Mali Music - The Job Experience (The Video)

My friend just referred to him (Mali Music) as a prodigy and I absolutely agree.

Watch the video below and am sure you will agree with us when you are done.

Enjoy:)

Give Me – Kirk Franklin feat Mali Music

I seem to "stumble" upon great quotes and great people in recent times and Mali Music (a singer, songwriter and producer) is my newest discovery. A friend mentioned his name a while back but I assumed he was referring to music from Mali (the Country) and I was like huh, you and who will listen to Mali Music *not interested*, until yesterday, I was just fiddling with my remote control and BET came on, lo and behold my "newest discovery" was on TV, talking about God and gospel music in a cool and inspiring way and I got stuck.

So, naturally, the first thing I did when I got to work was to find out more about Mali Music and hmmmmm...all I can say is  that God knows how to create and deposit immense talent in people and Mali Music is one of those rare breed. He talks and sings about God in a way that will make you want to know God...simple.

I got some of his songs off YouTube and Give Me - Kirk Franklin ft Mali Music happens to be one of my favorite.

Enjoy and give me your verdict :) :

The Lyrics

[Mali]
Give me that joy I can't explain
Add extra peace that'll ease my pain
I want that love that'll never change
Give me that, Give me that

Give me that power to walk away
When another god wants to take your place
As much of you as I can take
Give me that, Give me that

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
Anybody ready

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
Ready for his glory

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
If your a seeker for life

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
Let me tell you this story

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
Every place that's dark

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
He will bring it to light

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
Hypocritical hearts, back sliders, liars time to get right

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
See I include myself

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
I cast my own stones

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
I'm the man in the mirror y’all

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
I can see my own wrong


[Kirk Franklin speaking]
But I'm here by grace

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
Through Christ by faith

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
I had to make that choice, I had to open up my mouth and say

[Mali]
Give me that joy I can't explain
Add extra peace that'll ease my pain
I want that love that'll never change
Give me that, Give me that

Give me that power to walk away
When another god wants to take your place
As much of you as I can take
Give me that, Give me that

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
Anybody tired

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
You want the show to end

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
Get the actors off stage, and let church begin

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
Do you want a revolution?

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
You want to hear a new song?

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
God is cleaning up house

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
At first he started right at home

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
No more miracle water, prayer cloths, some money and fame

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
Everybody got a title, but do you know your name
[Kirk Franklin speaking]
If we humble ourselves, people

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
And fall on our face

[Kirk Franklin speaking]
And ask God everything in me that’s not right take it away

[Mali]
Gimme that joy I can't explain
Add extra peace that'll ease my pain
I want that love that'll never change
Give me that, Give me that

Oh I want that power to walk away
When another god wants to take your place
As much of you as I can take
Give me that, Give me that
[2x]

[Mali]
And I choose you today, cuz I need you today
I cant get away
See, there's no escape
See what you done to me
I'm not the same ol' me
You took away everything
Now you're my everything

[choir sings]
I choose you today, cuz I need you today
I cant get away
See, there's no escape
See what you done to me
I'm not the same ol' me
You took away everything
Now you're my everything

[Mali]
Give me that God that breathes life into nostrils of man
A sovereign God who predestined creation before time began
I want a God who would really add some elegance, decorate the darkness with stars
The God who orchestrates the future, at the same time He knows where you are
Give that God who supplies my needs 'cause He owns all the cattle on the hills
And He's the God that wipes my tears, and provides enough to pay all my bills
Gimmie me that God, that's the God I'm talking about
Gimmie me that God, that's the God I'm talking about
Give me that, Give me that
Give me that, Give me that

Gimme that joy I can't explain
I'm so happy, you make me happy
Gimme that joy I can't explain
Add extra peace that'll Add extra peace, ease my pain
I want that love that'll never change
Give me that, Give me that, Give me that ......

 Video

Random Quotes (1)

I just stumbled upon a lovely quote by Walter Anderson, which in itself is self-explanatory and summarises how I view life.

Enjoy:

“I am responsible. Although I may not be able to prevent the worst from happening, I am responsible for my attitude toward the inevitable misfortunes that darken life. Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have – life itself.”
Walter Anderson

Simple yeah?

Do have a great weekend...TGIF :).

Sweetest Taboo

I was with my mom some weeks back and had the urge to write about "love", actually scribble the "story" on a Kleenex (we were in a restaurant at the time, thus the absence of my keyboard or a paper). I kept the note in my wallet until now, thought it wise to upload it before the "writing material" falls apart.

Here is what I wrote, it may be considered as fiction or non-fiction :). I guess that is left for me to know and for you to find out :).

Enjoy:

The sun was glaring, as bright as a burning furnace and as hot as my heart beat when I think about my first love.

He used to be everything to me; my first touch, my first stolen kiss and the first cause of butterflies in my tummy.

