olaoluwatomi

If you are a regular blogger cum blog reader chances are that you have seen the video above or been to his blog at http://nigeria2014.wordpress.com/ Well its not enough to read his blog, Do something, become a bone marrow donor simply by registering at http://www.dkmsamericas.org and swab the inside of your cheek with a Q-tip you will receive in a pack.(I have registered and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my kit),you can get all the information you need from that site. Pay for screening tests which need to be processed via your generous donations, hold marrow drives, encourage your friends to become marrow donors (especially those of african descent!). He needs an almost identical match and it could be you! There are many other people who need what Seun needs and will benefit from your actions. Don't just sit on your hands, DO SOMETHING! Save a life, you may end up changing yours in the process!

Sharing pics of my street drinking ways in India! The sugar cane man! Refreshing glasses of sugarcane juice mixed with ginger and other spices! Preparing the juice! Scooping out the innards of the coconut! 1600-h/DSC03526.JPG"> A refreshing glass of coconut juice!

Two incidents a few hours apart have inspired this post though there have been very many more times the same things have happened and I have simply ignored them and put the actions of the individuals involved as ignorance on their side and a lot more maturity on my end! I sat down at a store today in the middle of Mumbai and a cute little girl about two years old was walking by with her grandma. She took one look at me and refused to come any further. I smiled at her encouraging her to take the few extra steps but she refused to budge. I put down her reluctance to pass by me as her seeing me as a strange being after all how many black africans had she seen in her life! There are black Indians but my type of black was a strange one, my hair is not curly and my facial features are very different and on top of all this she is a two year old, how much can she be blamed for not knowing that the blood that flows through my veins is as red as that flowing through hers! The next incident that ...

The Ubiquitous rickshaw, this one had the label at the back - Capacity- 3 Idiots the title of the reigning film at the moment! First meal in India- Naan, etc A Rickshaw meter Three gracious ladies on a Mumbai train! On a horseride down Nariman Point! A plaque at the entrance to the Taj! The gateway of India

Over the last few days I have not wanted to speak but it seems that all those around me are not only blessed with the gift of gab they feel it is their duty to make sure all those surrounding them are aware that they have this gift. I love to talk so I do not hold this against anyone but as anyone else realises when you are on the receiving end of the gabists you do not enjoy being the center of attention as much as if you were the one doing the talking! A teacher of mine used to recite the following phrase whenever we talked too much and we were not listening to speeches being given at assemblies and it summarizes my thoughts when I am the unfortunate being at the end of the 'gabists' rope. It goes thus,'If it is true that the world talks too much, let us all keep quiet and listen to the eloquence of silence'. I started my "vow of silence" a few days ago while listening to a couple of ? college students lining up while waiting to be attended to by immigration...

I feel like I have somehow managed to cross time barriers and have arrived at the scene of the Tower of Babel. For once I feel so alone and lost! Im currently in Maharashtra and they speak so many languages here! English is not the default language on the streets and I find myself raising my voice and using my hands and legs to demonstrate to the rickshaw drivers where I want to go and how to get directions to places. I find that when I am directed by someone who actually speaks English I am like a thirsty donkey that has finally been given leave to drink as much as it can:) India is a great place to be and I am enjoying every minute of my stay here! Its a lot like Nigeria in many ways. Sights I enjoy looking at are the women in their Sari and Salwakamis (im sure i spelt that worng), the little kids with their beautiful eyes, the ladies with their long hair, the rickshaws and their competitions with the buses on the road, I could go on and on! I finally got on the Mumbai train yesterda...

I am currently in Nairobi on transit, I have a 12 hour layover and I got a pleasant surprise. I was wondering what to do to fill in the time thinking I was going to be stuck at the Jomo Kenyatta airport. My plans were wonderfully altered when the Kenyan Airways official told me that I had free accomodation and food at a hotel. I am easily pleased so my impressions of the hotel are just that 'mine'. Im at the RedCourt Hotel and I can tell you that its a lovely place and so clean. I went down for breakfast and the linen on the table is so clean, I did not take my camera down so I cant show you pictures of the linen that swept me off my feet:)Being a connoiseur of hotels/restaurants in Nigeria I can tell you that I havent seen anything like this excluding the 5star hotels! The towels are white not 'used to be white', the whole place is clean and I had a 3course meal not all my food lumped on my plate. Seeing that I very recently spent 27hours at an airport waiting for a co...

Passengers waiting in line! I have not shed a tear but I tell you I am mad, madder than I was through all the hassle trying to get home with the winter storms and all! Forget the delay! I waited and had the patience to wait. I figured I would eventually get home eventually. My plane arrived at the Schipol Airport at 12.45 in the afternoon and stood in line all day (literally) and was finally attended to at 8.30pm. I got down from the plane at about 1.30pm so I stood in line for a good seven hours,'Nothing spoil'! At the end of the ordeal, for an ordeal it was, I got a booking on the next flight which is tomorrow, which im grateful for! While we were standing in line, the Airport officials kept announcing that we should go to D76 as sleeping arrangements had been made for stranded passengers. The sleeping arrangement as described by a KLM official was a cot, pillow and blankets. I looked forward to finally laying my head to rest, The standard is a hotel but a cot is much better...

Happy New year everyone, pictures from the open air service I attended in Lagos, we counted down to the new year and there were loads of fireworks! The cake was my birthday cake that survived 2009, we cut it up in the early hours of the new year! My first meal in 2010:) May all your dreams come true now and always!