trail they had just witnessed .

The prosecution had left no room for doubt and the people just wondered how lenient or harsh the sentencing will be. The defense and his client refused to talk to anyone and went into a room ,where he tried to calm his client down .He had been pacing the office of his attorney and Adedeji had just convinced him to relax. The prosecution had been approached by several partners in law firms that asked him to give them a call. His pocket was full of business cards. The tension built as the jury was inside, deliberating for several hours .

The court was finally called back in for the hearing. The jury filled in and everybody tried to read their faces to see what they had decided. The court was seated and everybody waited anxiously .The bailiff walked in “All rise” They rose to their feet and the judge walked in and took his seat, and they theirs. “Mr. Foreman, Has the jury come to a decision” “Yes we have your honor” The foreman handed the paper to the bailiff who handed it to the judge ,who read it and handed it back “Will the defendant please rise” Davies and his lawyer rose. “What say ye” “We the jury, in the case of the State versus Mr. Sesan Davies in the case of the Murder of Mrs. Tracy Martins, find the defendant ……………………………..

NAIJA FILM- WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE???

2011-03-17T11:59:00.001-07:00

So, once again, Nigeria or to be more precise,Nollywood, has been stated to be the 2nd largest producer of movies in the world. It is a claim to fame ,a bragging right of many of those in the industry. They reminisce about how it was built from nothing a little over 15 years ago and look where they are now, top of the world.....in quantity, but does that also translate to quality?

How many of our films make the film festival circuits? You may argue that , most Nigerian film makers are not aware of those, or are not interested in those. Granted, but let me further go on to ask. How many are good enough to make those circuits. How many can make the cut in respect to quality, entertainment, cross over appeal? Now, the usual counter to this question is , "We don't have Hollywood budgets so you can't compare us to them". "We are a young industry so you have to give us time to grow".

Ok, those are valid arguments, but here are some equally valid arguments. Back in 1992 , a young passionate 23 year old director Robert Rodriguez with a $7,000 budget, made a film called El Mariachi. His budget was summed from money he had saved, sourced from family, friends and from donating his body for medical experiments. He had no studio support, or even a crew. All he had was his camera and his actors. He played the roles of producer,writer, director, special effect man and even caterer. His film was so impressive, that the studios bought it,transferred it to 35mm and released it in the cinema. El Mariachi went on the gross $2,040,920 and is still selling on DVD till today. That single movie launched his career, making him one of the hottest directors in the industry, with negotiating power some of his predecessors never had . He went on to make films like Desperado,From Dusk Till Dawn,Spy Kids, Sin City,and the recent Machete.

In his 20's Kevin Smith worked in small store in his neighborhood, inspired by a film called Slackers, a eureka moment struck him with an idea for a movie. With a budget of a little over $27,000 he crafted an industry defying movie called Clerks. Distributed by Miramax, Clerks became a cult favorite, spawned a sequel and a string of other movies by the director. and he became a bona fide Hollywood player who had carved his own niche by his peculiar way of writing dialogue and creating bizarre characters in films like; Clerks 2,Mallrats, Chasing Amy,Dogma, and the upcoming Red State.

The most recent triumph of low budget movie making,is a little movie called Paranormal Activity, took the world by storm in 2009. Following thematically the previous success and path of The Blair Witch project, it was made for $15,000. The final result was so good that it caught the attention of Steven Spielberg and was said to scare the living daylights out of him. Now remember this is the man that made people scared to go into the water, with his movie Jaws(1975), wrote the supernatural chiller Poltergeist, and is perhaps the world's most recognized ,respected and successful directors The innovation and creativity behind the movie is what the respect of the studios and film makers, the entertainment factor won fans, a movie that was made for $15,000, made...wait for it....$107,917,283 at the box office, yep you read that right. Do i need to cite more examples??? Are we still going to use budget excuses to justify really bad films.

There are so many amazing stories of film makers that did not allow a lack of big budget to hinder them from making ground breaking movies. The Independent film sector is full of numerous testimonials. The careers of Chris Nolan(Inception), , Paul T Anderson(There will be Blood),Richard Linklatter(School of Rock) and several others were launched that way. These directors did not have any studio funding them when they made their feature debuts. All they had was an incredible amount of passion, a dream.Family and Friends helped out with money to rent equipment. They then found a cast and crew that caught the vision and dove in. Most times taking a low or no fee, and dedicating weekends and personal time to get those films made. They saw the bigger picture and decided that they had to be a part of it. And these are just the players in America!!!!, There are also the brilliant film makers from Mexico, Latin America, and Asia to contend with. They have made amazing movies, which caught the world, and thereby put them on a larger playing field. These "third world" filmmakers face many of the similar obstacles that we in sub saharan Africa experience.

Think it's only Hollywood? Ever heard of the French New Wave? It was an era of French Film Making, that started shortly after World War 2. The country and it's economy were still recovering from Hitler's devastation, there was not a lot of money and unlike the Americans they did not have a studio system. They had little money, and instead of that factor resulting in badly made movies, it sparked an era of innovation and creativity.It has been described as an artistic movement whose influence on film has been as profound and enduring as that of surrealism or cubism on painting, the French New Wave (or Le Nouvelle Vague) made its first splashes as a movement shot through with youthful exuberance and a brisk re-invigoration of the film-making process.

Two of the pioneers directors were Jean Luc Goddard and Francois Truffat, who became highly respected not only by film fans, but by Hollywood as a whole. Their new approach , inventiveness and general reinvention of established conventions changed the game, and they influenced many upcoming screenwriters and directors. Quentin Tarantino(Inglorious Basterds,Pulp Fiction) was so influenced by them, that he named his production company after one of Goddard's films, and their influence is seen in his early films. What say ye about a Green Wave??

These examples dispel every excuse that we can possibly use about budgets. WHY, most of their budget went to film, stock that they shot on, so we can strike that cos we don't shoot on celluloid. We don't have big budgets??? Well, we do what they did, write within the budget and use innovation and creativity to craft something extraordinary. The actors fees in most Nollywood films today, exceeds the entire budget of what Chris Nolan made his first feature film. So what excuse do we still want to use 17 years later.

The biggest hurdle is the status quo. We are happy with the status quo, we are happy with the patronizing pat on the back that we get from the world because of what we "overcome" to make movies. They are only impressed that we actually get them made, but rarely if ever with what we actually make. They are impressed the same way, a parent would be impressed by their toddler making a discernible painting. So, we are the 2nd largest film producers in the world. How many of our films have been picked up for international distribution? How many fans are there outside the Afro Caribbean community and their friends and family?

We rush into production, with scripts that come off as if they were scribbled on a table napkin, shoot within a week and the next ,it's out. Sure, the producers will make a huge profit, but what next? 10 years on will people go back to buy or watch those films? Will an anniversary edition be released for the fans? Will a generation that never watched it seek it out because they have heard their parents, uncles, and pop culture celebrate the movie constantly? We rarely see the bigger picture. The time that can be dedicated to make one great movie , is spread over 10 lackluster movies because of myopic sight. Last year the 25th Anniversary of Back to the Future(BTF) was celebrated. It was rereleased in the cinema and an anniversary DVD was also released. 25 years later it still has a legion of old and new fans, that are seeing it again, thus making money for the producers. WHY, it was an incredibly well made film, that still looks better than films being released today. You may say BTF was not made on a little budget, ok. Kevin Smith's debut , "Clerks", also had a 10 year anniversary DVD released, the film has a huge following, who were the some people that watched his follow up releases.

There is hope yet. In the past 6 years a few Nigerian directed movies, with Nigerian actors at the forefront have enjoyed cinematic release worldwide, a few of them picking up awards while touring the international film festival circuit. You may have heard of a few of them; Figurine, Ije:The Journey, and the recent Mirror Boy, which had a Leicester Square,London premiere. The glimmer of better films is on the horizon, as a new generation of film makers rise. The bragging rights we have been claiming all these years are actually becoming legitimate. But these few films are but a drop in the Ocean to the possibilities of what we could be doing. If the average producer focus on making 3 great films a year, instead of 20 quick sale mediocre ones, the industry will be much better for it. Our current drive through "i want it NOW", microwave attitude to making films, is not healthy for the growth of the industry. It may bring immediate satisfaction and results, but no long term nutrition and growth. Just the same thing over and over, enough for sustenance but not for development.

Ok, so yes, Hollywood also likes quick profit, but also knows how long term profit is beneficial too. There are several cases but one of them is that of The Shawshank Redemption. A triumphant film , directed by Frank Darabont(The Green Mile,The Mist) based on a Steven King novella, IMDB fans rate it as once of the greatest films ever made. On it's 1994 release it did not make a lot of money, at the box office, but as word of mouth spread, it became a fan favorite, and sales on DVD rentals went through the roof. Many from first time viewing others from repeat viewings. 17 years later people are upgrading their DVD copy to a Blu Ray copy so they can still enjoy it. There are films released that same day, that would have made a profit in the box office, but today are nowhere to be seen. Are you getting the picture?

For a moment , let's forget about Hollywood, and focus on World Cinema, a term used primarily to refer to films made outside the US and the UK. Cinema from other corners of the world that are equally as brilliant and often better than what Hollywood has to offer. Most of these films do not have big budgets, but are just incredible on so many mind blowing and breath taking levels. Films from Mexico, Brazil Argentina, South Africa, Spain, Germany,Pakistan etc These are the films that usually clean up at film festivals and receive critical acclaim.

Ok, let me clarify a few things. World Cinema does not usually get as much exposure as Hollywood made films. Not because they are less quality, but simply because of the distribution power of Hollywood, and the fact that many english speakers have an aversion to watching movies made in another language or outside America and don't like to read subtitles Even British movies are snubbed by many. However , within the industry, Many producers, directors and actors have huge amount of respect for World Cinema. The actors and directors in these films are often invited to Hollywood, and though their movies don't always make it to the cinema screens their movies are sold on DVD in international chain stores such as HMV, Blockbusters, Nu Metro, bookstores and available online at Amazon, Barnes&Nobles etc These international video chain store markets are avenues that Nigerian home videos have not broken into yet even though some other African films have.

I want you to take a journey of imagination with me. Imagine a time, where our films are reckoned with on the same level as World Cinema films. Cinematic-ally, performance wise and the general entertainment value, enjoyed not just by Africans, but by any viewer. Imagine a time where like the British ,Spanish and Australian actors and directors that work in Hollywood, our own stars and directors are sought after. A time when African Americans are no longer called to play roles of Africans, but they come straight to Nigeria to cast because of our impressive work. A time where we have proper sets, locations, trained cast and crew, that Hollywood comes calling for collaborations. They come on a regular basis to shoot films here and work alongside us. A time where they are running after us to make films for them to distribute and show in their cinemas.

The amazing film Brazilian "City of God" was not an American production, but it took the world by storm.Why? Because the Americans saw how good it was and they promoted it. It showed the Brazilian story, but it was relatable to the viewers. The makers went on to produce a companion piece Elite Squad which got great reviews. The South African movie Tsotsi , won an Oscar, and it's director Gavin Hood,was hired to direct Wolverine: Xmen Origins. Nollywood makes more films a year than either one of these countries , so why can't the same apply for us, if we step up our game?

This write up is not intended to praise foreign film makers and put down our own people. But as with many other things in the country, there is a lot of room for improvement. We are all glad with the change in the music industry that has taken place over the past 7 years. We have embraced the change and are glad the era of half baked and no talent artists is gone. I write this to inspire upcoming film makers and take away the "budget`' excuses of the current one. YES, a good budget is important to bring out a certain level of quality, but as cited, many of the film makers we respect today worked within tiny constraints. They learned to live with those little budgets and used innovation and creativity to achieve amazing results.

Granted, socio -economic conditions , and orientation in Nigeria is different from the countries of those cited in the examples, but if we are genuinely going tostake a title as movie makers in the world, we have to switch up our game.

Recently in a CNN interview , the director /producer of a African American film, on the challenges of getting black centered films into the mainstream said. "if we keep singing the same song, we will keep dancing to the same tune, and i for one want to dance to a different tune". Nigeria is on the precipice of being a great film industry, not just in numbers , but in quality. But, until we have a paradigm shift in the industry, many of these things will remain but lofty dreams.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK(TSN) THE ROSEBUD CONNECTION

2011-02-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

When i first heard that they were doing a FaceBook movie , i was like "how is that going to work?" , "Enough Hollywood come up with something new". I didn't think much of it again, and then the trailer came out and i was mildly interested but flipped off again. Then when it was actually out in the cinemas and i heard Aaron Sorkin(West Wing,A Few Good Men) and David Fincher(Seven,Fight Club) were at the helm and i decided to check it out.

It turned out to be my favorite movie of 2010. The opening scene in phenomenal, it's an x-ray of the personality and world view of the anti hero Mark Zuckerberg. That conversation is a perfect set up and the catalyst for the entire movie and sets the tone for everything that we are about to witness. I say witness because that is what it feels like watching this movie, witnessing the birth of a global phenomenon.

Considering most of the content is developed from the court depositions and the book The Accidental Billionaires, this is a movie that all things being equal should be a snoozefest . But it is far from being boring, in the capable hands of David Fincher working with the excellent script by Aaron Sorkin it is a cerebral and emotional thrill ride.

The young cast of actors Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer deserve just as much credit for turning in phenomenal performances. This film has dispelled and catapulted Eisenberg out of any comparison he's had with Michael Cera(Arrested Development,Juno). Their deliverance of the rapid fire dialogue will no doubt enter the annals of great cinematic moments. Eisenberg's delivery of Mark's controlled venomous monologue in response to what he termed a "condescending question", goes right up there with Jack Nicholson's anti social Melvin Udall in "As Good as it Gets" . Same goes for when Garfield finally goes ballistic after he discovers he's been shafted out of the business like 'fresh-fish' in a maximum security prison. No doubt their performances in these roles will open many doors and eliminate any previous type casts they may have faced.

I dare to say that despite the excellent script, in the hands of a less capable director, this would have fallen flat on it's face and disappeared, proving the skeptics right.

However, TSN is yet another milestone in the stellar career of Fincher, who previously brought thrillers such as Seven & Zodiac, the technically magnificent The Curious case of Benjamin Button, and generation defining Fight Club. The Social Network will make this his third adaptation from a book and his second based on a true story. And although Fincher does not write his own scripts, you can see the personal stamp he puts on each of his films, and the thematic thread that runs goes through all the projects he choses. Human nature, it's dark side and the exploration of the grey areas we often wish to ignore. A recurring theme in his films is the rarely picture perfect happy ending.

I'm going to say something which may be considered sacrilege amongst movie purists. The Social Network(TSN) is the 'Citizen Kane' of our generation. Now while steam comes out your ears and you pick your jaw from the ground, while gathering your thoughts to write a flaming retort on my cinematic equivalent of blasphemy, let me explain.

First of all, for those of you not familiar with said movie, Citizen Kane(1941) is a movie considered to be one of the greatest movies ever made. Written,Directed and starring a young Orson Wells. It is a cinematic achievement that till today few can ever hope to achieve, and for many years remained in the top 5 list of greatest films ever made. Now having said that, i don't compare it in cinematic achievement,i.e cinematography etc but in theme.

Citizen Kane was about a man's rise from power to nothing.He started with nothing and down the line , with getting ivy league education, become one of the richest men in the world. He made many enemies along the way, lost most of what was dear to him, and ended up lonely. Even closer to Kane, he was against the movie being made about him and denied any similarities between him and what was portrayed on the screen. Sound familiar? That is precisely what TSN is all about. The price of power and achievement. Which begs the question, are we the same people when we arrive at that treasured professional, social of financial destination? Do we change and is it for the better or the worse.? .

SPOILER ALERT
Another similarity is Rosebud, which is the first thing we hear in CK, and it is the last thing we see. It symbolizes Kane's simpler days, days of childhood innocence that he missed and longed to recapture. In TSN, Erica , his soon to be ex, is the first person we see Mark with, the only other human we know him to have some sort of real social connection. He looses this connection and his determination to forget about her is what leads him to create FaceMash which was the snowball that lead to the avalanche that is known as FaceBook. At the end of the movie, when the dust has settled and he sees the wasteland that the legal and emotional battles have left behind, he tries to reconnect to Erica, the last link to a life prior to success and complete isolation. Erica is the Rosebud of TSN.