Oh sweet love.

Love then had meaning; it was free, naive and effortless. I did not have to smile the right way or love the right way, I was just LOVED.

I can vividly remember the first day I laid my eyes on him, my heart literally stopped and to my medium size frame, he looked like the duplication of “Thor”; his broad shoulders, his clear brown eyes (not blue in this case) and his strong chocolatey voice…hmmmm, thinking about him now still gives me goose bumps.

…and lunch came to an end and so did my story, I like it unfinished though, who knows when the “inspiration of cupid” will strike me again…just maybe I will conclude it or better still you can play around with it and conclude yourself.

To be continued.

Our New Mrs.

Blowing the dust off my blog :). I have been away for a while, not totally my fault though.

My first true love (my elder sister) got married this weekend and we were all sooooo busy. But the stress was worth every single smile I saw on my sister's face.

The event took us down memory lane, to those days when we used to "plan" our future. Ideally, we are supposed to have "dropped" two kids each by now...lol, but I guess life had a different and much better plan in mind :).

I have marked the weekend as a milestone in my life (yels, am tapping from my sister's joy) because not only did I see my sister very happy but I also got a very nice and caring brother-in-law.

Our childhood friends were also there to spice up the event and it was fun reminiscing on those good ol' days.

And I have never seen my mom dance as much as she did that day, the woman just kept twisting her waist and I was just praying she doesn't fall down, but alas the "strength of a proud mama" fell on her and she danced the day away.

All in all, it was a great event and am very grateful to God for making everything fall into place perfectly.

:). 

Moments to Treasure (1)

On the first Sunday of July, I finally got to carry out the first phase of my "New Year Resolution" (visit an orphanage monthly)...it's six months overdue but I guess its better late than never.

Above are some of the beautiful faces I encountered during the course of my "visit". I couldn't get a lot of pictures because the children where more interested in playing than posing for a photo shoot :).

But it was a fulfilling and interesting time of my life, most especially it was PRICELESS being able to make these children who were "abandoned" by the people designated by God to look after them, smile.

I honestly can't explain the amount of joy and satisfaction I felt when I left the Orphanage and i eagerly look forward to another visit next month.

Food for Thought: 

Such acts of kindness cost very little and if some of us can save a small part of the money we splurge on drinks, food, clothes, cars e.t.c, we would have enough to spare in making a child out there feel wanted.

Think about it :).

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little, do something now" – Edmund Burke

Smile.

Unrefined Poetry

This is a "poem" I just scribbled down, its still raw and probably too "unrefined" for poets out there but it’s still something I want to share :).

Enjoy:

When the nights are dark and long;

Who will hold me.

When the world seems cold and empty;

Who will comfort me.

When my heart bleeds in silence;

Who will see my pain.

When my future seems bleak and jumbled;

Who will re-position my focus.

When I need someone to talk to or just vent;

Who will listen.

When the weight of responsibility seems too heavy for my fragile shoulders;

Who will carry my cross.

When the road seems rough and narrow;

Who will lead me through.

And yet I go to bed again with the same questions,

With the same pain and confusion;

And just when I thought all hope was lost;

YOU held me and whispered in my ears;

I AM HERE.

The Rocking Chair

This article may be "ironic" coming from someone who "used" to worry and be anxious about every single thing but who else can aptly tell a story about how "useless" worrying can be than a recovering "worrier" huh?.

And yes please, that is what I call myself these days (a recovering worrier) and I use the word "recovering" because its a process. You can't just wake up one beautiful morning and decide that you are not going to worry about life anymore and gbam!!!!...like magic you get your wish.

Of course it would be so much easier that way but "unfortunately" it takes time, God's grace (very essential) and a total change in the way one sees life.

Am not a philosopher or a psychiatrist, so I wouldn't know jack about the tools or techniques to use to get over worrying but I did/doing it my way, which is quite simple;

All I did was to hinge my life on God, because at the end of the day the only reason I used to worry about every single thing was because I relied on my own strength (which fails) without looking up to the "ultimate strength".

So whenever that "fear" creeps in and starts trying to eat me up (raising my blood pressure...smh), I simply remember God's promise about not forgetting His children and that calms my heart because I know no matter how turbulent life gets, have got the "biggest shoulder" to lean on.

So instead of sitting on that "rocking chair" that has never taken me anywhere, I chose to stand firmly on God's words and I have absolutely no regrets.

So if you see my smiling when it seems like my world is crumbling down, don't assume am high on cheap drugs :)...I have just decided to do the best i can do and let God take care of the rest.

Life is good.



Smile.

When I Say I Am a Xtain

I guess the image above is self explanatory...so, am not going to "jot" down a loooonnnggg sermon here :).

