Read and reflect...

It was the first day of the session and a new direct entry student, Mensah, a Ghanaian, joined the class in one of Nigeria’s universities.

The Lecturer said, “Let's begin by reviewing some Nigerian history.”

The lecturer asked who said, “I shall return to die in the land of my fathers.”

She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Mensah, who had his hand up.

Mensah replied: “King Jaja of Opobo, 1875”

"Very good!'' said the lecturer. Then she asked again, who said, “The land use act will feed the nation?”

Again, no response except from Mensah: “Obasanjo, 1976."

The lecturer snapped at the class; "Class, you all should be ashamed. Mensah, who is new to our country, knows more about its history than you do."

The lecturer heard a loud whisper: “ Ghana must go”

"Who said that?” she demanded Mensah put his hand up, “Buhari, 1984.”

At that point, a student in the back scornfully said; “Hmmm, you think you are smart?”

The lecturer glared and asked; “All right! Now, who said that?”

Again, Mensah said, “Babangida to Abiola, 1992.”

Now furious, another student yelled; “Oh yeah! Eat this!”

Mensah jumped out of his chair waving his hand and shouting to the lecturer, “Indian mistress giving apple to Abacha, 1998!”

Now, with almost mob hysteria, someone said; “You little shit. If you say anything else, I'll kill you.”

Mensah frantically yelled at the top of his voice; “Chris Uba to Ngige, 2004!''

The Lecturer fainted, and as the class gathered around her on the floor, someone said; “Oh shit, we're in BIG trouble now!”

Mensah whispered; “Chimaroke Nnamani, James Ibori, Ayodele Fayose, Lucky Igbinedon, 2007”

Now, if someone asks you, “Who sent this e-mail to you?”

Eyes of a child

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip
to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people
live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would
be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How Was trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yes," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they
have a river that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others
We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them. The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would
happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have. Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!

Please pass this page on to friends and acquaintances to help
them refresh their perspective and appreciation.

"Life is too short and friends are too few."

45 lessons life taught me

1. Life isn't fair,but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument.Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate,resistanc e is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others.You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret,you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful,beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

WONDERS

A mother of twins has had a shock after doctors revealed that her 11-month-old boys do not have the same father. Mia Washington decided to get some expert advice when she and her partner noticed that twins Justin and Jordan had different facial features. Paternity tests then revealed what had happened - two eggs had been fertilised by two different sperm and there was a 99.99% chance the twins had different dads. Doctors at the DNA lab in Dallas , Texas had never seen such a result. Mia later admitted she had had an affair and got pregnant by two different men at the same time. She told TV channel Fox 4: "Out of all people in America and of all people in the world, it had to happen to me. I'm very shocked." Clear Diagnostics president Genny Thibodeaux said: "It is very crazy. Most people don't believe it can happen, but it can."

GOOD ADVICE

Tips for a successful marriage

Issues on fidelity

Women who easily suspect their husbands are insecure. A woman who is not secure in her husband's love will feel he must be showing the love to someone else- real or imagined. Women need reassurance.

A woman goes through many changes in life especially physically and emotionally. Pre and post-natal situations, menopause and age all add up to change the physical appearance of a woman and constant reassurance from her man makes her secure and also makes her feel she is still as attractive as when her husband fell in love and proposed. When this reassurance is not forthcoming, there is a tendency to begin to think the spouse is directing these to someone else when he doesn't come home early or when what he says doesn’t add up.

Indices of extra-marital affair and how can it be checked in a relationship

They are lies, unexplained outburst of anger, highly irritable behaviour, verbal or physical abuse, etc. They can be checked by constant communication between couples. Couples must learn to work hard to keep the love that brought them together alive. They must not neglect one another and make efforts to create time out of their busy schedule for each other. In addition to these, they must pray together and for one another. Prophesy into each other's lives and trust God for each other.

Issues on income

To withhold such important information is very dangerous. In fact, it is better to give full access to the funds otherwise the man will believe she earns more than she actually does and make unreasonable demands. Also, a man who is financially crippled feels less of a man and not in control of the home so will be prone to lash out in different ways like verbal or physical abuse in order to gain control.

Financial independence

A woman does not need financial independence from her spouse. Her role is to support him in everyway possible way.

Advise on wife’s full control of the financial resources of the family

Yes and no. There should be joint access and joint control of the account. The message is that there shouldn't be any restriction or barrier for either party. They come into agreement. Two heads are better than one.

Can a woman be in charge of the family purse or account?

"In-charge" is not the right word for the woman. The man should always be in-charge. The role of a woman is that of a custodian. The man is the head and the woman the neck.

How a man can manage a wife who is extremely possessive and demanding

A wife who is never satisfied and always asking for more probably believes there is more where what is given came from. Such a woman should be made the "custodian" of the family purse. It will be difficult and ridiculous to ask for more when you are aware of all there is.

Advice to a woman who insists that her husband must provide everything

Such a woman is not of God. The main reason a woman was created was to be a helpmeet to her husband. God saw that it was not good for the man to be alone hence the woman. A helpmeet is to meet her husband, not halfway, three quarter way or one quarter way but to meet him at any level as long as he has made attempts or efforts to find solutions to family problems.

A woman who insists her husband must do everything will soon lose him either to death or to another woman. There will be no use for her in the home as she is not contributing and will certainly not be missed if she is no longer in the home.

How couples can build trust and transparency in their relationship

Learn to be open to one another. Speak the truth without being hurtful. Refrain from telling lies and appreciate one another.

What are the benefits?

If they have a loving and lovely union, the couple will have common goals and will achieve a lot.

Dangers, if neglected

The dangers are strife, backbiting, separation or even divorce. There is the tendency of the children becoming wayward and disobedient.

Advice to those having problems in this area

The issues should be addressed. Do not assume it will go away by not speaking about them. There has to be a rededication and an effort to renew trust and transparency. It's a two-way thing. One party has to resolve to rebuild trust and transparency while the other learns to believe that the former will change for good and give love a chance again.