SIDEBAR
For aspiring film maker and screen writers , TSN goes to show that you can make a magnificent and entertaining film that does not have to shoehorn in sex scenes, gun fights and 'money shot' explosions. All it takes is a great story that is turned into a great script, wonderful actors are cast and it is taken up by a visionary and capable director.

THE NAIJA THESPIAN:ARE WE THERE YET

2011-01-14T08:27:00.001-08:00

An actor should be able to understand the rhythm of the script, get the joke and sing the lines... people like Sam Jackson and Christopher Walken don't grow on trees..." -Tarantino
With the cinematic release and festival rave of several films, directed by and starring Nigerians, the Naija movie industry is finally moving in a direction where can be known for more than just mass production of movies. The scripts are improving, the cinematographer is rising, but is finding performers that can NAIL a role,dialogue,performance still a problem in Naija films?

Look at it this way. We remember certain roles, because of the way they were played and how powerfully they resonated with us. Pacino as Scarface and Michael Corleone, Eastwood as Dirty Harry and Man with no name,Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter,Nicholson as Jake Gittes,Spacey as Keyzer Soze, Brando as Don Corleone,Clark Gable as Rhett Butler,Glen Close as Alex Forrest,Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice, etc etc. These are roles so iconic that some actors have trouble escaping them, e.g Christopher Reeves is remembered for little else other than his role as Superman, and he was so memorable in the role it took close to two decades before they could cast someone else to fill his shoes on the big screen.

There are lines uttered decades ago, which we instantly recognize if we had seen the movie. "I'm gonna make him an offer he ......" , the greatest trick the devil ever pulled...." , "you wanna play rough,huh, ok say hello....." and so many others that have been immortalized in pop culture.I'm sure many of you completed those lines yourselves.

As much as we like to boast with the title of 2nd largest producer of movies, what is the point if our movies come and go and make no impact emotionally or entertainment wise. Characters that touch us and dazzles us in such a way that we find ourselves adopting their philosophies, quoting them and maybe even dressing up as them. Now not all Hollywood films are like that,they have their turkeys too, but if we make so much more films than they do, shouldn't we have larger odds at great performances?

Fortunately, things are changing from what they used to be. Young film makers are coming out with higher quality of productions, better scripts and better directing, which are getting more international recognition on the festival circuit. But looking at the Tarantino quote, have we reached there quite yet?

Historical African personalities on the screen,have been played so far by African Americans, Mandela by Glover and Freeman,Biko by Denzel , Idi Amin by Yapheet Koto and Forrest Whitaker.A biopic of Fela will soon be coming to the big screen and yet another foreign actor is going to play him. Yes, we can chalk it up to using the Americans using their own people,bankable stars,recognized faces that will put bums in seats , and it call it studio casting by the suits, but even many of the minor roles are still played by foreign actors. So let's ask ourselves,If those roles were offered to local actors, can you think of a person that'll nail it as powerfully or more powerfully.The role of Fela, can you name a currently working home grown actor that will nail the role as well as Will Smith nailed ALI or Jamie Fox Ray. Or any of those roles like Idi Amin,Mandela and the others Honestly , can you? I'm not dissing them i'm just wondering if maybe i'm the one missing something.

Isn't acting a lot more than the ability to memorize and recite lines?

I've been on set of a few productions and seen "actors" deliver a beautiful line of dialogue delivered clinically, appallingly flat. No cadence, rhythm or tonality , to emphasize the seriousness, humor or sarcasm that the line is intended to have, wasting it and rendering it useless as a lame race horse.

Maybe i'm ignorant of those out there, or have not watched enough Naija made films to knowledgeable that they exist.But despite the several thousands of films produced annually i'm yet to see a character, that is played so powerfully, that several decades years down the line , people can still be fascinated at how realistic the actor portrayed the role. How powerful, intriguing or fascinating he/she was .A character that penetrates pop culture

But i'm optimistic, Ten years ago, most people would rather be caught with their pants down than listening to Naija music, and then sometime between 2006 and 2007 it all changed. Just like the there was that drastic change in the quality of music and artists in Nigeria, a somewhat overnight change,from unbearable to global dominating is it possible that the acting could change? That from somewhere , some undiscovered talent could come out of the woodwork. Young actors that can come on the scene and fascinate us, older undiscovered talent that deliver with such gravitas that we wonder why they have never been on screen before.

As young film makers rise, and screenwriters create fascinating characters and powerful stories, i certainly hope the acting is there to do the scripts justice. As a film maker friend of mine is always saying, Naija films are on the verge of global explosion and this new decade we just entered is a time where the iron is hot, and Naija film makers are going to create a niche and dazzle the world. New film makers, are coming out with new approaches and visions and dynamic story telling abilities, and like the French Nu Wave of the 50's and 60's, there is a Naija Nu Wave rising and like it's French counterpart if we get it right, we can take the world by storm injecting new energy and visions into a very jaded movie real estate.

Do you think we have performers that fulfill the Tarantino quote, but maybe the right character or role has not been given to them?? Please feel free to say so.

FRIGHTENING ORIGINS OF SOME OF TODAY'S "POSITIVE THINKING" MESSAGES

2010-03-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

In previous times i have been a huge proponent of "positive thinking/self development" etc, but i recently came across a sermon that revealed a lot about some of the frightening origins, which has me filtering, deleting a lot of my audio and hard copy libraries.  Some of these popular teaching have seeped into the church... and disguised themselves as "gospel"
I know the initial reaction most people will have to this, but listen to what is being said and then you decide.

Not all authors and speakers will fall into this.But it's important to find out who their influences are.

Not trying to convince of anyone to do this or that. All i can do is reveal what i have come across Listen to the evidence of some of the origins and choose your path.

I hereby with draw any endorsement or recommendations that have links or roots in any of the teaching or authors mentioned here.   Listen and let us sharpen our discernment

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=14072746

IDEALS: TO HAVE OR NOT TO HAVE

2010-03-18T04:49:00.000-07:00

People often question and challenge me about my "unrealistic" ideals on chastity, relationships,integrity and a bunch of other things. Some say i'm naive or delusion.

They Say: That's the ideal, but this is the way it is
Likely Reality: It's regret speaking or maybe even an excuse to justify their failures or intended failure to live to those standards.

They Say: You can't except chastity/integrity/character from .................. this is the 21st century I Think: Based on that theory , by the 23rd Century , what will people then say about the few ideals that you do believe in right now. Is the a statute of limitations on virtue or truth??

They Say: You can't expect anyone to live up to those ideals - Then i think What's the alternative, Have no ideals?

They Say:You'll end up alone if you expect such ideals from anyone I Think: If you stand for nothing you'll fall for anything, best to shoot for the moon, and if you miss at least you'll land amongst the stars

Or one variation or another of those messages. Im not a perfect person(not using it as an excuse), so i'm not seeking perfection from anyone, but i do like to believe that people should live what they believe and claim.

Eg A person that claims Christianity, should live according to Christ's creed, and not allow what is socially acceptable or what the crowd does to determine the choices you make in character, integrity, relationships,sexuality, social interaction etc

I finally found the answer for them culled from a Joshua Harris Book.

"Ideals are like stars, we will not succeed in touching them with our hands ,but by following them like the seafaring man on the ocean,we will reach our destiny"

CET FINI

http://www.oludascribe.blogspot.com

WORDSMITH MUSINGS- CREED OF A MORPHER:THE TIME OF DECIMATING aka NO MORE MR NICE GUY

2010-03-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

WARNING- THIS NOTE CONTAINS SCENES OF A FRANK, AND VERY BLUNT NATURE, READERS USED TO POLITE,GENTLE AND DIPLOMATIC SUBTLETY ARE ADVISED

This is a public service announcement , brought to you in part by Scribe Speak

Friend,Associates,FaceBookers,Bloggers Lend me your ears

The namby pamby , diplomatic

soft spoken 'Hugh Grant bumbling englishman guy

The "let's all get along,

don't wanna rock the boat,

give in to emotional blackmail/childlike tantrums

in order the keep the peace

in a one sided parasitic relationship

run by a vampiric dictatorship"

Guy, has kicked the proverbial bucket

THAT Mary Poppins twit

downing your spoonfuls of arsenic,

THAT suffering and smiling SCHMUCK"

THAT Putz, that let hurtful things slide ALL the time unvoiced

THAT nincompoop that apologized when not in the wrong

THAT Forest Gump, that allowed & accepted all the humiliation

THAT web slinger that ignored his spider sense and got squished

THAT Mumu of previous years

Has vaporized

He's been given a Viking Burial

sunken to Davy Jones locker

never to return in this lifetime or the next

The Kofi Annan approach tenure is over

The Royal pardon is abdicated

The kid gloves have been pawned for a Donny Donowitz Baseball bat

The Halo has been sent to the dry cleaners

Not liking it??

Cry a river , build a bridge and get over it.

Little did you know, upon reading this note,

you have just consented to this metamorphosis

A rebirth has begun

from Prince Adam to He Man

From Clark Kent to Kal El

Care Bear to Thundercat

Johnny No.5 to T 1000

John Q to Alonzo Harris

There is a new sheriff in town

running users, parasites, wasters, negators

burn ward,whiners, petty complainers,exhibitionists(body dey scratch)

emotional vampires, attention junkie,rebound seekers

running them all out of town

Coming like the Guns of Navarone
9th Level Lotus is unleashed

Hiroshima don't compare to what's about to happen here

It's get out of Dodge time

the sheriff is packing heat

and in this mexican stand off ,

there's only going to be one man standing

he's gonna strike down with great vengeance and furious anger

so assume the position or prepare to be fired upon

Smile Therapy is over

Good Bye Mr Rogers

Hello Jason Bourne

THE AUTEUR SCRIBE- ARSENIC& OLD LACE - MY DREAM REMAKE

2010-03-08T05:03:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite all time favorite movies is Arsenic& Old Lace ;made in 1944 and directed by the Legendary Frank Capra, it starred; Cary Grant ,Peter Loree Raymond Massey and a host of others.

PREMISE
A screwball comedy about Mortimer Brewster, a drama critic ,who goes home to tell his aunts, (who raised him), that he is getting married. While trying to break the news,he finds out that his aunts have a disturbing hobby; poisoning lonely old men and burying them in the cellar. It gets worse.

MY REMAKE

In a remake savvy industry,

ORIGINAL                        REMAKE

Wings of Desire                                   City of Angels
Infernal Affairs                                The Departed
City on Fire                                          Reservoir Dogs
Dirty Dozen/Where Eagles Dare       Inglorious Basterds
Rear Window                                      Disturbia
North By North West                         Eagle Eye
It's a mad mad mad mad world    Rat Race
Open your Eyes(Spanish Film)           Vanilla Sky

The list goes on and on, not to mention, the gazzilion Japanese movies that have been ripped off, err i mean remade, yes Remade by Hollywood, lol.

I wonder what i would do, if i had the opportunity to remake this brilliant classic How would i cast it?

Conventional wisdom would be to update the script to fit out “modern minds” but i beg to differ. Some of the jokes and pop culture references naturally would have to be updated, but the original script could still be relevant for the 21st century. The main focus would be casting the roles for this attempt at a brilliant production.

There are three way it could be cast in the event of a remake.

BRIT CAST,written by Richard Curtis     (4 Weddings and A Funeral,Notting Hill)
                                          OR Stephen Merchant (The Office,Extras,Cemetery Junction)

The original role of Mortimer Brewster would be played by

HUGH GRANT. With a string of comedic hits , he is perfect for the comedic gentle man that his namesake played. With his boyish charm he is perfect as a British lead for a Brit version.

The role of towering and intimidating Jonathan Brewster would be played by

VINNIE JONES, the star of Snatch , though some people doubt his thespian skills , he manages to bring a charming performance which people either love or hate, and opposite Hugh Grant it’s screen magic.

Dr Einstein formerly played by the brilliant Peter Loree would now be embodied by

JOHN HANNAH, another actor who can play the lovable but annoying friend. He would be perfect to play Lorre’s former creepy scientist role, who accompanied the intimidating Jonathan. Pairing Hannah and Jones as a duo, with Hannah playing the alcoholic Dr Einstein on the run from the law would be hilarious.

The aunts formerly played by Jean Adair and Josephine Hull now played by

MAGGIE SMITH &PATRICIA ROUTLEDGE two British icons to play the aunts Abby and Martha Brewster ,sweet but deadly. I can see them fussing over Hugh, while turning around to serve spiked Elderberry wine. Routledge honed comedic skills, on the brilliant sitcom ,Keeping up appearances. Maggie Smith is a British icon, and no further exposition needed for her case.

RICKY GERVAIS would play Teddy the cuckoo who ran amok and thought he was Teddy Roosevelt, formerly played by John Alexander. The creator and star of The Office and Extras, a wonderful addition to an already brilliant cast. Naturally he would have to play a British historical character, maybe Oliver Cromwell.

RACHAEL WEIZ would cameo in the role of Brewster's new bride, Elaine, played formerly by Priscilla Lane

HOLLYWOOD CAST written by the Coen Brothers
I would cast

GEORGE CLOONEY in the role of Mortimer Brewster, he is the current only actor that reminds me of that aura and charm that Cary Grant exuded along with the Classic golden ear looks. His roles in “Ocean’s 11″ and “Oh Brother Where art Though” show he can play both straight charmer and goof-ball effortlessly ,much like Grant did.

BRAD GARRET in the role formerly played by Raymond Massey. Garret honed his comedy skills on TV sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond” and at a towering 6 ft 8 he perfectly embodies all that Jonathan Brewster needs to be.

JASON LEE, another comedic performer, who voiced Syndrone on the brilliant Brad Bird animated movie “The Incredibles“ and has honed comedic talents on Emmy Award winning My Name is Earl. He would be great as the wide eyed and dodgy Dr Einstein . He and Brad Garret supporting each other opposite classically handsome George Clooney, that ,would be a priceless trio.

KATY BATES & DORIS ROBERTS, both talented in comedic roles , Katy Bates has also played the psychotic role in the adaptation of Stephen King’s “Misery” and comedic roles in “About Schmidt” and Water Boy. Doris Roberts from hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Both know how to play the fine line between nurturing and psychotic women, and Roberts already has chemistry with former co-star Garret.

PAUL GIAMATTI in the role of Teddy.The star of Oscar winning indie road/buddy movie Sideways; Giamatti is both a brilliant comedic and dramatic actor,and would fit perfectly in this role.

MARISA TOMEI would be cameo in the role of Elaine, a sweet brand new bride, planted in the middle of the madness of the Brewster family.

A complete alternative approach and turning the whole thing around in terms of casting, it could go the “Tyler Perry” way , casting: written by Christopher Scott Cherot (writer/Director of Hav Plenty)

AFRICAN AMERICAN CAST

ORLANDO JONES or CHRIS TUCKER, playing the part of Mortimer Brewster ;going all out comedic, with the role. They both have the ability to play the ;rambunctious fast talking, wide eyed character, the way Cary Grant played it. They are both great comics that can also play it straight.

TOMMY “TINY” LISTER could play the role of menacing Jonathan Brewster. He already has chemistry with Tucker from their roles on the movie Friday, alternatively TERRY CREWS has proved himself to have brilliant comic presence and timing over the past few years on sitcom Everybody Hates Chris

DAVE CHAPPELLE would make an excellent Dr Einstein, and that is all i am going to say about it, his talent is ENORMOUS.

LORETTA DEVINE & ALOMA WRIGHT as the sweet yet homicidal aunts. Both have comedy backgrounds and have played nurturing roles.

REGINALD VEL JOHNSON, star of tv sitcom Family Matters and co star of the Die Hard series he would be a brilliant Teddy.

PAULA PATTON cameo in the role of the new bride.

There are so many ways this can go, but ultimately there are some movies that should be left ALONE and appreciated in only their original glory. Citizen Kane, The Godfather,Chinatown and though Arsenic& Old Lace is not at the top of peoples minds when classics are mentioned;nonetheless Frank Capra’s comedy of errors masterpiece, is a classic and should remain untouched .