All i can say is that it depicts what "religion" should be all about (in this case being a Christian), which is a life centered around "total reliance on God's grace, humility, acceptance of one's imperfection and acceptance of your "neighbor’s" imperfections and beliefs".

There may be more attached to "Christianity" but for me that is how i see it....living right by God, yourself and others.

And in my humble opinion if we can all free ourselves from "superiority" complex when it comes to religion, the world will be a very peaceful place.

Say a prayer for Kaduna and Nigeria as a whole, there is surely light at the end of this looooonnnnggg tunnel.

Smile.

Climax

Ideas come to people differently and at different times. I have come to realise that my brain gets "overcharged" when am doing mundane things like household chores, browsing through pictures e.t.c.

So i wasn't surprised when my brain "started showing itself" as i was doing my laundry this morning (Saturday) and i quickly grabbed my "tool" (my phone in this case) to turn my thoughts into words, which translates to:

Why do i write?
Why do i have a blog?

People write for different reasons; some to make a living, some because its part of their job description and some just for the fun of it.

Well, i write for the following basic reasons:

1) I loooovvvveee writing; there is a certain release and clarity i get when i pen down ideas...its like me having a conversation with my pen and paper or in most cases my keyboard or keypad. I sometimes compare it to "orgasm" (now don't get too sexual here...lol), i simply mean the "satisfaction" i get when am done writing. That's why am not really concerned if people compliment or comment on my write-ups (of course that feels good too...lol) but that's not the "ultimate" because i do it (write) for me, that is my primary reason.

2) I write "publicly" because i feel it would be "selfish" of me to keep ideas or my point of view concerning certain subjects to myself...trust me, there is always love in SHARING. When i write, i just pray one person can eventually go through my blog and learn something from my "mundane rantings" and the little experiences have passed through in life.

3) I want to infect people with "positivity". i used to be a very sad and negative person (confession :) ), but with God's grace and "self-therapy", i overcame the "struggle", now am as happy as one can be in this complicated world, i see things differently and i have learnt how to appreciate and savour every second i get in life. So, when i write i want to bring "sunshine and hope" to someone out there going through that phase i went through and that's why i end most of my posts with "smile".

So, my "saturday musing" has been completed and have reached my writing "climax" today.

And have also answered a question that defines the basic existence of my blog.

Now back to my chores.

Smile my dear readers. Life only gets better.

Why Did I Get Married

Just saw this article on Bella Naija. It took a closer look at guys who took the “bold” step into marriage and why they did. They (husbands) also talked about their courtship and why they took the decision to spend the rest of their lives with their wives. I read through it and a particular couple caught my eyes…from the guy’s story, its obvious they are good friends asides being husband and wife, which I think is very admirable especially since its common place to see people marrying for the wrong reasons.

Oh well, “to each his own” yeah.

Below is the story of my “favorite” couple, enjoy:  
 

Taiwo & Chiz Peters

Taiwo Peters is a Lagos based lawyer who is a father of two has been married for 5 yrs.

How did you meet your wife?

Chiz and I were introduced at a mutual friend’s get together in July 2003. Our friend was going through a match-making phase and decided she would pair up her different friends. I don’t usually go for such things but I decided to humour her nonetheless. I was actually supposed to meet another friend of hers but she never showed, likewise for Chiz (thank God!). So, we were both on the “waiting table” and we started talking and before you knew it, it was time for everyone to go. Because of how we met and how stubborn I could be, I immediately told myself that I wasn’t going to follow it up but as soon as I got home, I found myself sending a text message to make sure she was okay (or so I told myself).

When did you know she was The ONE?

The truth is that Chiz struck a chord with me from day one but I knew she was “the one” precisely two weeks after we started dating on the 12^th of January, 2004. I actually sent her a text telling her how I felt (I told her I loved her) and she was kind enough not to laugh in my face when next we saw. Needless to say, she put that bold statement to the test till I earned her trust and confidence.

Why did you get married?

I got married because quite frankly I was sick and tired of dropping her back home at her parent’s house. Whenever it was time for her to go home, we would always quarrel (which was a sneaky way to get more time with her; half bread and all that) and she would always end up getting home late. But more than that, I knew 100 per cent that I could never ever find someone as loving, funny, intelligent, hard-working, stylish, classy, sexy, God-fearing (to name just a few of her qualities) if I tried. In addition, she is as real as they come and does not have one pretentious bone in her body. Finally, I knew how much I needed her in my life. I don’t need many people in my life outside my family and close friends and I wasn’t particularly looking to add to my list, but knew I needed this lady.

What has changed for you since you got married?

Well, she doesn’t go home anymore for a start! So that is great (especially when we argue!). Apart from that nothing else has really changed. I knew two weeks after we started dating that I would spend the rest of my life with her (if she would have me) and I treated her like my wife in every ramification. We dated for four years before we got married, so there was little that could change apart from the “license” from God to “do and undo”. We have been blessed with two children so we are grateful to God that we have responsibly put that license to good use.

