The World of theatres.

Human beings like to be and crave to be entertained and i am no exception to this. Everyone has a right to what makes them happy. Going to the theatre is one of those activities that makes me happy. Get me theatre tokens and you have made my day.
 I salute the courage, the hard work and all the back ground preparation that goes into preparing a successful theatre show. I respect the effort of the actors and actresses who entertain us live on stage.
There is a beauty about the theatre environment, the nice halls where many of the performances take place, the acting, the dark background, the lights and stage effects and ofcourse the interesting story line that comes from well thought out scripts.
The city of London has lots of theatre venues, its one of the things i like about London (who said London is a boring city? Its only boring if you dont know the right places to go to) and i have been to quiet a number of theatre shows in London over the years. I just saw Hansel and Gretel two days ago, it was highly entertaining and is a must see for the whole family, its very rich in humour. I remember seeing the Elephant man (which i really liked), Lord of the rings (i was impressed by how close they came to the movie in similarity) ,Gone with the Wind (i think the friend who accompanied me really liked it) and several others including Jamaican stage productions, they can be very informative and educative.
What should i see next and when ? Hmmmmnn, let me see.............

christmas or x-mas?

It's that season of the year when people exchange gifts, show more love than they usually do, sing christmas carols, host events and invite each other for dinner or lunch. It's a season those who are 'sweet tooths' have more than their fair share of chocolates and sweets because everyone seems to be offering each other such goodies. It's that time of the year we beautify our houses, buy christmas trees, christmas cards and stock our homes with all sorts of edibles while retailers smile to the bank.
There is a certain magic or should i say miracle to this season of the year. Most people seem eager, expectant, and jubilant. For some lucky ones who receive a gift they have hoped for or really need they consider themselves fortunate or believe their christmas wish has been granted.
I also note with interest that many people spell the word christmas as xmas in these times. Perhaps its an abbrevation of some sort. But i believe there is a difference between the word christmas and xmas. An abbrevation shouldn't change a word altogether.
It shows that the essence and true purpose of christmas has been misplaced. This brings me to the question-What is the real meaning of Christmas?
The word Christmas is from two words joined together Christ and Mass. It's the mass or service period we offer to the Christ in joy and celebration in remembrance of His birthday. Without the Christ, the annual celebration we have every December becomes a mere ritual that has no purpose.
There is a purpose to the word Christmas but the word x-mas has no meaning.
Christ is the reason for the season, Merry Christmas everyone.

The Element of Surprise.

Niccolo Machiavelli once said 'surprise is the most essential factor of victory...nothing makes a leader greater than the capacity to guess the design of the enemy'.
There is a certain beauty surprise injects into life. We throw surpise parties, give surprising gifts and plan events and take steps of all sorts that are a surprise to people around us. Surprise in itself is an interesting occurence. The expectation it erupts and the suddenness it springs up puts a certain flavour to the moment. The art of surprising is a useful one. It's the power behind laying an ambush for an adversary. It's  part of the skill that makes hunters go home with game and survive out in the wild.
The element of surprise is also a useful one in warfare and other fields of life.
In warfare the element of surprise puts the 'warrior' who employs it at an advantage. History attests to this fact.
'Surprise, very frequently has ended a war with a single stroke'- Clausewitz

NIGERIA & 2011.

Politics and current affairs are some of my interests, i like knowing whats going on around me and the world in which we all live. I like people, i value humanity. So what concerns the sons of men touch me to a very large extent.
I follow whats happening in my country too, thats natural as a concerned and responsible citizen. 2011 is around the corner, in Nigeria it's a year we will be picking new leaders in our country so it naturally brings mixed emotions for me when i think about it.
2011 can be a great opportunity for Nigeria, an opportunity to get it right and choose right. My understanding is that life is full of choices, and how well we choose determines the quality of our lives. It's time for Nigerians to choose right.
But unfortunately if Nigerians don't take positive and pro-active steps beginning from now towards 2011 i'm afraid she won't develop as well as she should and she can continue going round in circles. Nigerians need to get smart. The starting point of Nigerias progress is in the mind of Nigerians. The brain is one of the best and biggest gifts God has given to us here on earth. The true change Nigerians desire has to begin in the mind of Nigerians, a mental revolution is what Nigeria needs. When this happens it will affect the choices Nigerians make, especially our ability to pick leaders  and resist oppression in the land.
Nigerians must vote right in 2011. They need to know what to look out  for in picking  leaders at various levels in 2011. Below is a list of what i believe can be a guide to Nigerians in picking good leaders in 2011.