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© 2010 OLUDASCRIBE Ltd.
Reproduction of this article without written permission is strictly forbidden. For information on reprint rights please email olu.scribe@gmail.com

BEREAN SCRIBE'S MOMENT OF CLARITY- CONTRADICTION

2010-03-05T05:25:00.001-08:00

CONTRADICTION, SOMEWHERE B/W REALITY and WHAT YOU SAY
-Mode 9

 I want to marry a Godly man/woman who will love and respect me, so i'll go out with anyone who asks me, as long as they are cute. They may lack character,integrity desire for Holiness and any form of Godliness,we may have no future beyond the next 6 months but wow they're gorgeous and that is all that matters.

I want to have a really intimate and special sex life when i get married with, really special just between the two of us, so i'll sleep with everyone i date on the way to marriage. i need all the practice , comparisons and unwanted memories i can gather and bring into our marriage bed, brilliant recipe for Marital Bliss, don't you think.

You're a great friend thank you for the kind words, complements and praise you shower me with, I'm overwhelmed no one appreciates me like you do , Huh, Did i hear you just chastise me peasant, suggest a correction you simpleton , OFF WITH HIS HEAD

 I am a child of God and my life is in his hands, i pray to him and believe him for my future,family, business success ,career promotion and safety, but when it comes to business, the end justifies the means, cut whatever corners, necessary. AND as for dating!!!, Put the Bible aside,pragmatism is King, pick up Harlequin ,Tabloids,turn on E,the soaps they have more pleasant and fun advice to give.

 I'm a "christian", i attend church and believe in the Lord, but you really are naive to expect purity, modesty or chastity in this 21st century world, where's the fun in that, besides ,it's just not realistic,are u not getting any?? As for me, Not ,getting laid!!!, puh leez body no be wood  

I'm always here for you, i've got your back all the way, but just don't expect me to support what you put your blood ,sweat and tears into , strangers can do that.Im really busy with petty things,and i reserve my right to complain about that POST IT you left on my door telling me to come support your performance.

I miss you, you make me feel good about me, but now you're speaking, you're really excited. For once,the conversation is not about me, your concentration has stopped orbiting me for these few seconds ,So now im bored prattle on ,as i go search for my next attention fix,stand there as i walk past/away from you and turn you into the invisible man/woman, i can't stand not being the center of everyone's universe, every moment of everyday.

I worry about you ,i really think you need to relax adjust to accommodate , other peoples nuances and idiosyncrasies.Thanks for heeding my concerns i say it cos i care WHATTT!!!, How dare you, who are you to ask me to change, i love being cynical, it gives me an edge,, goodbye ,have a nice life

I claim the promises of God, the cattle on the hills are mine, Solomon, was wealthy, Abraham's blessing are mine, Jabez and i are kindred spirits . God wants me to be rich, my God is a rich God, how can he have poor kids Take up a Cross!!!, What cross, OH ,that one. Sorry i have a bad back, no heavy lifting, doctor's orders. Whose Kingdom come?? What about MY Kingdom come??? Deny myself!!!,I just found myself,come back in a few decades. Follow who? Go into what world, sorry, too much commitment , i'll have to pass...... ,catch you later, i have to go sign a 10 year contract..i'll make a donation though

I like talking to you, it's really feels good to have a friend like you ,someone i can share my heart with,and all these years you've been there. BUT You're irrelevant, immediately someone i just met fires off my hormones,i'll ignore you ,disappear for months and tell you bluntly how insignificant this platonic friendship means to me in exchange for a whirlwind romance that will have me coming back to cry on your shoulder

I want to have pure thoughts, intentions about the opposite sex and not have to constantly battle lust, so i'll fuel it by watching TV shows & movies that trivialize sex and mock chastity, show gratuitous scenes and people prancing around in their birthdays suits. I'll listen to music that glorifies bed hopping by artists that can't stay off drugs or in a relationship.I'll date people that are temptation on legs whose only feelings for me are the one's north of their belt line.

I'm a christian , i love God and i believe the Bible , but the fickle ever changing "values" of what is socially acceptable overrules that book ,which btw is over 2000 years old, and was written by men.

It condemns what?? What's a living sacrifice? Did 1st Corinthians 6 :9 really say that?

That's all semantics and obviously something got lost in translation, those are modern words from our generation and not the original Hebrew, so you have no proof that is disapproves certain orientations and lifestyles

Point it out, show me the scripture that says i can't smoke, drink,dress,talks act sensually , cuss like i wanna, and shack up with my lover, have consensual sex, these are modern times, and that's an ancient book that contradicts it's self.

BEREAN SCRIBE'S MOMENT OF CLARITY- LADY IN THE RED DRESS

2010-03-02T06:44:00.000-08:00

No, i'm not talking about the Chris De Burgh song, that one is actually Lady in Red(1986).

I'm referring to a minor character from a scene from the 99 hit "pop culture affecting, industry changing, turned out to be plagiarized", movie THE MATRIX. (there's only one Matrix, the others are Fa(ke)trix,Wa(ck)trix)

There is a scene where Morpheous(Lawrence Fishburne) is guiding Neo(Keanu Reeves) through the the rush hour streets in matrix. He talks as he walks , revealing to him(Neo) the world they are in;how it functions, the dangers ahead.

Struggling to keep up Neo is suddenly takes his eyes off Morpheous as he's distracted by a beautiful woman in a red dress, that walks by with a sweet smile. Morpheous , notices and queries

MORPHEOUS: Were you pay attention, or were looking at the woman in the red dress

NEO:Huh

MORPHEOUS Look again

Neo spins around to find Agent Smith at point blank range with a Glock 22, the room freezes as Neo's heart was in his mouth

It turned out to be a training sequence, just a simulation of The Matrix , the agent wasn't real, but Neo had learned a vital lesson that day, much like Lot's wife , when you take your eyes off the goal, very bad things are likely to happen to you.

While this is not an endorsement for the movie, one can take a vital lesson from it. Neo got distracted, by what seemingly looked amazing, (which she actually did). He took his eyes off his leader and if it had been a real situation, that would have been "bye bye Neo".

No, this not a rant against beautiful women that wear red dresses,lol , this analogy applies both to males and females, we all have our points of temptation,disillusion and distraction.

Morpheus also said something very striking in that scene "If you are not one of us,you are one of them". the "them" refered to those still plugged into the system of "The Matrix" and could be used by agents at any point in time to bring down the resistance.

In spiritual terms , that refers to "children of this world" those that live by the constantly changing declining and fickle philosophy, standards and ideals of a God denying and often God hating world.

They are still plugged into the system of what is culturally or socially acceptable,but against the will of God, whether that be pre marital or casual sex, abortion ,drunkenness, lewd behavior and language, hedonism, cultural "christianity", alternative lifestyles and other lifestyle to that effect as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6:9 .

Some people actually think they are unplugged, attend the services, speak the slang, wear the t shirts, but their lives show no evidence that they are free

by their fruits you shall know them grapes do not grow on thistles

They intellectually acknowledge God, but their hearts and consequently their lifestyles are far from any acknowledgment him. Others have no idea of the system they are trapped in and don't realize what lies ahead if they stay in this system.

Unlike the movie, we aren't in a simulation, we are in the real world, where "we wrestle not against flesh and blood", if we get distracted the room won't freeze to give us a chance recompose and change strategy and keep in mind, the enemy does not take prisoners.

We have to keep our eyes on the Cross , which is our GPS(Sat Nav) in our journey through this world. It's our obligation to unplug as many friends, family ,colleagues from the system of this world just like we were once unplugged; but we also have to remember that anyone not unplugged posses a danger to our spiritual progression if we get distracted by them.

Many of us would already have had an "i should have known" moment ,at least once or even several times in our life already from distractions we have experienced

This may be a love interest, relationship, career pursuit or passion for anything else that can take us off tangent; it would vary with each person, we all have to search ourselves using the scripture as a compass and find out,what is our "Lady in the red dress" could possibly be, before sashays into our line of sight.

"The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it
-PROVERBS 27:12

© 2010 OLUDASCRIBE
Reproduction of this article without written permission is strictly forbidden. For information on reprint rights please email olu.scribe@gmail.com

BLISS(short film) -A OLU YOMI OSOSANYA FILM

2010-02-27T07:19:00.001-08:00

THE BEREAN SCRIBE- THE CASE FOR MODESTY- A ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

2010-02-23T08:08:00.000-08:00

A little while back, i was pretty intense about the topic of modesty; how a woman dressed and what was appropriate for a daughter of Christ. I have a note called Letter to my Unborn, and i was actually told i was naive, for expecting chastity and purity from a woman in the 21st century BY A WOMAN, Who went me it was unrealistic to think that an adult woman wouldn't have been with a few men by the time she in her early twenties. Pardon me for wanting the absolute best for my daughter. And somehow i don't think God is going to accept "It's the 21st century" as an excuse for not living up to the standards of purity that he has of us.

So why am i so adamant on the issue of modesty? Well i believe in sowing and reaping, if you plant an acorn you'd be foolish to expect a pine tree to grow.

I'm going to be a father, uncle, God father to a beautiful young woman someday, and i want a young man in her generation and circle of friends, to take this same stance. Despite the fact that society expects him to encourage and lust after it.

A statement i heard from a guy last year, though i do not totally agree with it really says a lot about the perception many guys have out there "what a woman in willing to show , she's willing to share" After hearing that i placed it as a status update , and i got several messages proclaiming it untrue. And after following my cries for women to dress more modestly and cover up their bosoms. I was further told that "no matter what a woman wears some men will lust. TRUE
But look at it this way

Toby has a golden retriever called Brody. Brody is the friendliest Dog on the planet. and everybody absolutely loves him. So one day sees something in a movie and he decided to stat buying raw steaks soaked in blood for Brody. After two months of this Brody has acquired a taste for blood, and noone could blame him when he took a big wet bite out of Toby's you know what. Was Brody responsible for his own actions, yes, would it have happened if Toby hadn't raised an appetite for blood, not likely.

Culture whether it be the TV shows from 90210, SATC,Nip Tuck Bold & Beautiful , that have the characters hopping from bed to bed with no consequences, and then trotting down the streets in fabulous clothes , We have picked up those ideals and whether we realize it or not subconsciously apply them to our lives.

It almost impossible to even watch a Disney cartoon now without the female characters exposing cleavage. Don't believe me!!! Go back and check Snow White, Cinderella,Belle(Beauty &the Beast) and the more recent The Princess and the frog. Should little children be exposed to so much skin even if it's animated. Is that the example for little girls and expectation for little boys. I'll let you be the judge of that.

You think I've gone too far , it's too little to worry about ? If you think little things like that don't matter, you obviously have never been bitten by a mosquito.

But that's enough of my opinion.What does the Bible say

1 TIMOTHY 2:9
And i want women to be modest in their appearance.They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves………

MATTHEW 18:7 How terrible it will be for anyone who causes others to sin. Temptation is inevitable,but how terrible it will be for the person who does the tempting

ROMANS 12:1

Therefore i beseech you brethren that you present your bodies a living sacrifice , Holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service

1 CORINTHIANS 6:1

Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, .... For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM .... ..

PROVERBS 7:1-27 The Proverb of the Immoral Woman.

Contrary to popular belief, she was not a prostitute. She was a married woman with too much time on her hands after the day time soaps. He husband was away on business , she she decided to wear a hot lil number and seduce a young man back to her bed.

Too many of our choices are affected by social proof. We look around to see what everyone else(society) is doing and we determine our next move by that. Our clothing choices are made by what is popular, what would draw the most attention to us, and a lot of the time by what celebrities are wearing.

Ladies have more precision in the choice of clothes they wear than men do. They praise, asses and judge themselves and each other by their clothing. The desire to look attractive and turn heads is natural. everyone want to be noticed and acknowledges. But there is a vast difference between being attractive respectively, and being sensual thereby raising a sexual appetite in the men around them.

Now , many are not aware of this, they might actually just love the figure hugging dress, without knowing what it does to the men around them.

Let's take a hypothetical situation.

SCENARIO 1
Kevin is a dynamic guy. He's funny and at the same time carries a sense about him that disarms even the most frosty of people. He also have a love for scripture and leaves you spellbound in his exposition of Bible passages. The past six months in fellowship have been amazing and you are learning so much from him, you wonder how come his head hasn't exploded from carrying such spiritual insight.

Summer comes round and away go the coats , out come the shades, shorts and t shirts. Looking sharp as always he wears a track suit top and jeans. You say hi before service and you tell him you want to get some of his thoughts on a particular passage you've been studying. He agrees and you plan to meet after service.

Service is going great and due to all the dancing and the heat generated, Kevin takes off his track top to reveal a bleach white T Shirt. You do a double take when you see what's inscribed on it .

A giant red arrow pointing to his crotch with the words JOYSTICK in bold black letters. Shocked you have to wipe your eyes to make sure you are seeing clearly.

The next week he has a shirt that says NICE LEGS, WHAT TIME DO THEY OPEN

Now, how would that affect your perception of Kevin? Would you say those shirts speak a little about his state of mind. Would you consider a little bit inappropriate for him to wear that to church or as a Christian?

If he told you "it's just a cool T Shirt, i couldn't resist" what would you think of that reasoning.

HOLD THAT THOUGHT

SCENARIO 2
Jennifer, wears a sexy dress that accentuates her hour glass body, the top shows just a little bit of cleavage ,but nothing too serious, unless she bends over, which has no intention of doing. She comes to church and she sits opposite Raymond. Raymond just became a christian 3 years ago.

As a teenager he had lived promiscuously and dabbled in pornography. He's let his eyes linger on girls bodies, watching the jog in the park, and he'd plan how he'd bed them, which he usually succeeded . But since becoming a christian he has put that life behind him. He doesn't party anymore, has cancelled his cable, and when he's not a work he at home or in church spending time in the word. But now he's at church were he's meant to feel safe.

And there, Jennifer is there directly opposite him. Her plunging neckline and curvaceous catches his eyes and he has to remind himself that he's not meant to look. he turns his head, but to his left and right are other girls, that wanted to feel sexy that day too. Raymond goes home frustrated, but he made it through. He fights those impure thoughts that try to rise, those plotting he would have done in the past. His ex girlfriend shows up for a visit and one thing leads to another. His former nature connects all the dots, already in a weakened state and he falls into sin.

Now, did Jennifer intend to do this. Probably not. She may have just really liked that dress, or just wanted a Jennifer looks great today But dressing in an immodest way. Her desire to look sexy and showing off what should have remained covered acted as a catalyst for lust in Raymond's life. Raymond was responsible for his own action and choices, but the lust triggered by Jennifer's choice of clothes.

CATALYST

1) A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change

2) A person or thing that precipitates an event

"Purity of motive does not cancel the effect of your appearance"

A revealing dress is like the season preview for a hit tv show, or the trailer for the most anticipated summer movie. Anyone that has seen the trailer to great TV show or movie knows how their appetite has been wet and their eagerly wait to see the whole thing.

No matter how Holy a man is, there is not OFF switch to his hormones, he just works hard at keeping them at bay, and avoiding triggers. Even David , a man after God's own heart fell, but you have to wonder what a married woman was doing bathing publicly where anyone could see her.

On some level we are communicating by how we dress- Al Mohler- Discerning your Culture

NOW , no one is saying that it's a sin to look or be sexy, but deliberately setting out in a sensual appearance is not only sinful, but it's asking for trouble. No one is suggesting that Christian girls should dressed like Nuns, Amish or like Ninja's covering from head to toe. It is possible to absolutely gorgeous wearing a t shirt and jeans. The truth which most guys would admit is that , the very same smoking hot girl in the halter top that they date and show off to all their friends, they either never take her home to mom, or they will require a serious wardrobe change before they do.

Do guys around you have to pull a Joseph because they want to avoid impure thoughts?

Those that don't pull a Joe, do they have anything else staring back at them other than your eyes?

If placed in a Usual Suspects type line up, would you stand out from the girls that are out there to seduce or those looking for a quick roll in the hay, and thus dress to attract guys with the same desire?

Are you more like Esther or Delilah in your dressing?

