The Year that was…STAYING In the Fight

What’s up people?

Well Well Well… So this is the final blog post for the 2012 (NWO)! Baba God I HAIL you. I think am going to start of by addressing this entire Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) versus Peter Odemwingie BEEF. As many of you know by now, I am a die hard football lover and Nigerian football supporter. And for the sake of full disclosure Peter Odemwingie has been my favorite Nigerian footballer in the past 5+ years but what took place this week has been totally UNACCEPTABLE. Odemwingie was WRONG and the NFF must change its ways of conducting business. My DAWGS A+ put it best today when he said “if one person own no spoil another person own no go beta” this has always been the Nigerian way of doing things unfortunately. Now I just resumed training this past week; so if all goes to plan, I should be ready for a call up by mid-January if other prominent Nigerian internationals continue to drop out of the team. Stay tuned as I plan to do some live blogging from South Africa in January chronicling my AFCON tournament experience.    

Ok people; Let me get focused…

Time just continues to fly and in writing this week’s blog I came to a realization that this is year number three for the MY OMO NAIJA Blogspot. WOW! Who knew something that started as just a forum to express and share my thoughts freely would connect with so many people all over the world. I thank you, thank you & thank you for joining me for this fun ride. This year I want to close out my final post of the year by going back to where the year started for me.

Twelve months ago to date; what was suppose to be a fun and exciting holiday week with family quickly turned into one of the most trying times of our lives. Through it all our “Angel” and Pound for Pound the toughest person I have ever come to know pulled through and made a full recovery. It is her STRENGTH, SPIRIT and JOY for living that I take away with me everyday to push through on difficult days, not make excuses and rise above life circumstances and make the most out of very difficult situations.  

There is something to seeing her laugh with her BIG smile that does something to ones soul after an entire day spent together. And when we speak of pain, trust and believe that something truly very discomforting will only warrant a tear or temporary moment of sadness in this beautiful girl.  

So in closing; 2012 will be a year I remember as the year that “Staying in the fight” represented more than just catch phrase. The fight for the blessing to continue living, the fight to remain loved, the fight for the “47%” , the fight to come back from a devastating career ending knee injury to be on the verge of breaking an all-time rushing record and Yes, the fight to represent Nigeria and put on the GREEN/WHITE/GREEN in international competition. And in the spirit of the movie RED Tails WE FIGHT! WE FIGHT!

There is Special & then there is SPECIAL. 

Being Smart & Stuck on Stupid

What’s up people?

I took last week off and missed you all for sure. Thank you all for checking in as always and showing the blogspot so much love in my absence. Am back and ready to close out the year with a FLOURISH. There is so much to talk about in a matter of 7 days; as we mourn the lives of the UNFORGETABLE 27 from Sandy Hook, PLEASE PLEASE do remember the hundreds of innocent lives lost to gun violence in the inner cities across America everyday with very little to no media coverage. Just to let you know that life goes on in America, you got the crazy ignorant gun toting folks from the NRA promoting more guns in our schools, racial and ethnic profiling is live and well in America as I had to go through another encounter with airport security prior to boarding my flight at DCA for Montreal, the greatest running back in NFL history Adrian Peterson continues to do the unthinkable on one leg on Sundays and oh yes, the season finale of HOMELAND was simply brilliant. Saul Berenson is the closest thing to god on T.V. Now get out there, run yourself ragged and use these remaining few hours to get in your last minute Xmas shopping and having some eggnog on P.

Ok people; Let me get focused…

All week long I have been raving about the great line by Saul Berenson in HOMELAND as he comfortably shared with his pupil in such a succinct and direct tone and I quote, “you are the smartest and dumbest f**kin person I’ve ever known…” The funniest thing about this line was I immediately thought about my life in that moment and how this quote resonated in all aspects be it personal, professional and social. I mean I can give a count of at least 10-15 people this week alone that this was so fitting and appropriate for starting with me.
I mean I am so smart that I out thought myself in my fantasy football leagues to go from first place and leading in my divisions to missing the playoffs and getting bounced in the first round all because I believed I knew exactly what match-ups to play as I set my weekly line-ups. Oh well, such much for my strategy and playing the right match-ups every week based on the opposition. Fantasy Football is CRUEL.

Next was the IT programming consultant hired by company to build out a database that totally jacked up the software. The worst part was after trying to correct him on the errors made in the database created he still swore up & down that he had no control of the design. Heeeeeeeeello; you build something, don’t perform any testing but report out that the system is ready to go live but then turnaround and claim this is how the software was created after “IT specialist P” performs his trial run and detects several glitches in the finished product??? WTF!  

Must I not forget the banking representative that I am currently working with at the moment; this yahoo is a piece of work I swear. He is such a genius and knows everything that he refuses to let you get a word in. I had to let him know today in a face to face meeting, you work for me not the other way around. I am the customer and in the school of business the customer is always right so shut the f**k up and get me a glass of water while you at it. 

Happy Holidays!

IMAGINE - An Unbroken Spirit

What’s up people?

Not sure where to kick things off this week? I think it is worth revisiting the statement made by South African FA vice president Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana and I paraphrase when he says “African footballers who won’t play for their country are selfish and egoistical”. This was in response to many quality African footballers plying their trade outside of Africa pulling out of the AFCON tournament and requesting that they be allowed to concentrate on their club duties. As some of you know, I have been talking about my up coming trip to South Africa in January 2013 when I will be live in the stadiums rooting and cheering on the Nigerian Football Federation as we seek to reclaim are much overdue dominance in African football during the AFCON tournament. The irony of Mr. Nonkonyana’s statement is that those same thoughts and emotions were recently relayed to me when I was having a conversation with my “Top Pop” as he so passionately shared in his bewilderment and incomprehension of how time and time again we as Nigerians, people of color bend over backwards to appease our European and Anglo-Saxon counterparts. This issue is not going away anytime soon unfortunately, it was something I experienced growing up in Nigeria and it is something I see everyday here in the United States.     

Ok people; Let me get focused…

So I was all set to post a different blog this week until the last minute when I was forced by my brother to check out an inspirational video. The worst part of it too was that the footage was from one of those I have talent, I believe I can sing/dance/etc reality television auditions. Ok for the sake of full disclosure, the programming is X-Factor and I have never taking the time of day to watch a single minute of it until Friday as I watched the Youtube video. The clip profiled a young man and his love for music and typical me I was quick to blow it off like this is a waste of my time until much later when I got to see and experience this truly remarkable life and journey undertaken by this young man who is in every sense of the word an INSPIRATION. (I choose to not disclose everything about “Emmanuel” because I do believe my words will do him no justice unless you see it yourself so please scroll down and take a look).

Every holiday season and anticipated New Year comes with its own wave of emotions. Many a people are consumed and are thrilled about the opportunity to spend time with family, others look forward to the end of year in hopes of starting a new as we try to overcome the missteps taken over a twelve month period. The qualities that continue to stay with me from the Emmanuel piece is the power of the human spirit. His innocence, lack of pretense and ability to triumph and truly LIVE life is so refreshing. So much of what we are in life or strive to become is about first visualizing hence IMAGINING and so much of what we do not become is tied to us losing our way that results in a damaged human spirit.      

I find myself so blessed and fortunate because I never have to go online and look up a Youtube clip to get inspired or remain committed to the important life values because I get see it and have lived it first hand over the years through the eyes of a special baby girl.

She is STRENGTH personified.