olaoluwatomi

What am I thankful for this week? I usually post 5 things for which I am thankful for every week but this week is unique because the one thing I am thankful for made the list five times:) Curious? Here goes!! I am thankful for friends , friends , friends , friends , friends And my friends know themselves:) Have a great week everyone!

I am going down memory lane tonight and remembering a few of the songs we sang as children in primary school. The songs I loved the most were the ditties that made no sense, we sang the same songs over and over again and in the way of children, we were lifted to heights of glory and danced among the stars, only coming down to earth when the songs were over and the drums were silenced. Songs were sang during assemblies in the mornings and during sporting activities. I loved singing the hymns from 'Songs of Praise' and my favorite hymns were 'Brightest and Best of the sons of the morning' and Hymn 555 'Lead us heavenly Father Lead us'. I loved the version of Hymn 444 'All things Bright and beautiful' that we sang without the drums but  it seemed many more people loved the danceable version. Other favorite hymns of mine were 'Morning has broken like the first morning', 'Songs of Praise the angels sang' and almost all the Christmas hymns! ...

I remember seeing the cemetery during the winter when the leaves on the trees made sure it was a sight that you could not miss. And in my 'african' mind I shuddered, wondering how anyone could live beside such a place. But in the way the world goes, I now live in the apartment that overlooks the cemetery, only now the lovely leaves of spring have it all covered up! I decided to take a walk through the graveyard a few weeks ago and when I mentioned it to my friend who had lived there before me, she said she thought I was 'african' but apparently she was wrong. I guess curiosity took the better of me and I was pleasantly surprised. It is a lovely place and has the feel of being in the woods. There are so many lovely trees, running brooks, birds that sing such delightful songs that if I kept my eyes off the ground, I would think I was in heaven:) It is a lovely place (have I said that before). I went walking among the sleeping place of those long gone and I felt at pea...

Welcome everyone to Tomi's thankful list numbers 331-335. It is always a pleasure to broadcast to the world every week what I am grateful for. There are so many things happening that if I do not write them down, I would forget to give thanks and I do not want to be one of the 9 lepers who did not return to give thanks. Sit back and read on, on what makes me truly grateful this fine Monday Morning in May! I am thankful that the world did not come to an end on Saturday:) This is the third world end or so proclamation since I was born, I guess I should ready myself for a couple more before I leave planet earth! Attended a wedding on that day, I am pretty sure both the bride and groom would have been unhappy to have their day cut short by the 'end of the world'!#tongueincheek I am thankful for podcasts that put a smile on my face. I listened to this ONE yesterday and you should have seen me smiling throughout the message. I am thankful for the gift of life and good heal...

Some days are just that days, Other days are days that you can never forget, They say that there are 3 days in a man's life (and by extension a woman's) that are important. I believe that everyday is important but labels will always stick. It's obvious that I really do not have anything to say! I have been having a serious case of blogger block. I really struggle with what I want to write and that is somehow a reflection of my life at present. When I have a lot to say, a lot is going on in my life, when I struggle, my life seems to be taking its time chugging along like a train owned by the Nigerian Railway Corporation. I have been spending a lot of times indoors, only going out in the evenings for a walk, to clear the cobwebs that accumulate when you spend most of your time sitting in front of a computer. I have a lot of time to think and most days I come to the conclusion that life does not have to be hard if you do not want it to. The only thing barring a...

What do you do with what you remember? Make friends?, Make enemies?, Do nothing? Elie Wiesel asks 'what did those who survived do with their survival?' They did not forget what had happened but built on that, taught others to hope and built lasting memorials on the ruins of the past. It's an awesome but simple message- Remember and Build on those memories you would rather forget, Create something pure, lasting and good!

A dear friend of mine told me yesterday that she was getting married and my first question was how did he propose to you:) Call me a hopeless romantic but this proposal scores an A+ on my rating scale. Enjoy it! I certainly did.