Do you strengthen the character and spiritual growth of the men around you, or are you causing their resolve to weaken?

Ever wonder why that friend of yours keeps on attracting horny losers. She may want to check the way she dresses.

Modesty goes beyond dressing, and is also about the way a woman carries and presents herself. A flirtatious ,sensual or provocative aura, even while covered head to toe is asking for the wrong type of attention.

So let's even forget about men. Does you dressing honor God?

If Jesus showed up and wanted to take you to dinner, Would you be ready to go immediately or would you have to go change? How long would it take you to find an appropriate dress or gown?

Would you even be able to open the door for him or tell him to wait while you run to go throw on a sweater or a shawl to cover up your modesty.

The answer to those questions should be the determining factor in how choices are made in appearance.

This note is not about pointing fingers , i write with the best intentions I'd want someone to say these things to my daughter or niece in my absence. Therefore I'm paying it forward

CONFESSION OF A SEMI REBOUND GUY

2010-02-23T03:21:00.000-08:00

You came into my life
with that sunny smile and bubbly personality of yours
i wondered why someone so wonderful would just waltz into my life

I was there for you
I cared for you
i answered every phone call at all hours
i responded every mail and text message

I showered you with praise and attention
and never had an agenda or ulterior motive
i just enjoyed your company and every moment with you

It seemed like bliss , it all seemed wonderful
and then

You'd breeze past me like a hurricane
without even as much as a hi on your way to meet him
i thought he was the past
you'd stand me up even when you called for a meet and never apologize
I'd stand in the cold waiting for you'd show up with someone else
you'd zone out when it was my turn to talk
you'd call me by his name time and time again

The hurt the pain the confusion
so much time together, so many emotions
what does it all mean, am i over reacting, paranoid?

Your mind boggling question like a rubix cube with disco lights
Why don't you like me?
Are you ashamed of me ?
Why are you making me miss you?
She likes me , She likes me not
i can never figure out exactly where i stand

And then those words were uttered
did i mean nothing to you
all that time spent was in vain, meaningless

Was i just an emotional gigolo
a burn recovery ward for your hurts and fights
a surrogate boyfriend doing all the work and no rewards
a pacifier for when he was not available
a dealer to your Attention junkie fixes
only good enough when he's not emotionally or physically available

I was everything you wanted ,needed
everything inside that you wished he could be ,
saying all the right thing being all the right things
yet i mean nothing to you because "there's no spark"

Pardon Me
I should see you when he's not around

WHAT!!!!!

That's it , I'm done
I'm done, I'm out
You came into MY life
you said he was the past
i never asked much or pressured you
treated you like royalty
and this is how you do me!!
that's who i am to you

I'm walking away
i should have seen you were trouble from the start
taught me so many lessons , about being with
"on a break" hearts
Jeze u have struck the final chord
This is the last time
I'd hurt myself for the sake of being with you
good bye good luck

Tick Toc Tick Toc
FFWD 9 MONTHS

Hello , Who is this, WHO
Oh , it's you
I wondered why i was smelling brimstone
So, What made you remember me today Delilah
You want me to what!!
I should call you what?
Sorry, no more terms of endearment
That ship has sailed,
been given a Viking burial
and gone to Davy Jones locker
As i recall, there was "no spark"
Huh....You're sad
He messed up, got tired of your ways and
walked away from you
OH i get it, shoes on the other foot now
2nd degree burn
I should meet you where?
You want to give what a try
Re Kindle what?
Woman please, Do i look like a glutton for punishment
It hurts so bad!!, Oh really!!
Cry me a river build a bridge and get over it
Slither away just like you slithered in
like crack cocaine flushed down the toilet
i wave Good Bye, but it wasn't nice seeing you

RE: WHY WOULD SHE WANT YOU

2010-02-18T07:08:00.000-08:00

I received a comment from a fellow blogger in response to my note

She said, .....well, let me let her speak for herself

If she does exist...why would she want you? afterall you said it yourself, you are no Adonis. If she is God fearing(un rivalled passion for Holiness), Gorgeous, Modest, Intelligent, Funny and really down to earth; then she would want someone equally as modest and down to earth and the fact that you have all these requirements implies that you aren't. But goodluck!

First of all, she'd have to redefine the word MODEST for me,I must have missed that English class while pulling a Ferris Bueller. I never made any lofty claims about myself so what's your basis? . The whole point of the note, was on dispelling the concept settling, I was not making a casting call for dates or sending out some coded message.

It seems a certain someone just skimmed through the note to find points to disagree on and proceed to launch an attack. Must be my cologne or maybe i just remind her of someone that she doesn't like very much, or like she suggested to me , maybe she falls several notches short of the requirements as she so put it and this is transfer of aggression. I dunno, i'm just speculating ....or maybe the real question is "Have we met, and did I annoy you?? lol Just Kidding, but jokes aside.

Is she saying I shouldn't have any requirements or expectations, especially of someone I'm going to spend the rest of my days with? That nobody should have criteria for what they want in a mate and take her as she comes?

I dunno about you young lady, but I certainly want to get the best I possibly can when signing a life long contract for admission into that school called marriage, which death is the only graduation in my books. Since i don't believe in divorce, recreational dating, illicit sex ,hedonism,or any of that foolishness seen in daytime soaps I'd like to be rewarded for my wait.

Fact is, looks are not as big a priority to me now, as I've seen surface beauties, who look like Freddy Kruger when you strip away their great looks and examine their character, but that is another topic and beside the point, let me re-emphasize in case anyone missed it, I was dispelling SETTLING and not suggesting that every woman should embody those qualities. After all , if a woman wants a Prince Charming of some sort that has the physical abilities of Superman/Hercules the sensibilities of Mr Rogers, and the charm of Don Juan, why begrudge me?

The reason why most people fail, or don't get what they want in life, is not because they aim too high and miss, but that they aim too low and hit the ground. So I say shoot for the moon, and if you miss, at least you'll land amongst the stars.

Think about it, the person that wants to build a house,"does he not count the cost"?

First of all, he puts a blue print of what he wants from that house. He is the one going to live in the house so the naysayers and neighbours opinions don't matter. He designs the house for what he wants to get out of it.

If he wants security he does not build a cabin in the middle of the projects, with French windows and no lock on the door.

If he wants privacy he does not build a glass house on Time square with Neon lights and no curtains.

A man that wants a a sports car does not go to a Buick Dealership.

A woman that wants a security dog does not go to the poodle shop.

A child that wants to become an athlete does not go on a sumo wrestler diet and sit at home watching re runs of Gilligan's Island.

So Miss Blogger, if you willing to have the lowest, or no expectations from a life time spouse. If someone's left overs are what you are willing to have . If a person that has no character , no regard for Holiness ,up tight and overtly serious is cool with you!!. Well. you are totally welcome, it is a free world . But i personally opt out of that club.

As for her wanting me?Well, that is up to her isn't it.

SCRIBE'S MOMENT OF CLARITY- SKIN DEEP

2010-02-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

Mo Town hit band The Temptations sang the song "Beauty's only skin deep yeah yeah yeah".

Those words resonate deeply more and more everyday with me in 2010, as i face new horizons. I've always admired Beauty in women, been the number one fan of aesthetics.I have had very beautiful woman as friends and acquaintances for most of my life. Like most men, great looks have been a desire in a love interest, but these days it has dropped further down the totem pole , not discarded, but it holds less relevance in balance to other important factors.

Experience has taught me that a beauty is the least thing to consider. Solomon the world's wisest man, and also owner of a 700 strong harem a beautiful woman without discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout " .He then went on to talk about the Proverbs 31 woman. Given is wisdom and vast experience on the topic ,I think he's a man that knows what he's talking about.

I've seen a beautiful woman turn to a fire breathing banshee right before my eyes .WHY?? For the first time in 5 years after receiving nothing but constant complements,support and constant praise from in our friendship ,i finally asked her to work on a recurring vice which was a hindrance to our friendship and her relationship with others. Others had complained about it , but were afraid to bring it to her attention. This vice had caused friction for many years personally and professionally.

Upon mentioning it, She blew her stack and after launching an assault with a verbal meat cleaver, which would had made

Freddy Kruger shiver,

HOW DARE YOU!!!, she proceeded to tell me where to shove my concerns and cut me off. Never heard from her again.

Could i have structured by appeal a bit different, probably, was my approach a little bit inciting , maybe. But a friendship ended based on a request to discard a vice??. Makes me question if it truly was a friendship, and not a "piss me off and you're gone", contract.

A great personality on the surface had hidden a lack of character, and the skin deep beauty, stripped away to reveal a vindictive and ugly trait that spit venom when things did not go her way. This happens with men too , the charmer suddenly becomes a wife beater, or verbal abuser. The handsome devil, key word being DEVIL, suddenly reveals his horns.

MOMENT OF CLARITY!!,
Don't get too carried away with personality ,closely examine a person's character and stay far away from those that refuse to be corrected and wear their vices like a merit badge to be proud of.

Male or Female ,Beauty(Great Looks) and Personality are subject to depreciation depending on time and circumstances. Beauty will fade or become you will become jaded with it, and someone hotter will always be round the corner. Think about it, Look what happened to Halle Berry and Eric Bennet. How many times did Elizabeth Taylor marry, more than 5 times, and she was one of the most beautiful women to ever grace movie screens. Beauty can't sustain a relationship. Neither will money, look at the number of marriages Donald Trump has had.

Personality is like cotton candy, it tastes good but offers no substance or nutrition. You enjoy it, but it can't help you heal when you're hurting or grow from tough circumstance. Personality is important, but the not the end all.

CHARACTER on the other hand;like fine wine grows in the midst of those very same circumstances. Character is that palm tree in Florida that survives the hurricanes and comes out stronger, while personality either; collapses, runs for cover or disappears at the first sign of adversity and rarely comes out better from that experience.

Beyond human beauty, this applies to other aspects of life. A house might be beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, the walls are cracking, the electrical work is badly insulated and the plumbing is leaking. People driving by would go "WOW ,what a beautiful house, you're so lucky" only those that actually invested emotions,finances and actually in that house would know the raw deal the of un-investigated beauty pays.

There will be business deals( relationship), that are a sweet deal on the surface, maybe even genuinely. But if we are dealing with a person that lack integrity, and believes "the end justifies the means, use any and all means necessary" . We only have ourselves to blame when unpleasant things happen.

RANDOM THOUGHTS- SCiTOMA, "SETTLING", AND LESS THAN PERFECT

2010-02-12T06:58:00.000-08:00

A little under a year ago, i got into a debate with three people, a very LONG debate about relationships.I held the side of the debate that in a marriage partner, i wanted a woman that was God fearing(un rivalled passion for Holiness), Gorgeous, Modest, Intelligent, Funny and really down to earth. At the risk of sounding narcissistic,i went to say she had to be much more better looking than me, the kids gotta get their looks from their gorgeous mom,lol.

Now, I'm not Adonis, or whoever happens to be the current heartthrob of the ladies,but i hold my own. They went livid at my expectations, these three people told me that i was naive, it was impossible to find such a woman.From their intensity, there weren't saying I ,couldn't find her, but that she simply did not exist,anywhere in this solar system .The went on to say i was not being realistic and i should expect to settle for much less, (dunno if that was praise for me, or a diss)

I couldn't believe it!!!, What was i hearing!!!. Settle for less!!! Were those traits too much to ask for? Is there not a woman on the planet that meets those criteria?? I mean, if someone possessed all those would see implode because no one person can have all those traits.

This debate went of for several hours , back and forth. I made my case, but they always shot me down, telling me i was living in a fantasy world, and i was not going to find such a woman on this planet. I should be like everyone else and SETTLE( I'm beginning to resent that term). After all, the married one's amongst them had settled for less than they wanted or expected and the others in dating relationships had also settled. (Little wonder ,confusion and compatibility issues always arose in those relationships)

When i told them that i actually had a friend in my college days that had everyone of those traits, they fought me on it, and said

-i was lying, and didn't know her well enough

-Since i had not dated her , i was not clued in to the real her. ,

-if she really had all those traits , why wasn't i with her right now.

My point wasn't if i was with her or not, the point was that i had seen someone with all those traits. They fought me relentlessly, telling me since there was no romance involved i didn't know the real deal about her. It made me wonder why they were so determined to disprove my claim.

Ok, here's the Haymaker. The other three people on the opposite side of the debate ,were ALL WOMEN!!!!.

They insisted that settling was the key to being in a relationship. I couldn't understand it, were they telling me that , they didn't have embody those traits,? None of their friends,sisters, cousins anywhere in the world had or could embody all those traits. You would think i was asking
for Wonder Woman's genetic identical .

I dunno about anyone else , but I'm still not convinced by the concept of "settling". In fact, no matter how great a relationship is going, if i find out that a woman i am seeing considers me settlement, there are gonna to be issues that day.

NOW granted, some people have their head in the clouds about their expectations from a partner in a relationship. Their perspective is clouded by what they've seen in romance movies,watched on day time soaps, read in soft sell novels. Those unrealistic blinders are what cause problems in their relationships or their attempts to enter one. THAT is a different topic entirely.

We don't settle for friendships do we? We don't look round, and then pick friends out of the lowest of the low. We don't see people, that don't share our values,beliefs have parallel direction in life ,and then go "oh, i can't find anyone else, so I'll pick that one, that will cause me frustration for the duration of the friendship"

If you are going to spend the rest of your life with this person, do you really want to wake up in the morning, see your spouse, and have nagging at the back of your mind "i could have done much better".

Soon, that nagging thought is going to become bitterness in your conscious mind. Whenever you spouse does something lower than your expectations and resentment for your choice slowly builds. You will become like the man, that ordered something at the restaurant, and then sees what the patron on the next table is having and wishes he ordered that instead.

I'm not saying we should seek perfection in a potential spouse. As there are no perfect human beings, the perfect man or perfect woman is an impossibility. However, we can still find that person we want, without succumbing to the idea of settling.

Settling is : "I can use save up for the house i really want for the next 6 months, and sacrifice some special treats". OR "I can still enjoy my treats ,make no sacrifice and settle for a 1 bedroom flat available right now, and then console ourselves with the rationale after all, why do i need a house ,when a flat will do".

Pretty soon, when friends that endured annoying room mates, while sacrificing and saving, move into their own places, you begin to feel like a prisoner in that flat that you settled for. It's suddenly not so homely, and is too small. Now for someone else that REALLY wanted a flat, it's a great place, but not for YOU since you settled.

Peak performance coach, Tony Robbins, has several saying "Our lives are nothing but a mirror of our most consistent thoughts" he is also known to say We get more of what we focus on. another one is we have no limitations, our only limitations are our expectations

In the Bible ,Job said What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.Job 3:25 And guess what!, His worse nightmare manifested in his life.

What is my point with those quotes?

As long we limit ourselves to "settling", we should not be surprised when we get it.
As long as we operate through the mental blinders, and the paradigm of, i'll never find such and such a person with these certain traits. Our mind shuts out all those people present.

When we do that,we have given our subconscious the direct command to make us blind to those people and it obeys since it does not distinct fact from fiction. Psychologists call it , Scitoma, a blind spot, that stops us from seeing what is right in front of us.

A man that wears yellow tinted shades will see the world as yellow and would never be unable to see other colors properly. Every color would be distorted and perceived through yellow, until he removes those tints. The same goes for everything else in life, when we wear those settle tints, that is what we will consistently get.

I'm not suggesting, searching or waiting for perfection , because as humans that is never going to exist, and if we aren't perfect, it's unfair to expect it from someone else. If we have run off every prospective person because we are petty about habits which are changeable, that's our own fault, and should not assume that there are no available people with our desired traits. The friend i admired was not perfect,(was a bit loco which i liked),I actually did make a move, but she turned me down :(, but that did not take away the fact she had the desired traits, and ironically we become closer friends after the turn down.( imagine that)

I think romance is a little......ok HUGELY overrated. People skip the friendship foundation, in search for someone that lights a spark. Problem with a spark, that it there for less than a second, and gone with no evidence of it ever existed.

When finding a partner,(speaking as a guy now,ladies can flip it) it should be more than just physical attraction, or earning power.