Tell us one thing you discovered since you got married that you wish someone had told you before now?

I went into marriage with my eyes wide open and with zero childish notions so I cannot say I have been surprised or had a “why didn’t anyone tell me” moment. No matter what, I will always love her and I was fully aware that there would be tough times to go with the good times. We have had our share of both but because we are friends first we always find a way through with God as our foundation.

Where would you like to be stuck with alone with your wife?

The location wouldn’t matter and that’s the God honest truth! We have a blast at home in front of the TV just as well as when we are on vacation abroad. So long as we are together, we would always make the most of where we are. We are partial to the cold though so anywhere with a cool temperature would be excellent.

Culled from Bella Naija 

Gaga Crazy

Chuddy K's Gaga Crazy Video.

I absolutely love this song...it can get you off that seat anytime, anywhere :)

Enjoy.

Procrastination

Just saw this picture on Pinterest and it hit a nerve in a funny and somewhat serious way. Thought i'd share it since i can safely say most of us are victims to this "syndrome" (procrastination).

In search for a cure, i "stumbled" upon a site (www.positivityblog.com) which proffered seven (7) timeless tips that can help in putting an end to procrastination...(i hope i don't postpone applying them in my life though...lol), just kidding, i actually found them useful.

Time to share :), enjoy:

1. Stop thinking. Start doing: A bit of planning can certainly help you to achieve what you want to achieve. A lot of planning and thinking tends to have the opposite effect. You think and think and try to come up with “the perfect plan”. A plan where you don’t have to make mistakes, where you will never be rejected, where there will be no pain or difficulties. Such a thing does of course not exist. But as long as you work on that plan you can protect yourself.

2. Don’t blow a task out of proportion: By over thinking and putting things off you are not only trying to protect yourself from pain. You also make mountains out of molehills and since you are putting it off you are probably thinking about it in a negative way. This makes a little thing a big "Godzilla", a horrible beast that is threatening to ruin your life. So plan a little and then take action.

3. Just take the first step: When you start to look too far into the future any task or project can seem close to impossible. And so you shut down because you become overwhelmed and start surfing the internet aimlessly instead. That is one of the reasons why it is good to plan for the future but then to shift your focus back to today and the present moment.

Then you just focus on taking the first step today. That is all you need to focus on, nothing else. By taking the first step you change you mental state from resistant to “hey, I’m doing this, cool”. You put yourself in state where you become more positive and open, a state where you may not be enthusiastic about taking the next step after this first one but you are at least accepting it. And so you can take the next step. And the next one after that.

4. Start with the hardest task of your day: Maybe you have an important call to make that you also fear might be uncomfortable. Maybe you know you have gotten behind on answering your emails and have a big pile to dig into. Maybe you have the last five pages of your paper to finish. Whatever it may be, get it out of your way and let it be the first thing you do.

If you start your day this way you will feel relieved. You feel relaxed and good about yourself. And the rest of the day – and your to-do list – tends to feel a lot lighter and easier to move through. It’s amazing what difference this one action makes.

5. Just make a decision. Any decision: We feel bad when we sit on our hands and don’t take action because it’s unnatural. The natural thing is to be a decisive human and take action. When you procrastinate, you want to do something but you don’t take the action that is in alignment with that thought. You become conflicted within. But taking the confident actions you want to take over and over again is what really builds your self confidence and a self-image of you being a confident person. When you procrastinate , you lower your self esteem and send signals back to yourself that you are a ,well, a kinda lame and indecisive person.

(hmmmm.....). 

6. Face your fear: 

“Procrastination is the fear of success. People procrastinate because they are afraid of the success that they know will result if they move ahead now. Because success is heavy, carries a responsibility with it, it is much easier to procrastinate and live on the “someday I’ll” philosophy.” -  Denis Waitley

I think this is true. It’s easier to live on that “someday…” thought. It’s harder to just take action. To risk looking like a fool. To make mistakes, stumble and not avoid that pain. To take responsibility for your own life. The easier choice can come with a sense of comfort, with a certain level of success, pangs of regret for all the things you never dared to do and a vague sense of being unfulfilled. You wonder about what would have happened if you had taken more action and more chances.

The harder choice gives you, well, who knows? But it will sure make your feel more alive.

7. Finish it: Not taking the first step to start accomplishing something can make you feel bad. But not finishing what you have started can also leave you in a sort of negative funk. You feel fatigued or stressed and sometimes you don’t even know why. It’s like someone zapped your inner power.

If that is the case, go over tasks and projects that you are currently involved in. Is there something there you know you want to finish but haven’t yet? Try to get that finished as soon as you can and you will start to feel a whole lot better.

Useful tips yeah :).

Smile.