1)It's not every educated person who means well thats articulate. Therefore Nigerians shouldn't be carried away by any politicians rhetoric in 2011, but they should look out for the track record of positive achievements and contribution to socety among intended candidates.
2)Nigerians should look out for leaders who have a high level of decency (i believe we have them), men who can rekindle the interest of youths in the political process and be an inspiration to them. Role models to our young people.
3)A man who is committed to his faith (irrespective of what his faith is) is very likely to be principled. In 2011 Nigerians should vote leaders into power who have a faith and have shown some committment to it for years.
4)Nigerians should vote  candidates into power who have an ideology and a standard, not 'bread and butter' politicians.
5)Nigerians should vote  men who have a good level of exposure into power, exposed, not necessarily internationally  but who are intune and coversant with whats going on within Nigeria and intune with the modern age. If Nigerians don't vote leaders who understand the ways and time of the modern world into power, Nigeria may remain backward.
2011 will pass away like any other year for individuals and  the whole Nation if  Nigerians dont make right decisions. In 2011, don't vote without  making informed decisions. Read the manifesto of each party and find out what each aspirant represents.
God Bless Nigeria!

Comic book heroes and Gods children.

I remember growing up with comic books. I enjoy reading an interesting comic book anyday, from DC comics, to Marvel and 200 AD comics books. It helped my imagination and helped to improve my writing and art skills. My siblings also liked and still like comic books.
It's not that i have been weaned off comics books anyway (lol) but i dont have time for them as much as i used to. Life has a way of keeping us busy as we grow up. But it's a delight to see that a lot of the characters and teams i grew up reading about in comic books are being made into movies. There is a certain fascination we all have for heroes, particularly the ones that have extraordinary powers or unique gadgets (check out Batman).
The Incredible Hulk was the first comic book character i read about and got to know when i was round about 6 years old in Zurich, Switzerland where my family was based at the time.
Gods Word the Bible also took my interest years later after we moved to Nigeria, i remember listening to my dear mother going through the Jehovahs witness My Book Of Bible Stories with me as a very young boy (we are not Jehovahs witnesses) and i was fascinated by the pictures. Especially seeing the picture where Samson tore the lion apart with his bear hands. Bible characters are very interesting, their stories are fascinating and they have their weaknesses and strengths just like comic book heroes.
There are similarities between comic book heroes and Gods heroes in the Bible.
*Gods vessels (heroes) are not perfect people, comic book heroes are not perfect people too.
*Gods heroes have their weakness (women, greed,pride, impatience, fear, insecurities), comic book charaters have their weaknesses too (cryptonite, women, anger, impatience, lead, vengeance, overconfidence etc)
*Gods heroes have gifts given to them by the Spirit (the anointing, wisdom, knowledge, counsel, working of miracles, prophecy etc) comic book heroes are also gifted in different ways (super strength, super speed, beams, lazer rays, spider webs, invisibility etc)
*Gods heroes and comic book heroes have been given their abilities for the benefit of other people. To save and help others.
*There are two sides to comic book heroes eg. Thor and Superman. Superman is nerdy Clark Kent, Thor is a weaker fellow who carries a walking stick. Gods children can be weak one moment and have divine strength the next moment. I see similarities here.
Gods children are the ones we have been waiting for.
Are Gods children the new superman?

Qualities of a true Leader.

Nations of the world are at a season in life where true leadership seems to be scarce and there is a huge outcry from the populace for good leadership. When there are good leaders the people rejoice, and when bad people are in positions of authority the people mourn.
The success of every enterprise, company, cooperation or nation rests and falls on its leadership. Being a leader in any capacity is not a joke.
Unfortunately we are in times where those that are perceived the most competent and qualified are failing the people.Character failure, moral decadence and lack of integrity are at an all time high. Thats why i have taken some time to write on this issue.
Who is a leader? There are many definitions for leadership. It's Napoleon Bonaparte who said a leader is a dealer in hope. I agree with him. A leader is someone who has the ability to inspire hope in others for positive outcomes. You can also define a leader as someone who confers value on those within his/her sphere of influence. Leadership is all about the people you lead and less about you. A leader should be a chief servant.