It should be someone years down the marriage ,you will be willing to care for when she's sick in bed and you haven't kissed or made love in months, but you are still crazy about her.

You should be a better man spiritually, emotionally, psychologically and financially as a result of having her in your life.

YES, romance is important, BUT no human has the energy to be romantic 24/7 , 52 Weeks 365 Days. Even if by some miracle some is, it get's old and not so exciting after a while.When dating, if you do not have a GREAT friendship with that person, and it's only romance you seek, that relationship is VERY likely to have short lifespan.

I will leave you with a quote from an unlikely source.

If you’re not married to your best friend, the marriage may have an issue at a certain point.-Ashton Kutcher

RANDOM THOUGHTS - RESTAURANTS, GREAT SHOES AND BUYER'S REMORSE

2010-02-11T04:37:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been to a restaurant, you arrive and you look at the menu. Depending on the time of the month and your financial status , you look at what they have and then look at what you can afford. You then make your order, somewhat satisfied with the same order you make every time you are there. When your food arrives you dig and savor the taste taste quenches your hunger. Then the waiter brings the food of the person at the next table, the fragrance lifts you off your seat. You wish you had ordered what he had ordered even if it cost a little more, and your food begins to less appealing.

Have you ever been on the high street or in the mall. As you pass by a shop, something catches your eye. It's amazing, so beautiful, you can't take your eyes off it. Without a second thought you rush into the shop and put it on your credit card, even though you know you can't afford it. You take it home and try it on, and absolutely love it.

THE MORNING AFTER

You wake up and see the newly purchased item , and it doesn't look so good. In fact, you are thinking What on earth was i thinking???. But it's too late, you have spent the money, and are stuck with something you don't want. Ladies will be more familiar with this. Those shoes that are too tight, but look so great, you still buy them, and then a day later they look ugly,don't match anything in your wardrobe and now you have a debt that isn't worth it.

It's called Buyer's Remorse.

Unfortunately, many people take this approach to relationships. They see or meet someone and get all excited. Like the person that rushes into the store without a second thought and put that item on the card, they rush into relationships; relationships that they can not psychologically, emotionally ,financially or spiritually afford in the long run.

Unlike the shoes, they may enjoy the sensation for weeks or even months, before remorse of some sort kicks in. They have invested in a person, a relationship, that may have some sort of value, but is more of a burden than they bargained for.

I'm not a relationship expert.In fact, i've been told categorically that because i don't bounce in and out of relationships every so often, i know nothing. So you can discard these analogies, and tell me that

"Love is not a science".
"It's not black and white", and my personal favorite
"You can't translate such analogies to real life,things don't always work out that way",

MAYBE, but one thing i know is, i can vicariously learn from other people's mistakes and avoid them myself . I've seen too many "madly in love" engagements scatter beyond repair within a few minutes, and it had nothing to do with cheating .I dunno about you, but i bruise like a grape,and I'd rather learn vicariously from those observations than experience it for my self.

Many of those that tend to make those excuses, are caught in vicious cycle.

They are in and out of the same type of relationships 2 or 3 times within an 18 months span. They'd rather endure the pain of temporary pleasure they get from those relationships, than the pain and patience of some ALONE time without any form of romantic involvement.A time they take to discover themselves and working on becoming the person that is ready for a better longer lasting and permanent relationship.

As Valentines is round the corner, i wish you all the very best, and hope that the impulse factor doesn't play a part, for this one day event. And over emotional choices are not made that bring upon buyer's remorse.

Lead your life with your heart, but guide & manage your choices with your head

FRIENDS AND LOVERS minus THE IMPULSE FACTOR (concluded)

2010-02-05T07:07:00.000-08:00

I saw a documentary several years back which claimed according to scientific research, the maximum the neuro chemical reaction lasts is seven years,7 YEARS!!!.

Hench the theory of the “7 year itch” The only thing that can keep a relationship going after that is the foundation it was built on , which comes back to the friendship I’ve been talking about.

I guess I can understand the concept, in my case as a man, meeting a hot new girl , and going though the process of “pulling” , there’s a lot of excitement in that. After all, there’s nothing like being the one with the new hottie in town. But just because our body is saying YES, do we do so?

If i have diabetes and that pack of Haribos or Ben & Jerry’s is calling out, Do i answer?

Whatever i discover along the line upon taking that action, I have only myself to blame, cause I jumped into this relationship head first (or otherwise) with my eyes closed.

Taking another analogy from the movies, this time being, 'Brown Sugar'(Taye Diggs ,Sanaa Lathan), the two life long friends eventually fell in love with each other, because no one knew them the way they knew each other. The people that pure physical attraction brought them to didn’t work out, because those couldn’t see beyond what they could see and “feel”.

YES, i know, life doesn’t always work out that way, or have a Hollywood ending,

YES i know it's not a science you can sit down and draw on a chalk board, but why bother with all the repeated heart wrenching, when a little patience and sound thinking can change the entire equation to your favor.

I'm not saying that physical attraction is not important I appreciate Beauty,and finding a woman attractive . Attraction definitely has it's place, i'll be the last person to deny that. I have female friends i find VERY attractive, but that does not mean im going to chase them for a relationship based only on attractiveness(id be in deep trouble if it were so). SO,please, im not saying attraction is not important.

What I'm just saying,is that we should not leap into a relationship with a person whose character we have not discovered. A person we have not built at least some level of friendship with, because we have been conditioned by high school TV shows and rom coms to move on impulse based on physical attraction. There may and will be cases where the couple go on to dig deep and actually do get to know each other and it becomes solid,but we all know that is not often the case.Not EVERY mutual attraction means a relationship should result.

It's not an absolute science, but it certainly beats crying in your cheerios, because you've been dumped and replaced as a result of that very same 'impulse factor'. There may be cases where impulse has lead to a great marriage, but then again those are very minute cases in contrast to those that don't.

I personally don't believe in recreational dating, dating without a purpose, or simply doing it cos you feel it's the thing to do and want to have someone to make out with(snog),bump hips and have your arm around on a weekend.

I believe you can get to know a person, and have a better chance of knowing the real person as a friend or neutrally , when neither one of us,is not putting on a show for dating impressions.

Dating should have a destination,which is usually courtship and then to tying the knot. (a topic for another day) YES, not all of them will end up in marriage, but at least you'll know you thought it through before taking a swan dive into it.

Take a look at any Happy successful marriage relationship and you would mostly likely find out that they’d reveal that they have a great friendship.When I say successful ,just still being together is not in that definition, THAT, is called being flatmates. There's a difference between existing together and living together.

Which is why it makes no sense for a husband or wife to have a best friend that is a confidant outside, but that is a topic for another day.

© 2009 OLUDASCRIBE Ltd.
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LIFE LESSONS FROM CLASSIC MOVIE CHARACTERS

2010-02-03T07:25:00.000-08:00

In the movie Back to the Future(1985). A 1980's teenager, finds him self transported back to 1965, in a time machine created my his mad scientist friend .He interrupts his teenage parents from meeting and falling in love and now has to fix it, or face being erased from his own future.

Back to the Future is one of my favorite movies. Written &Directed by Robert Zemekis, the man behind movies like Romancing the Stone, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and more recently Beouwulf. Apart from it being a phenomenally well made movie , 25 years on, the movie has stood up well, you rarely get a dated vibe from it. It matches and even surpasses many movies made with superior technology and larger budgets. With a stellar cast, and a phenomenal script, it's a family classic to be enjoyed for generations to come.

There are many lessons to be learned from the movie. The story presents the protagonist ,Marty McFly(Michael J Fox, Spin City) with a lot of choices from the beginning to the end. A wavelength of peaks and dips character arc is formed from the first installment, till the last third and final in the franchise, in which he grows,regresses and learns lesson that profoundly have a deep impact on him.

Marty had a notorious temper, which everyone knew him for, and he did not like to back down from a challenge or insult.We see him in many situations, and this pattern begins to appear in his life, due to the choices he makes. With each installment, he faces antagonist Biff Tannen and the various incarnation of him draws Marty into a situation and his short fuse causes him to react, and with each reaction there is a consequence, which increases the difficulty of his mission.

His choice to react(-ve) instead of responding, enacted the law of cause and effect in his life unfailingly every single time. Not until the third installment, do we see him respond to a situation, and when he does this he literally saves his life and his future.

Think about it, when you are given a prescription by a doctor, you either respond to the healing of the medicine, or your body disagrees with the chemicals and it reacts causing anything from rashes ,nausea, vomiting and an assortment of unpleasant experiences.

Life is very similar, the difference is we are in control of which way we go.In situation that arise, the choice we make, can either light a fuse ,or quench a fire. We can either strike up a friendship, or completely burn our bridges. King Solomon, the richest and wisest man to ever live said If you cannot control your anger, you are as helpless as a city without walls, open to attack.- Proverbs 15:18.

If you've ever seen The God Father,SPOLIER ALERT and the character of Sonny played by James Caan, you would understand how profound a passage this is from over 2000 years ago. Sonny was notorious for his temper, Mt Saint Sonny erupted like clockwork, you knew the trigger to get a rise out of him. He never failed to react like the Hulk whenever something displeased him.His enemies knew this and used this against him, and he died in a hail of bullets as a result.

Marty took pride in his anger, and how he used it to handle his challenges, and it always escalated a situation. His choice of anger always caused a ripple effect to his immediate or long term future, which had him running from pillar to post trying to rectify.

Unlike Marty, none of us is going to have access to a time machine to go back and fix the mistakes we make. The choices we make now, in our relationships, careers, finances will have an effect somewhere down the line. The Christians and Jews call it, the law of sowing and reaping, the Buddhists call is Karma, Psychologists call it the law of Cause and Effect. Whatever label one chooses to remember it by, from now on we should take away that famous battle ready line from Maximus in the Oscar Winning movie Gladiator

What we do in this life, echoes in eternity

FRIENDS AND LOVERS minus THE IMPULSE FACTOR

2010-02-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

For a long time I never understood the fine line that many people drew between friendships and dating/romantic relationships. They always believe that the two are complete and separate things. But then ,why the name boyfriend/girlfriend ?

The suffix friend, at the end has already made certain the definition. A friend can be defined as somebody emotionally close, somebody who one trusts and is fond of, another definition is somebody that you know well and enjoy spending time with.

If a boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t fall under this category,you'll have to break it down to me like i'm a two year old cos I don’t know who does.

Sometimes you notice a strong friendship between a guy and a girl.To you and everyone that knows them, it is obvious that they have feelings, or at least care deeply for each other. When you tell either one of them, that they should take their relationship to the next level, the response usually is “we are too close”, “I’ve told him/her too much”, “it will spoil our friendship”. Does anyone see where I’m going with this?

You say you can’t date a friend, because they know too much about you!!! Exactly who then, do want to date!!!!, Someone that doesn’t know jack about you!!!

The irony of it, is that when one actually decides to date someone else, that was not previously a friend, they complain with one variation of, “he doesn’t understand me”, “we don’t seem to connect”, “she does not like to do the things i like” NOW WHOSE FAULT IS THAT?

I don’t know about the ladies but guys are usually advised by their friends not to get too close with a girl they are interested in, because she would take you as a friend and you would be stuck in the Friendship Zone FOREVER. Sadly it's truly happens, sometimes , not totally the ladies fault. maybe the dude losses :"the edge" or "mystery" that keeps him interesting on more than a platonic level, and he unconsciously plays the role similar to that of her female friends

Hence, why many ladies ignore the guy that has been there for them , the “nice guy”, who cares, but can never be anything more, and go for the quote “bad boy” who is more; adventurous,dangerous, mysterious , And as in any adventure, someone is going to come out with a few bruises and possibly broken bones, metaphorically, and sadly sometimes physically.

As defined earlier what exactly is a boyfriend or girlfriend; If they aren’t someone that knows you well and you enjoy spending time with.

I have always been of the belief and practice that if I really like a girl, I’d prefer to have a close friendship which would develop into a dating relationship by the time we both realize those feelings, and decide to elevate things. I ADMIT, It really has not worked out that way,still figuring it out, but i honestly still think it is better than ricocheting in and out of relationships every few months , engaging in an emotional and psychological traumatizing game of trail & error.

My point is , do we get intimate with a person before we actually get to know them as a person?

Who else would we be able to get along with than a friend?

Once again , don’t get this twisted, I’m not saying we should only date people that are already our friends, but why not develop a friendship with that person FIRST before opening our heart to them, and then later on start whining & sobbing about how the b*****d or b***h used,abused, then threw us away like a banana peel.

I think the problem with many of us, is that we fail to see what is right in front of us until it’s too late. I hate to use this analogy but I will anyway.

From the hit show,Dawson's Creek, take Dawson(James Van Ber Beek) and Joey(Katie Holmes),they’re best buds and are closer than close, both attractive , they know each other inside out and talk about everything. Dawson was lusting after the “forbidden fruit”(one that momma warned you about) girl, and failed to realize what he had all this time, until some else came and swept her off her feet, that’s when he started pining for her.

We too many times give in to the raw attraction we have to someone .

We guys, would probably be too wrapped up in the girls looks to think of anything else initially.

The girls, wrapped up in charm or charisma. We have not taken the time to discover WHO that person really is .

Like raw meat , which uncooked, is unsanitary,we often dive into romance without platonically sanitizing the person. Raw meat is good for Lions, but not for humans.

If we lack the patience to ;season it , marinade it and then cook it, before consumption, we may satisfy the immediate hunger , but the consequences of that choice will inevitably arise.

Using another food analogy. A meal which takes a few hours to cook, will always be more nutritious and satisfying, than a microwave dinner, which may look good, satisfy the immediate hunger, but ultimately is not really beneficial as it is full of artificial preservatives as opposed to natural and healthy ingredients.

Personally for me, the topmost thing that comes is CHARACTER.

If she fails that test she could have Eva Longoria’s sex appeal, Janet Jackson’s smile ,Angelina Jolie’s lips and Shakira's body and I wouldn’t have a further thought.(Yes I know, you find that hard to believe).But many times we cast off restraints,and just think to our reasoning,"forget anything else, dude SHE’S HOT!!!” ,and i really can’t blame anyone. Self restraint over centuries of genetic programming, rarely wins and those that do forgo that opportunity, often wonder, hmmmm what could have been?

But the results of entering a relation based purely and only on the synapses the person's great looks, fires off in our brains , rarely has chance of thriving. I've seen an 'Angel', switch to a screaming venom spitting Banshee, within a fraction of a second over a very trivial and petty issue.

Too many people may have nothing whatsoever in common, but the “I’m cute I think your cute, let’s get together” seals the deal, which is enough for the first date.

The next few dates will probably consist of making out( snogging), this will go on for a while and by the time they go all the way(home plate: fourth base,YATZEEE). They get bored and break up, the time of this break up varies , it may take between weeks or years but it's inevitable, one party or both suffering heart break.

From that point either(or both) find a rebound guy/girl or they start all over again with a new person. It’s a vicious cycle that a lot of us needlessly put ourselves through.

Every relationship is about foundation, whether it be your normal platonic friendship, or family relationship or that with a romantic interest, it’s all about foundations.

British performer ,Kate Nash put it this way, “my finger tips are holding on ,to the cracks of our foundation”.

Like any building that is built on a faulty foundation, it is all a matter of time before it comes caving in on you. When the waves come it's washed away like and the pieces lay strewn across the shore.

When the big bad wolf huffs and puffs, the house which; triviality,impulse,lust or chemical reactions based only on physical attraction built, would come tumbling down.

A relationship is a vehicle that carries the involved parties towards a desired destination. So picture a dating relationship started on impulse as a bullet train. Since no foundation was built , it moves from 0- 60mph within 4 seconds, and gains momentum .

Suddenly one party realizes the train is taking them in a direction that they do not want to go, and wants to stop the train. It's difficult to stop a bullet train that has gained momentum. A break up is slamming on the brakes and by the laws of physics (and Hollywood movies) there is only thing that can happen, that train is going to derail and people are either going to die or come out with severe injuries.

NOW If the relationship has built up momentum, from a stroll , to a horse drawn carriage, to a car, both parties would have realized early if this was right for them. Let's face it , even marriages do not move at that bullet train speed.