331-335 Thankful for Charis who was one on Saturday Abisola another new born Toluwalase who creates 'big' things:) A friend who experienced a miracle Good news

Decided to bake from scratch! Was not as hard as I feared considering that I had to use my hands to mix! So I have made 3 batches of cup cake and two mini cakes! Experimented by mixing in bananas in one batch- got that idea from Lohi's banana bread !.  Then made a birthday cake for a one year old. Forgot to take pictures of the whole cake though! In the oven Banana Cup Cakes Yummy! The view from my Balcony! The batter! Another view! Finished masterpiece:) Another view! I ate about a quarter of the cake! More pics! My slice! Honey Chocolate Cake

As a child my greatest fear included having to sleep in a room without light with my hyperactive imagination conjuring up ghostly figures emerging from our wardrobe with its doors partially open and releasing dinosaurs and more mythical figures bent on swallowing me! Only God knows how many nights I lay in bed tossing and turning, covering my head under the sheets failing to fall asleep with my bizarre thoughts caused by spending time with older cousins who had a propensity to spin tall tales of ghosts and witches and wizards! I would fall asleep only to wake up the next morning to see that the huge monster of the previous night was my school uniform hung up or some other clothes in their rightful place. My fears as I grew up were fueled by the ideas of the unseen world, I still blame the cousins who would spin such terrible tales that were innocent at midday but with the setting of the sun the characters they created became more menacing. So I was sca...

My friends from Kenya treated me to Kenyan food at a Kenyan Restaurant called Swahili.   It was very nice food served by very nice waiters. The owner of the Restaurant came to welcome us specially- He knew one of us!:)  I loved the convivial atmosphere, it made me feel like I was back home in Nigeria, there was a sound system which belted out African songs with many songs from Nigeria taking me back to time spent in Port-Harcourt where the mini buses had sound systems blaring out the exact same songs. There were Kenyans, Ugandans, Rwandese, Americans and I bet there were other Nigerians apart from me at the restaurant and many other Nationalities present. Check out the pictures below! The food was great! If you are in the area do check it out! Disclosures- The only connection I have with Swahili is that of a satisfied customer who was taken there once by her friends. The Menu! Mango Lassi! Samosa, Bhajia, Sausage! Nyama Bite! A platter f...

326-330 Excitement- Today I woke up excited! Nothing has happened or happened to make me excited apart from the fact that I woke up to a brand new day! Thankful for the ability to be excited. Friendships- A dear friend of mine is leaving tomorrow and over the past couple of months she has grown to be such a blessing. I am thankful that I met her and got to know her. Growth- When I was young, I could not wait to be old. Now Im older I am wondering why I was ever in such a hurry. But I am thankful for the growth spurts I have been granted. I am certainly not the same person I was two years ago! I have grown in many ways I could not have imagined. I'll wager I am certainly much wiser:) Health- I am thankful for my health and the health of friends and family. Each day when I come across illness, I am reminded not to take my health for granted. Ibadan- I am thankful for Ibadan. Those who know me know why!

One of the best periods of my life was when I worked in a lovely hospital in South West Nigeria, I was a new doctor and I guess the excitement of finally practicing medicine coupled with the fact that I was working for a living could be said to contribute to the euphoria I felt then. I enjoyed everyday I spent there and many of the dreams I had for the future were birthed there. As exciting as that time was, there were many frustrations. My lack of fluency in Yoruba was a major sore point, it was extremely frustrating to know exactly what it was I wanted to say and not be able to put it in words. The relative poverty of many of the patients who came into the hospital was another. What was the point of prescribing medications for someone who obviously needed it but could not afford to buy it? My salary was not the top of the scale but I still lived in relative luxury when compared to those I served. The most frustrating thing for me though was not any of the above. It was havin...

I spent a couple of weeks last month in Greenwood and I had a great time mostly because I spent time with my very good friends and secondly because I was on the receiving end of the famed Southern hospitality. Where do Cicadas come into all this? I spent time with my friend and one day she asked me If I knew what the constant 'machine' like sound behind the house was. I did not,  but figured out that someone had a very loud lawn mower or piece of heavy machinery he was using. The only problem was that the sound did not abate and it was not until a few days later we discovered that the sound was made by cicadas. The last time there were cicadas was in 1998, so I guess these cicadas have a 13 year life cycle. Their tymbals are the parts of their body they use to make their loud sounds. I made a recording of the noise and was also fortunate to take pictures of one cicada that took time out from its busy schedule to pose for me:) Mr or Mrs Cicada? Not sure what its title is...

I have to admit I am not a Liverpool fan but their theme song when sung by their fans in unison (thankfully) turns on the goose pimples switch! 321-325 This week I am thankful for my friends (they know themselves:) who never let me walk alone, I would never exchange you for all the riches the world has to offer! Thank you for being my friends! For Mofinyinfoluwa  whose arrival on earth will definitely shake Kingdoms! For travelling mercies (In Naija style- Journey Mercies) For brand new digs ! For God's great Grace !