Qualities of a great leader:

* A good and great leader is a person who has a message that resonates well with those within his/her sphere of influence. Capable leaders must have something to say.
*A good and great leader is one who is compassionate and intouch with the feelings of those under his/ her influence.
*A good and great leader is one who stays ahead of the pack by being well informed and conversant with the issues at hand.
*A good and great leader is one who inspires not merely by words but also by action.
*A good and great leader is a person who has a history of being a follower. Good followers make good leaders. The ability to follow others shows humility.
*A good and great leader is one who has a history of service. Either service to an individual, several people or many prople.
*Good and great leaders should be able to mobilise people and resources for the benefit of all.
*Good and great leaders should have a good level of decency and integrity.

Why Are You Here?

Dear Friends,
The title of this article is one of the most pertinent questions you will have to answer here on earth.
It's an important question because because it's a question that deals with the issue of your purpose.
There is a purpose to everything and everyone the creator has created (i hope you believe there is a creator, a God who knows all and owns all)
If there is a creator, there must be a reason for everything He does. Which means there must be a reason for His creating you. I don't think it would have cost God anything to bring you into this world in the form of any one of the beasts of the field, the birds of their air or the creeping insects of the ground but He gave you the singular honour of coming into the world in the form of a human being, a man child, created in His image and His likeness. That's a privilege i feel any human being shouldn't take for granted.
But why did He create you in His image and likeness, why are you here or simply put what is your purpose on this earth?
It's a question i have thought long and hard about and i have come to the conclusion that LOVE is what life is all about. Finito.
Love is what makes life worth living, love is what gives our life meaning, love is the major quality that makes us like God. ''To err is human to forgive is divine''. Forgiveness can only come from the heart of a man/woman who understands the concept of love.
What counts most is not your talents, gifts, potential, generousity or faith but your ability to love. It is when you can truly love that all other things will have meaning.
I am fully persuaded and i stand to be corrected that love is what we are here for. We are here to love God and our fellow man
regards

Italian Food and People.

Ciao.
Over the last two months i have been privileged to meet Italian people, learn a thing or two about their culture, observe their way of life, eat their food (lol), become part of their social circle, make new friends among them and even learn to cook Italian dishes as a result of my job. Wow! what a privilege.
 I admire their family culture and tradition. Just like Africans they are sociable people, hospitable and believe very strongly in family.As I behold them kiss each other on the cheek and forehead (a way of greeting) and hug each other I am full of admiration for the kindred spirit they all seem to have among them. Perhaps this has alot to do with their being far from home.
 I notice the way their faces light up when they come across an individual who speaks their language and the excitement they display.
 Their  food is usually served as meals of several courses and how delicious and healthy they are!
 They way they set the table in preparation for dinner is inviting, I have observed they pay attention to detail and many of them seem to have a taste for what is good. As some of us are aware good wine is part of what completes an Italian dish.
I remember visiting Rome with my family as a young boy when I was holiday from school, it was an interesting experience. Till today (i'm now a full grown man, lol) I still have memories of the Vatican, the popes cathedral and headquarters of the Catholic faith. As young as i was then, I was in awe of the architecture of the building. Italians have contributed alot to architecture.
Italians have contributed in no small measure to development in many fields of life. From the theatre, to fashion, movies, architecture, food and business. Theirs is a rich cultural heritage.
So far many of their women seem chatty and friendly. Boy, are most of them beautiful.
It is my hope that my ability to speak the language and understand it will match up with my ability to prepare their dishes. Boy, am I learning fast.
Salute! lol

Pray And Work

It is the late William Booth the founder of the Salvation  Army that said ''pray as if everything depends on prayer and work as if everything depends on work''. I couldn't agree with him more. My understanding is that prayer and work should go together like to sides of a coin. It has been  my observation that  many people don't balance these vital qualities of prayer and work to get the desired results they want. It's important to balance both, as Edwin Lewis Cole of blessed memory one said ''balance is the way of life''.
Prayer takes care of things from the spiritual realm, while work takes care of the physical dimension of life. We are created to be fruitful and productive as we live in this world which has a very practical dimension to it, part of the law that governs this practical side of life is the law of diligence (working hard and smart). There is no substitute to hard work in the school of success. There is no substitute to prayer in making circumstances and situations line up in your favour.
A combination of these two 'forces' and their proper application will ensure your success.
Best wishes!