The reason why many relationships fail is that they have faulty foundations. Foundations built solely on physical attraction and the way you 'feel' around them that can never last tough times and storms. Foundations, falsely reinforced by the physical activity that occupies time spent together creating drug like chemical reactions we get addicted to.

If making out ,and as a friend of mine puts it, “sack session” is ALL that takes up the entire time a dating couple spend together,

What happens the rest of the time?, or When your body is incapable of physical activity of that kind? What happens when the hottie , starts to look like the mom Cruella De Ville, or the Stud is more Homer Simpson than Adonis??

I admit, i honestly don't know what i'd do in that situation. Thus the reason for building a STRONG foundation beyond superficiality or just looks or how fun they are, personality does not often remain when facing adversity but character does.

Those “feelings” you have are just hormonal neuro chemical reactions that would wear away with time,

Then what!!!

After all the making out and “making love” , the question is “What else do you have, that brings you together? That KEEPS you together?

If some social, medical or political condition required that for an undisclosed number of months, your relationship must ONLY consist of sitting and talking , and the only physical contact allowed was holding hands.

How long would you last?

Would you be able to hold conversations and just enjoy each others company ONLY talking to each other?

TO BE CONTINUED

LIFE LESSONS FROM CLASSIC CARTOON CHARACTERS

2010-01-29T05:19:00.001-08:00

Most of us grew up watching cartoons as children. The classic Tom and Jerry, beyond a doubt, has to be one of the most popular and generation bridging cartoons ever. The rivalry between the two spanned over 50 years. Each episodes would begin with Tom scheming about how he could turn Jerry into a tasty morsel. But no matter how hard he tried, Jerry always found some way to escape, even after Tom had succeeded in swallowing him.

In the Looney Toons cartoons, there have also been many similar rivalries. Elmer Fudd has hunted Bugs for many years without much success, but he keeps coming back to get that “scwewy” wabbit.

The constant hunt for the road runner by Wild E Coyote also has to be one of the most determined series of plots in cartoon history. He usually has a perfect plan, which should work by all logical means, but someway or somehow, the road runner always manages to get away.

Sylvester is another popular character that has a similarly determined mindset for turning Tweety into his lunch, or sometimes he’s just minding his own business, but he somehow always manages to get into trouble.

What is the point of all this cartoon referencing? What do all these rivalries have to do with anything in life? Is there something that Elmer, Sylvester, Tom and Wild E Coyote all have in common? The answer is tenacity, and they all have it.

Each one has a goal that they want to achieve, usually lunch. No matter how many times they get outsmarted, bashed, slammed into the side of mountains or squashed by falling anvils they keep striving after their goal, simply because they can see it in their mind’s eye. They always know what they want, and they are not going to let a few obstacles – whether it be the IQ of their opponent, the height of what they are striving for or the fact that what they are after is moving at a faster speed than what they can keep up with. They just find a way to do it

Consider The Road Runner, Jerry, Tweety, and Bugs Bunny to be the ultimate survivors. No matter what their hunters use to come against them, they always find a way to survive. No matter how many times they get trapped, they constantly find a relevant means of escape. Think about it, have you ever watched a Looney Toons cartoon, in which Wild E Coyote succeeded in completely capturing the road runner or that Bugs didn’t escape Elmer’s capture? No matter what the situation, they both exhibit their true nature. Bugs Bunny has the nature to survive at all costs and Elmer Fudd has relentless tenacity, no matter how many times he has previously failed.

Another group of cartoon characters I greatly admire are Top Cat (TC) and Yogi Bear. These guys are what I’d like to call, “The Original Kings of Hustle”. Top Cat is an entrepreneur, someone who brims with confidence and never allows anything to get him down. When he faces an obstacle he simply finds a way to overcome it. Whether it be a lack of money, assets or staff or occasional human obstacles in the form of officer Dibble, his brain always begins to work and he succeeds in overcoming the interference in some manner. Despite the fact that all of his ventures end up collapsing, he always keeps on trying, and the spirit within him never die.

The same goes for one famous Jellystone Park resident who is “smarter than the average bear”. He is the mammal that had exquisite taste long before Remy rat. Unlike the other bears that are satisfied with fruits nuts and berries, he longs for more, picnic baskets in particular. Despite all of the obstacles facing him, usually in the form of Ranger Smith who represents authority figures, or by his fellow bears who are satisfied with what they can rummage around, he wants something better. Usually there are things that people will tell him are not meant for bears, saying that they are out of his league and convincing him that he should stick to what he knows. Yogi never lets any of that veer his determination, and due to his extreme perseverance, more often than not, he succeeds.

Life is not very much different. Like the little kids playing or the cartoon character that falls down or is losing, we do not want to just give up and quit. There are always going to obstacles in our way. Even as babies when we gradually learned to walk, gravity was constantly an obstacle. We plainly fell down several (hundred) times, but that didn’t stop us from trying. Today we walk without even giving it a second thought, or remembering how difficult it was for us to learn.

Children usually fall down many times and get back up without even a second thought when playing “cops and robbers” or “tag”. Many of us have also played some form of sports and loved it. There is no doubt at some point in time that we lost a game or missed a shot, but we learned not to quit because of that.

Like those cartoon characters that kept going despite several knock downs or defeats, if we have a strong enough vision, we should not allow any failure to make us quit. Most of the successful people in history and in the world today have had so many failures that it’s a wonder that they kept on going at all.

-Col Sanders the founder of KFC had about 1009 rejections for his recipe,

-Abraham Lincoln failed in getting elected for many different offices,

-JK Rowling received many rejection slips,

-Steven King threw away the manuscript for “Carrie”, because of so many rejections.

-Bing Crosby was written off by a casting director.

-Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper cause he had "no creative talent"

-Sylvester Stallone was constantly rejected as an actor cos "he'd never be a star" .

-Google's founders tried to partner with Yahoo. They were told to take their "little project" and come back when they finished college.

ARE YOU SEEING A PATTERN HERE?

It’s not going to be easy, but no matter how many falling cartoon anvils get dropped on us, and no matter how many mountain sides we smash into – if our dreams are truly worth it, we should learn from our favorite cartoon characters, and never give up.

THE PATH OF YOUR DESTINY

2010-01-27T07:33:00.000-08:00

It does not take a genius to figure out that you are never going to make a fortune by being an employee of a company on a salary . Even the CEO and President of companies can be fired and out of a job at anytime.

Many people have the fantasy of becoming celebrities,singers, actors ,sports stars, where we make millions every year and are living la vida loca. This is a very false path to wealth. We have all read the head lines. We know the story of MC Hammer , who was one of the most successful in his hey days, within the blink of of an eye he became penniless and declared bankruptcy.

Coolio ,was one of the most aired rappers in the 90’s ,Gangsta’s Paradise was a hit all around the world. Where is he now ?

We have known the stories of sports stars; Football players,Basket Ball Players who get injured ,are dropped or retire and from having 6 cars ,and 4 homes are now filing for bankruptcy and appearing on “has been” celebrity reality shows. They have lost their homes, their cars have been repossessed and all their assets have been sold to pay off debts and pay the tax man (Uncle Sam).

Only in the past ten years have we seen celebrities wised up and started making investments and diversifying their portfolio. As teenagers and college students, many of us have worn the Sean Johns, Roca Wear ,Wu Wear etc . People like Jay Z have invested in real estate, own restaurants. People like 50¢ (Fiddy) have branded them selves . We know the story of his $300 million vitamin water he has his G Unit shoes and clothing line, his record label, and many other investments.

I use theses names not to glorify or exalt what they do, but to point out a key thing with is INVESTMENT. Now, they could have sat down and waited for their royalty checks to come in, which would have been more than enough to live a very good life. They could have been satisfied with the comfort of only using their time and talent for money just like their predecessors . They however choose to be different they saw a chance to live larger than their dreams and they took it. They made investments, in companies,businesses and ideas. Which have made them 300% more fortune than they would ever have made performing and selling records.

Many of us will never become platinum selling recording artists, nor would we be paid $20 million per movie, but does this mean that we can not be financially free? Does this mean that we have to live a 9 to 5 life exchanging our time for money?

THANKFULLY NO.

There is a saying that goes

“Success is not something to be pursued, but something that is drawn to the person that you become.

There is another saying that goes

“You have got to build the man before you build the money”

I guarantee you that if you do the research of 99.9% of lottery winners all around the world, within 2 years time or a maximum of 7 years if they last that long ,they are completely broke, even worse off than they were before they won the lottery. Why is that? Because they do not have the right or appropriate mindset. They did not sit down to think of how this new situation would remain permanent, all they had on their minds was SPEND SPEND SPEND. Their minds were not changed despite their situation.

Look at it this way, imagine you find a house,one of those creepy old houses from the movies.One that has faulty foundations, shaky walls, creaking ceilings, and peeling paint. What if you paint that house ,with the most expensive emulsion paint, and get it looking brand new, the key word being “looking”. We have the house looking new, but it is still the same old house. It has changed on the outside but not on the inside, and pretty soon it would return to it’s former state.

It is insanity to keep doing the same thing and expect different results. We can not have a 9 to 5 ,despite the bonuses, and the raises and expect to be wealthy. If we do not invest those salaries or bonuses instead of splashing out on a new car or suit when we get that extra cash we will always remain in the same financial situation.

If you speak to any millionaire or billionaire. If you speak to anyone that is financially successful and on their own companies. Whether it be Richard Branson,Donald Trump or Robert Kiyosaki , they all talk about one thing. Personal Development. They all are constantly reading books, attending seminars, listening to motivational messages. They have a constant thirst for knowledge and they spare no cost to get it. They are always up to speed with what is happening and do not waste time on mundane things like many of us do. Are any of these guys geniuses, no not according to MENSA ratings. CAN WE DO WHAT THEY DID ?, YESSSS.

We often worry and complain about our financial life, but very few of us take the steps to make it better. We wait for others like our bosses, family, or the government, to make that change.
Do today what others don’t, to have tomorrow what others won’t.

A formal education will make you a living, but self help will make you a fortune.

-Jim Rohn

For many of us , we constantly heard, go to school, get straight A’s if possible, pass SAT or A levels and get into University so you could land a good job, where they can have “job security” and get a pension to retire on.

Renowned business man and motivational speaker Jim Rohn says “Profits are better than Wages”.

Profits will make you wealthy, Wages will keep you surviving.

Many of those in paid employment , the job that you have means Just Over Broke, where there is more month at the end of the money. If the money you earn now is barley enough to cover all your bills and save just a little. Why on earth would that be enough to survive on when you retire!

The fact is that many of us We’ll think nothing of spending hundreds, on fuels for our vehicles, but very little on fuel for our minds?-Matt Morris(Author: 7 Secret to 7 figures & The Unemployed Millionaire)

We would spend money on a suit, or a movie ,but can not spend a fraction of the cost to on a book to educate our minds.Yet we fantasize about wealth but are not ready to take the pains,take the necessary steps to make those things come to pass.

There is a plethora of books that we can learn from, only a click away at Amazon, EBay . Instead of buying music off i tunes that you would soon get tired of, buy a book. If you can not buy ,borrow from your local library. One thing i want to point out it that if you make the commitment to buying a copy for your self, that shows the dedication you have to change your life.

If you don't intend to start your own business, but wish to plug in, to an already established company, that can help you start on the path to financial freedom. you may want to consider a home based business.

Home Business or Network Marketing, has given financial freedom to more people, and created more millionaires than any other industry.

If you want to invest in one, do your due diligence and investigate which would work best for you.

investigate before you invest

Find a company whose products you can get passionate about and stay with for the long term partnership. A great team that can help you towards achieving your financial freedom.

There are many companies out there, travel, nutrition, telecoms and a variety of other products, each with it's own unique compensation plan.

If you are interested in searching for a home based business with a great team and plan. With a low start up cost ,you could radically change the course of your financial future.

You can take a look at this video http://www.myfortuneroadmap.com/ and once you make a decision to go for it you can sign up at http://www.harvest.lgnprosperity.com/ and get started to becoming your own boss.

Decisions decide wealth, make a decision today to charter the new direction of your future .

SEE YOU AT THE TOP

FINDING AND WALKING THE PATH OF YOUR DESTINY

2010-01-12T16:22:00.000-08:00

The Encarta dictionary defines educating as the imparting and acquiring of knowledge through teaching and learning, especially at a school or similar institution.

Formal education is looked upon as the key to having a successful life by many people all over the world. Young people across the globe have it drummed into their ears by their parents, uncles and aunts “work hard, get good grades so you can go to university get a degree and get a good secure job”.

Thus being the reason that many students enter the university and go for medicine ,engineering , law or accountancy , because these are seen as the prestigious courses that can get you a high income job in strong companies and the like.

But is that really the only means or guarantee to success in life and career?

I believe that everyone is born with something within them , which is essentially “the goose that lays the golden egg”. There are several groups into which these can be classified. One group of people “the intellectuals” are natural readers, they love to absorb and disperse information they love to analyze. This group consists of the doctors, lawyers professors and research scientists, mathematicians etc.

Another group read less and do more, they are good with their hands give them a television that is inoperative and they would dismantle it examine it to find the problem and fix it, these are the the technical” .

Another group are those that come up with things from within themselves, I would call them “the creatives”, they are the actors, recording artists, sculptors, poets, playwrights etc.

A completely different group is “the athletes” , they are blessed with physical prowess and excel well above their peers in sports. An individual from the athletes group, can never find fulfillment if he is studying medicine in the university, he may excel but deep down he’s know there is something missing in his life.

There is the age old belief that without a university degree one can not be successful financially and otherwise in life, but is that really true ?

What about those that have learning disabilities, are they doomed to be failures? Dyslexia, a condition that causes the inability to read or write it is known as a special reading disorder, it occurs in 10 to 20 percent of the world’s population and it has different levels of intensity.

One of the characteristics is having problem distinguishing the various sounds or phenoms that make up speech. It is rarely diagnosed and sufferers usually suffer the stigma of being labeled dumb or stupid and relegated to the background. Is there any fate for such people? If they can’t learn, read or write won’t they have difficulty making a living?

Apparently, the saying “when God takes something away , he gives something else” rings true in their case. For the first time, new research shows that entrepreneurs are five times more likely to suffer from dyslexia than your average citizen, some of the world’s leading entrepreneurs such as Sir Richard Branson, and Anita Roddick of The Body Shop allegedly suffer from dyslexia.

Branson ,whose Virgin empire includes Telecoms, Soft drinks, Air and Rail transport, Radio and a record company has a personal net worth of over £3 billion, he never walked the halls of a university and has admitted he's not too savy with accounting statements.

World renowned Public and motivational speaker Les Brown was labeled educable mentally retarded when he was in high school, today he earns millions every year from speaking engagements for executives of Fortune 500 companies.

It is said that Dyslexia forces people to hunt for creative ways to steer through life,ain’t that the truth.

As mentioned earlier there are different groups that individuals belong to, and parents need to discover what group their child belongs to and guide them toward that path. The blinders need to come off our eyes, the blinders that have given us tunnel vision, and brainwashed us into thinking that university education, is the only light at the end of the tunnel.

Those in the intellectual group will acquire the degrees at the Universities . “The technical” would hone their skills by attending vocational colleges where they can learn to become world class craftsmen, electricians, blacksmiths, masons,H20 transportation engineers(plumbers), etc. Vocations which are certainly not in short demand, especially in the home development and real estate business.

Those in the creative group need to hone their ingrown talent by attending a school for music and performing arts like Julliard where they can major in courses like dance, vocals, a specific instrument or music production. Or going to schools for radio, television and film, whichever is their preference and strength.

For the athletes, they need a sports academy, much like Aspire, a school in Qatar that trains it’s students to be professional athletes, at the same time giving them an education to fall back after their professional careers end or they choose not to go that way. A similar school was portrayed in the Australian teen drama SWEAT.

The essential in life, is a basic secondary school education, which should be standard for every child , after they’ve crossed that bridge each should discover their path , which only they can tread. But even Brian Tracy a world renowned business mind never finished high school and today is one of the most respected business minds in world, authored books that train Business school graduates and CEO of fortune 500 companies. Many of the worlds greatest minds from Henry Ford ,to Einstien and Edison performed poorly while in school,but came out and impacted the world in massive ways.

When we assume that failure in education or lack of a job in a Blue chip company is the end of the road;the question we should ask ourselves is,

Where would these people be

Legendary producer Quincy Jones ,who have brought us some of our most loved songs .

Muhammed Ali, the man that made boxing an art form, an eternal sports icon and a man that showed the world what unshakable confidence can do for your life.

Football sensation Cristiano Ronaldo who has lead his former team Manchester United to victory several times, and is carving his name in the football hall of fame.

Crooner Frank Sinatra, a kid from humble beginnings went to seal his name forever in the history of music and has spawned a string of imitators in Harry Connick Jnr, Michael Buble ,

Movie visionaries Francis Ford Coppola, Ridley Scott ,Alfred Hitchcock,Orson Wells are some of the greatest directors of all time.Quentin Tarantino , whose movie Pulp Fiction is listed in the top ten regularly of the imdb top 250 movies of all time, once worked as a video store clerk.

What if all these people decided to give up, because they felt they had no future without a university degree????

Some of the biggest companies in the world today, were founded by those who just had a dream. Some of them were dubbed stupid ,dumb or retarded by teachers. Some of them were doing great in school, but found no satisfaction from learning theories that were not applicable in the real world. Many of the founders of our most beloved brands started those companies out of a desire within them that could not be satisfied working for a pay check.

Now , don’t get this twisted, i am not knocking or discouraging formal education , i believe and encourage that every one has the minimum of a secondary school education, (high school education to the Americans, and O Levels to the Europeans) But from that point , each has to discover what they have the potential for, whether it be in the Art,Science, Business or Sports.

However ,even amongst the professionals, many of them have come out of those in the much awed “prestigious” professions to enormous success using their gifts.

Best selling author John Grisham was trained as a Lawyer, same thing goes for Michael Crichton , who was trained as a Doctor, he went on to become a best selling author and producer of the Emmy Award winning television show ER and many of his novels have been made into blockbuster movies including; Congo,Coma Sphere,Rising Sun ,Jurassic Park and others .

Have you heard of the shows ;Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Public, Boston Legal, the man behind them is David E Kelley ,he was working in a law firm when a t.v executive came across a script he had written, the rest is history.

Oscar nominated and Grammy Winner Will Smith had a full scholarship to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),but had no intention of going to College because of a dream he had to pursue.

Friends cast member Lisa Kudrow , graduated with a BSc in Biology with an intention to pursue a career in research.

We all know the success they have gone on to achieve , in the careers that their parents fought tooth and nail against.

There are several success stories of those that never got a formal education, one of them is hip hop icon Jay Z , one of the most recognized names in music. Born into a poor home in Brooklyn ,New York, he is a classic rags to riches story. Starting as a young hustling rapper on the streets from scratch he slowly began to build an empire that includes a chain of night clubs, a clothing line and alcoholic beverages, he is part-owner of the NBA team the New Jersey Nets is former head honcho of Def Jam Records and a long line up of endorsements, a club franchise, and real estate .He has a personal net worth of over $300 million and growing, not bad for a kid that never finished high school.

You may go on to say that, i have no talent .

Paris Hilton happens to be one of the most recognized faces on television. The young socialite is a tabloid favorite parties with A list celebrities, she has no talent to speak of, has failed at both a music and acting career, but she gets paid more than some professional speakers to make appearance at social events. She has discovered and harnessed her exhibitionist talent and gets paid up to $100,000 to smile and wave for less than an hour.

Even a blogger the self titled Perez Hilton( no relation) has turned his love for gossip into a money spinning venture. I’m not encouraging you to be the next Paris or Perez Hilton, my point is that every one has some form of talent, deep within them all you have to do is look hard enough. I mean, look at the Spice Girls,Jedward and some of the people that got their 15 minutes of fame on a talent or reality tv show.

Diablo Cody(Juno writer) went from a stripper to an Oscar Winning screenwriter, you may question the validity or that Oscar decision, but she has achieved what can be called a film makers fantasy. She's working closely with moguls like Spielberg,he went looking for her. Some people in the industry all their life would kill for such. If she can do that what stops you from being the next big thing in your industry?

It's not going to be easy, nothing worthwhile ever is. But just like a lump of coal has to undergo pressure to release the diamond within, as a caterpillar has to go through the cocoon to become a butterfly, there would be a process you may have to go through, to come out shining like the star you were born to be.

Today anyone that uses the internet is bound to have come across Yahoo, Google, and Facebook , these global companies were all founded , in college dorm rooms, and made their young creators billionaires before the age of thirty, so their is yet hope for the so called “nerds”(book worms) without musical or athletic talent

In conclusion I will continue to emphasize the need for a basic secondary school education, and then the discovery of one’s own path . I recommend two books,

Start Small Finish Big by Fred Deluca co founder of Subways who started the franchise as a teenager looking for a way to fund his college education

and

The Magic of thinking Big- by David Schwartz, this would change the way you see yourself, life, possibilities and where you could be in life ,if you have a mental and life paradigm shift.

I don't recommend them so that you start to pursue money, that is not what this is about, but to open your mind to possibilities, Business philosopher Jim Rohn was known to say

Set a goal to become a millionaire, not for the money,you can give that away if you want, but for the person that you would become (the character developed) )in the process of that goal.

BUT HE WARNS

beware of who you become in the process, never sell out(value,integrity,morals) while pursuing that goal

THE HAMSTER THEORY OF LIFE

2009-12-22T17:52:00.000-08:00

OPPORTUNITY SEEKS OUT THE PREPARED MIND AND FINDS IT.

Imagine a hamster, that lives in a cage, and has an exercise wheel, a water trough and a constant supply of food . Like the hamster trapped in a cage with the exercise wheel .It burns a lot of energy, gains a lot of momentum but never goes anywhere. Constantly spinning in that wheel, no matter the energy or speed it gain it’s effort are in vain However if that hamster sees the cage door open, what should it do? What would you think of that hamster if he didn’t take the chance to escape while the door has been left open for him to leave. He starts to give the excuse that , he doesn’t know where his next meal is coming from at least here in the cage he is secure. What if there is a cat out there to eat me up. What if there is a rat that has it in for me out there? He analyzes and decides that he likes where he is and is not going to out to the big bad world. Sadly that is how many of us are. We work harder and harder and we just don’t seem to be cutting it .Even with the ever increased salary it seems that our bills just get more and more, and we need another raise to meet those.

Like the hamster in that wheel, we gain momentum, we strive harder, but we are going nowhere fast and soon burn out from sheer exhaustion.We then sit back and fantasize about the day we would be financially free and live without the worry of money. It has been found that the wealth of the world lies with less than 20% of the population.

It’s an entrepreneur’s world and the world does not give way to those who just sit back and fantasize, it gives way to those that have a vision and run after it with everything the have got within them. They give up all sense of security and safety, they escape their comfort zones and leave themselves vulnerable to whatever comes their way during the pursuit of their goals and dreams. They give up their jobs and they plunge in after those dreams that tug at their heart strings. The stories of them that have succeeded are all around us . KFC, Google, Virgin, Ford,Kinkos, Subways etc. These are men and women who were sick and tired of just getting by .Broke busted and disgusted with having more month at the end of the money. Being in a JOB Just Over Broke. James Allen said “The vision that you glorify in your mind the ideal that you enthrone in your heart this you will build your life by this you will become”. This is exactly how these men and women reached where they are today. Many of them came from impoverished backgrounds , but they filled their hearts and minds with goals and despite all the opposition, Despite all those around them that said they could not do it ,we all know where they are today. It does not take a genius to realize that paid employment is never going to give you financial freedom. But like the hamster we are scared of what is out there, we are scared to launch into the deep and take our chances. One thing has to be emphasized though , a second thing that makes many of us different from these men and women who have achieved greatness is our mindset and way of thinking. Intelligence and academic achievement in life does not guarantee financial success. Think about it how many Professors or Doctorate holders d you know that are millionaires. How many of your friends who graduated as Valedictorian are financially wealthy? So that settles it that Diplomas and Degrees are not a determinant factor to success. Motivational speaker and business trainer Jim Rohn says “A formal education will make you a living, but self education will make you a fortune” He also advices Work harder on yourself, than you do on your job.

Robert Kiyosaki,Donald Trump,Bill Gates are some of the most successful men in the world . They are all advocates of personal development and what keeps them at the top of their game is that they are always reading. The constantly feed their minds by reading books, attending seminars , consulting with experts. While the rest of us would rather spend money on expanding our wardrobe or splashing out on that new car we passed by on the dealership. Yet we complain that our big chance hasn’t come by and those guys got a lucky break. Yes they did , if you define it as Labor Under Correct Knowledge.

They learned the principles of success and the applied them. Too many of us want the money but are not ready to learn the steps to get it for ourselves. You have got to build the mind before you build the money. If we can learn from the experts we can do what they did and achieve what they achieved. Theodore Roosevelt said “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat”.

DO TODAY WHAT OTHERS WON’T , TO HAVE TOMORROW WHAT OTHERS DON’T

It’s an everyday conscious effort to free our minds from the years of prisoner programming for “job security”,We wont master it in one day,but let’s move forward together and go out on a limb, after all, that is where the fruit is.

Home based business or Network Marketing(MLM) have given financial freedom to more people than any other industry ever has. In a book co authored by
Trump & Kiyosaki , they recommend it as a quickest means to financial freedom, Kioyaski has a variety of lectures on it, describing it as "the perfect business", Trump believes in it so much he started his own.
If you want to invest in one, do your due diligence and investigate which would work best for you.

investigate before you invest

Find a company whose products/services you can get passionate about and you tostay for the long term partnership. A great team that can help you towards achieving your financial freedom.

There are many companies out there, travel, nutrition, telecoms and a variety of other products, each with it's own unique compensation plan.

If you are interested in searching for a home based business with a great team and plan, where everything is done on the internet.

You can take a look at this video http://www.myfortuneroadmap.com/ and once you make a decision, you can sign up at http://www.harvest.lgnprosperity.com/

I leave you with the words of those that have made it happen big time

Decisions decide wealth- Tony Robbins

It's not in the blowing of the winds, but in the setting of the sails- Jim Rohn
Sometimes you have to jump, and grow your wings on the way down- Ray Bradbury

REMEMBER, if you do what you have always done, you will get what you have alway got.

ENEMY OF THE ORDINARY

2009-12-17T16:11:00.000-08:00

“One machine can do the work of fifty men . No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man”.-Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915)-A Thousand and One Epigrams

The Longman Active Study Dictionary defines the word Ordinary as:
1)Not special, unusual or different from other things.

2)It can also be understood to be unremarkable: not remarkable or special in any way, and therefore uninteresting and unimpressive.

I despise the ordinary, the ordinary never gets anything done. The ordinary is bland and is satisfied with just getting things done but not done properly.Many of us had parents that insisted that if we are going to do the chores they must be done to the best of our ability and not nonchalantly. Nothing in this world that has ever been worthy of recognition was done by an ordinary person. Persistence, tenacity and perseverance channelled by vision have been what has made impact in the world.

The seven wonders of ancient world, North America’s Mount Rushmore , Italy’s Sistine chapel , the great wall of China, The Sears and Petronas towers, the Sydney Opera house are all works of extra-ordinary men.

Beethoven,Mozart ,Handel were men whose music still influences performing artists today over 200 years later. Literary works by Alexander Dumas, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ian Fleming ,Shakespeare and Charles Dickens are still relevant and several have been turned into motion pictures centuries after the fact.

Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Hannibal of Carthage remain some of the greatest military leaders in the battle history. Their battle strategies are still studied in many military schools all over the world.

Muhammad “The greatest” Ali , didn’t get to be the living legend he is today by being an ordinary boxer, he turned the “brutish” sport of boxing into an art form , displaying his unique talents in and out of the ring, fascinating both his fans and critics. Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Mohandas Gandhi were extraordinary leaders that went to astonishing lengths to make an impact on their nations. They saw a need for change and became they vessel for it, one can only wonder what the world would be like if not for such great men

Stand out from the crowd, think out of the box is my motto. So many people are miserable, stuck doing jobs they hate because they did the conventional like they were told, go to school, get a good job, save for retirement. There are so many people out there that could have been the next , Stevie Wonder, Michael Jordan Richard Branson or John Grisham but are stuck in the rat race, grinding away at that wheel, going no where slowly . How many people have within them that book they’ve been wanting to write or the business idea that they have been to afraid to carry out because of all the nay-sayers around them .

Yahoo, Google, Face book and You Tube are some of the biggest companies in the world today, with billion dollar net worth, three of them were started in college dorm rooms . Now their founders could have waited till they graduated college and settled for nice paying jobs and built a 401k, but because they took the road less travelled and now never have to worry about finances for the rest of their life, and guess what! they were all under the age of 30 when they hit their first million.

Many people have greatness within them but yet they are frustrated by their 9 to 5 jobs that give them no satisfaction but choose this life for the “job security” it offers them. As a creative person It is beyond me staying in a job that has me going over the motions day in day out. Such a life is the reason many people either commit suicide or loose their sanity. They hate their monotonous jobs and this starts a chain reaction that affects the rest of their life affecting their relationships, health and general well state of being.

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT, when the history books are open, only those that were extra-ordinary are remembered, even the exceptionally silly or stupid are remembered, nobody ever remembers the ordinary.

“Without the mediocrity of the ordinary, the excellence of the extraordinary can not be acknowledged”.

It is now up to the individual to choose where to belong

SIT DOWN AND LEARN FROM AN INTELLIGENT BLACK MAN

2009-12-17T15:26:00.001-08:00

As a born and breed African kid, many people are surprised when they meet me. They are surprised by my articulation, and my command of the English language ,bewildered that i know more than the words "give us free" and that i don't talk like the characters from "The God's must be crazy". They are marveled at my exposure ,knowledge of their history and understanding of culture, when they don't have an inkling on mine. Luckily for me, i have not had the experience that many of my friends have had.When some ignoramuses come up to them and ask if they had pet lions, or lived in trees and wore clothes when they were in Africa, and how they able to learn English.

Africans perhaps more than any other race have suffered stereotypes from Hollywood. For many years movies about "Africa" have been one dimensional, and portray Africans as; limited thinking, quarter illiterate "yes massah" characters.

Heavy caricature ,often imbeciles with no thoughts of their own. When that is not the case, they are swinging from trees, or running around half naked in loin cloth, movies like "King Solomon's Mines" Stereotypes and profiling is one of the reasons that society is still where it is today. The blanketing and general statement in a recent article, that black people do not read is one from which i beg to differ.

There was a recent article on how black people don't read, now that is as crazy a statement as all Chinese men know Kung Fu. It's an ignorant , unfounded and unfair generalization . I am in my twenties and for as long as i can remember ,books have been a huge part of my life. I would have to plea guilty as charged if accused of being a book worm. As a child i read book by Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl,Judy Blume and Alan Ahlberg,in my teenage years i moved on to Jeffery Archer and John Grisham as an adult i read both fiction and non fiction ranging from David Balddachi , to Dr Myles Munroe ,Jack Canfield and currently , The Road Less traveled by
M Scott Peck.
I am more than just literate, i can intelligently hold my own in virtually any conversation , i may not be an expert , or be broad on the topic , but at least i can make some form of contribution, and i have MANY friends with that same capability.

-We chew over if Japan would be the economic force it is today if Hiroshima has never happened.

-Postulate on the application on Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" in modern day business.

-Discuss on Greek and Roman mythology .

- Deliberate on the possibilities of time travel based on the "Theory of relativity".

-Analyze business lessons from Vito and Michael Corleone.

-Debate on if economic growth and prosperity in the USA during the Clinton administration, could really be attributed to him or the dot com revolution that happened during his tenure.

-Wonder if the USA would have become involved in World War 2 if not for Pearl Harbour, and what would the world be like if Hitler had succeeded in his campaign.

Was the Cold War really about communism, or truly a fight between the USSR and USA on who was the Alpha male.....(Hey! Who mentioned ROCKY over there.)

to relax we can switch over to mundane issues

We can equally discuss over Cristiano Ronaldo ,and if he has erased the legendary name from his Brazilian predecessor .

If Muhammad Ali , and Michael Jordan still hold on to the legendary status we hold them up to in their respective sports.

If Bruce Lee would beat Jet Li in a street fight ?

Why Batman though the only human(without powers) in the Justice League is the most feared and respected?

If Robin Hood and King Arthur truly existed ,and if not, how did they become so big and so legendary that we think they actually did exist?

The lessons of tenacity, perseverance and never give up mentality that we learn from Top Cat,Wile E Coyote and Yogi Bear?

Ask our selves based on the evidence if a lazy animal like the Lion is truly the King of the Jungle and not the Tiger.

Why people hold a vindictive claim that abstinence doesn't work , because they won't admit that they like sex too much to give it up.

If He Man would be able to kick Lion O's ass in hand to hand combat.

Would Naruto be as cool, if they spoke in English?

When would Samuel L Jackson stop playing the Angry black male card, (think about it, what was the last L Jackson movie you saw that he did not YELL!!!!)

AND

Which movie between "The God Father" and "Citizen Kane" is truly the Greatest movie Of All Time?

We discuss both real issue and mundane things, and i believe that any discussion that comes up, to a very reasonable extent, we can contribute without looking foolish.

It's unfortunate that in the 21st century, with the wide range of knowledge and exposure to the world available at the stroke of a keyboard(a global village), people still can't see beyond their little world. Many people still see the continent of Africa as one huge Safari, where the animals run wild right outside your front door.

With National Geographic,The History Channel,Animal Planet, and the many educational channels, many people in the western world, by western world i am referring to Europe and North America, think that Africa is a country. Hence we hear them say "I'm going to Africa", "we want to help Africa". Thanks to Oxfam and Feed the Children, (all good causes on their own), many still walk around thinking that ALL African children are bloated bellied and starving.

That perception is like a foreigner thinking he can learn about life in the UK by watching Big Brother .

The generalization that black people don't read is like thinking Indians randomly burst into song and dance in the middle of the street or that all American's behave like the guests on Jerry Springer.

We are all individuals and can not classified by the actions of a few. Unlike many people of both races whose idea of classic literature is Katie Price's or Jade Goody's biography, i prefer to read something that would actually add some value to my life and future.

A while back,a friend of mine was livid about the launch of MTV Base Africa, which played about 99% Hip Hop and R&B. What right did they have to restrict our music to only those categories. This is another stereotype that is all around the world. The assumption that black people only like those two genres of music. What about Alternative,Rock ,Pop,Swing, what makes them think we don't listen to that?

Now i don't know about anyone else, but i listen to a whole range of music. I croon to Frank Sinatra's "I got you under my skin",karaoke to Air Supply's "All out of love" and Barry Manilow's "Copacabana". Back in my University days some of my friends called me a "white boy" just because i loved listening to Nickelback ,Linkin Park , Blink 182 amongst others. When the truth is i can scream to "Smells of teen spirit" as well as bust the mic on "Hit em up". I can serenade to Barry White as well as lay back and appreciate Chopin's Symphony.

It's ignorant and unfair to classify people by what we see on television. Yes there are starving kids in Africa, but there are also homeless, malnourished kids in the UK ,USA and Eastern Europe. Like there are different social classes (lower,middle ,upper, rich , stinking rich) in other parts of the world, the same exists in the nations of Africa.We have sky scrapers , and no we do not live in mud huts. We have cities and we hail taxi's , take the bus, drive drop tops, and 4x4s. We hustle by day and play by night, have night-clubs, Pubs and raves. We go on dates, hang out at the mall and catch the latest movie at the cinema.

The Africa that most of the world sees, is either news reports on war , famine and starving kids. The Africans that they portray the dictators and those who even if they had a transplant from Einstein , wouldn't be able to find their way out of a paper bag.

They fail to mention that it was a Nigerian ,Philip Emeagwali , that wrote the formula which is the back bone on which the Internet runs, he has won numerous awards (computer scientist of the year at least three times)back to back , and has been awarded the science world's version of a Nobel prize .

Wole Soyinka that won a Nobel Prize in the 80's is still one of the most respected literary minds in the world and is on the lecture circuit world wide. There are many more achievers too numerous to mention.

American writer W.E Du Bios is known to have said

“Europe has never produced and never will in our day bring forth a single human soul who cannot be matched and over-matched in every line of human endeavor by Asia and Africa”.

Does it matter that i am able to answer 90% of the questions on The Weakest Link on auto pilot, or 70% of Jeopardy and Who Wants to be a Millionaire by reflex. Is it a matter of my race that i like the music of The Temptations as much as i like Franki Valli & the Four Seasons ? Or that i have no rhythm whatsoever despite the fact that "ALL black people can dance". No.

Everything i am ,is because of who i am. I have the knowledge i have , because as an individual i take interest in those things. Just like not everyone in the world can roll their tongue, not everyone is interested in the things i am ,or has the variety of taste that i do.

It is my individual choice to listen to Both Marvin Gaye and Dean Martin, George Benson and John Mayer, Tracy Chapman and Alanis Morrisette. The fact that i can answer most questions on quiz shows is because of all the time i spent an unhealthy amount of time indoors watching documentaries, reading journals, encyclopaedia's, news reports and believe it or not sitcoms and Looney Toons cartoons.

My exposure and knowledge does not make me better than anyone else, or smarter ,because most of my life if you wanted to give me a seizure all you had to do was mention MATHS and i would quiver like a leaf . And those that, do know maths and came out with a first class degrees, may not be able to engage in some of the discussions that i mentioned earlier.

I still love cartoons as much as i did when i was eight years old. I still get cracked up when i watch Looney Toons,The Mask or The Flintstones .I still think that Top Cat is one of the coolest fictional characters ever created after Jason Bourne ,Michael Corleone,Chilli Palmer,Cool Hand Luke, and Captain Jack Sparrow(ok, he falls down quite far,but you get the point)

Does this make me immature or childish, you can think so if you want to ,but the fact is that, most of the classical music i know ,i first heard in Tom&Jerry and Bugs Bunny cartoons. Many of the words in my vocabulary were those i heard in cartoons and checked up in the dictionary, my home boy Daffy Duck taught me the words Stupendous,Obnoxious and Stuffy.

I remember i got into a serious and lively discussion with two other guys, one a medical student and an engineer. This went on for several hours and went into critical analysis mode, the engineers sister came round to listen in, and was flabbergasted when she discovered we had been talking about the evolution of the X-men and why Wolverine is not the leader. She couldn't believe it, grown ass men! , Graduates! Wasting their time with such irrelevant musing. She then asked us to please be quiet as she plopped down on the couch to catch up with an EASTENDERS omnibus.

We should not allow our perceptions and limited exposure to allow us to classify people or pigeon hole them into a category. We should take every person we meet as an individual and not a summary of the movie characters we have watched.Not all Chinese men are the next Bruce Lee, nor are Indians shop keepers. Not all Africans are starving nor do we run after animals chucking spears and clicking or tongues as we talk. Hollywood is not the place to learn about people's culture, due to the fact that they are of a country that has no culture of it's own, and a people whose names don't mean didly squat.

When you assume, you make an ass out of u and me, and we all know what assumption is the mother of.

CONFESSIONS OF THE DENOMINATOR

2009-12-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

I am a denominator
the one recurring factor in the
vicious cycle that is my life,....my existence

I am obsessed with romance
I ignore all self control and throw caution to the wind
I enter relationships at the flick of a switch
driven by my hormones
i date whoever fires off my "feel good" neurones
regardless of if they lack character or respect me
I consider caring friendships that support me least priority
as they can never fulfil my romance fix
i jump in with my eyes closed and never test the water
and leap out scalded , because i never saw the fangs
showing as the lips peeled back behind that charming smile
and then i do it all over again because
well....all that affection ,care attention and support
from the sweet and nice person
still does not make my heart skip a beat
the way that charming devil, key word devil, does

Im lovely, why can't i find a loving relationship?

I am an attention junkie
I move from person to person
and get attention from wherever i can
i barely pay attention during a conversation if its not about me
I prattle on all about ME ME ME
and check myself out in anything that reflects
i compose songs about myself and sing it to everyone that has ears
I am an emotional leach and i suck as much attention
that i can from you and move on to get a better fix elsewhere

By the way, why don't you call me anymore?

I am like a tiger on the prowl
waiting to pounce and maul you
immediately you say something that offends me
i am berserker , I'll tear you to ribbons
if you dare speak to me in any such manner that displeases me
my amnesia for all the wonderful things you said and done
kicks in the moment that you criticise me
i am meticulous about what i condone
and i will not be spoken to, by you or any other
in a manner that i only know, and deem worthy
you are expendable and i can do without you

....Hey ! where have all my friends gone?

I hate conflict and try my best not to rock the boat
I do my best not to offend anyone
and say yes and nod in agreement just to keep the peace
I approach everything in an understanding manner
and try to be as diplomatic as possible
i pay attention and hold my tongue when i should object
because i just don't have the strength to debate about it
though it may be an issue that need to be addressed
I exercise patience even though you abuse that fact
every single chance that you get with no apology
I am easy to bully, all you have to do is
loose your temper, turn on the water works,
and i apologise even when i'm not in the wrong

Then why like Jabber Jaw, do i get no respect
from those i show nothing but respect?

I love adventure
I am down for whatever and up for anything
I love living for the moment and don't care for consequences
Whatever is the flava of the moment count me in
life is too short to think about the long term
we might not be here tomorrow so seize the day
if it feels good, just do it
i have all forms of myopia,
my hedonistic desires blur the consequences
of my instant gratification needs
I'm fun, I'm exciting , I'm full of life

Then why is everyone else moving forward
and in meaningful relationships except me?

I have a list of everything that you must be
You are to fufill all my need and desires
as i lean back and make no effort to improve myself
you have to maintain me and be pleasing in my eyes
I verbally strip you down because i have to keep you in check
I show no appreciation, because you already know
Read my mind, you know what i don't like
Change, Think, Keep that, Stop saying that
it's just who i am , and i like it that way

Wait , where are you going , Are you leaving me??

I am the Denominator

(C)2009 Oludascribe All Rights Reserved

DISTRICT 9- A CHALLENGE TO ALL NAIJA AUTEURS

2009-12-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

The movie District 9 has gotten a lot of attention in the months of it's release. First the anticipation of a riveting Sci Fi movie. Then the people that were blown away by how well executed it was, then recently the concern and up rise of the portrayal of Nigerians in the movie.

I must admit, sitting in the cinema, every time "the Nigerians" was hammered in description to the negative characters, it stung a little but i carried on regardless. I wont say i hated the movie, because it was indeed, very well done.

BUT in retrospect i can see why peeps would be enraged. It's bad enough that Cop shows and Sitcom make us a punch line. But this was something else on a whole new level.

My consolation was that , they were not Nigerian actors, nor did they speak in any Nigerian language, nor did they have Nigerian accents. BUT , most non Nigerians would not detect that fact

Many people would say

"We have more important things to be worried about"

but we have to remember how powerful a medium film is. Both to the intelligent, and those that just absorb and believe EVERYTHING that they see on TV and in the movie, Film leaves a powerful impression on the mind for a very long time.

We all know how Germans have been associated with Nazi ,Neo Nazi History in the movies. The same goes for middle easterners as terrorists. Indians as convenience store clerks and Asians as martial arts masters. These portrayals find their way into the subconscious,and even if it is for a microsecond,affect our perceptions , and with a movie as popular as District 9, it looks like it is going to become a part of popular culture.

The fact is, the consistent reference and Hammering on "The Nigerians" was unnecessary, and "the gangsters" would have been sufficient enough,without specifying a nationality.

I found this quote on a blog , which i find very insightful

"Whatever any film maker may portray, the most important thing really is that Africans need to start telling their own stories more than they have done so far. Africans need to make their own compelling films – both fiction and non-fiction. As an an African proverb says “Until lions are able to tell their own stories, the story of the hunt will always glorify the hunter” -Supo Orimogunje

The Nigerian entertainment scene is growing in large proportions, TV ,and especially music which is now global.

Isn't it about time, we loose all the VooDoo, Advanced Fee Fraud(419) and Prostitution stories in our movies? There are sooo many other aspects of Naija life we can write and make films about.

Chimamanda "Purple Hibiscus" Adichie, has become the pioneer of a new generation of Nigerian voices. .A voice that the world has taken seriously because of the QUALITY of the compelling and captivating stories she writes .

Isn't it about time we do the same in our film making? Compelling stories, that are well made and excellently performed, that would sweep the floor and blow minds all across he world.

This is a challenge for all screenwriters,directors producers and all those involved in TV and Film of Naija origin both inside and outside Naija.

We have the potential to tell fascinating Nigerian stories, those grounded in reality, fairy tale or fantasy, which we have many.

What stops us from adapting stories by Soyinka, Cyprian Ekwensi,Chinua Achebe and others, into screenplays?

What stops "The return of Ikenga"(War Epic) or "Things fall Apart"(Historic) from being made into epics, or "Without a Silver spoon"(Triumph of the human spirit) from becoming Naija's answer to "The Pursuit of Happyness" . We have sooooo much potential, which can stop the recycling of predicable and somewhat contrived stories.

I've said it a million times "City of God" is a prime example to show the impact a well made film can have to an industry. It's a Brazilian film made outside Hollywood, on a minimal budget and no big names, and it took the world by storm. The Nigerian film industry has that untapped potential too.

LETTER TO MY UNBORN LITTLE PRINCESS

2009-06-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hi Angel
You’ve grown into young lady and i am very proud of where you are. You would soon be venturing out on your own into the world(high school). As you go there are a few thoughts i’d like to share with you
You are entering a world where you would have to encounter many new things and make choices on your own. The world is constantly changing , things are rearranging. What was taboo several years ago has become the norm today. What was appalling and unheard of in the past out,now of political correctness we accept . Morality and decency has taken a plunge, and to follow the fickle view of society, is to jump out of a plane with an anvil instead of a parachute.
There will be so many things that are ‘Socially acceptable’, everybody’s doing it,and you are called a prude or old fashioned if you don’t join in.

But the real question is ‘What is God acceptable?’ That is most important and he has not changed his rules. You may seem “uncool”, when you are not ‘down for whatever’ or wiling to experiment .When they see you don’t compromise,you may stop receiving party invitations or calls to social events but it comes with the territory as an ambassador for Christ.
As a young lady the world may tell you that you have to dress a certain way to be noticed.They tell you that you have to be risqué .But your clothing should be a frame for your face and not sensual as a frame for your body. When it becomes sensual you may be causing others to fall.Besides, guys eyes may glow ,and their heads turn on a revealing dress, but their mind is really taking off points for decency,but they’ll never admit it.

When it comes to young men, this is something that you would have to ask the Lord for discernment. There will be the genuine nice ones, and those being nice with hidden intentions. Remember the words “you shall know them by their fruit”. Be cautious not to be swept away by charisma . Personality is wonderful, but character is more essential. Does he live his life according to scripture? Going to church doesn’t make one a Christian ,any more than going to McDonalds makes you a Hamburger.
How does he treat his sister and his mother? This is a giant reflection on who he is and how he will really treat you in the long run.

Still on the issue of guys;the world and pop culture would have you believe that you have to “test the waters”. The well worn “kiss many frogs to find your prince”. Darling all you do when you kiss a frog is end up with bitter slime on your face. You don’t have to be a serial dater, or fall in and out of relationship every few months.Trust me it’s not worth the hurt and pain.

I know, it’s hard in today’s world but dear there are some wonderful words i heard a long time ago from a group called the End Time Warrior( ETW)

” take this advice, think twice. When love is done right it could be mighty nice. Take the time out, just to get tight.When two become friends things start out right. Nobody wants somebody , that’s always messing up, cause mess up means break up, and somebody’s got to fix it up. Don’t be so hasty to give up your heart. It’s hard to see intentions at the very start. So pace yourself all the way to the very end , cause this is the reason why God made friends.”

Yes yes, it’s a lot easier said than done. That’s why it’s not done on your own strength. God knows exactly how much you can take and he loves you too much to let you break.

Gotta go now dear , Daddy Loves you