THE BEAUTY WE SEE YET WE DON'T SEE.

  I stood and watched them in fascination, enjoying the view. They were simply having a wonderful time together, experiencing one of those "bonding moments", happiness was very evident in their countenance.

   At that moment, I forgot about my tiredness and paid no attention to my thirsty throat. I simply stared at those two, with admiration and awe, oblivious of my surroundings.
 

 I refused to pay attention to the fact that my amusement could actually be questioned by any sane but unobservant person, especially when the cause of the amusement is actually the sight of a bitch playing with her puppy, but here is someone who actually got thrilled by the sight of birds flying a pattern in the sky; so, little is not to be expected of me on such issues.

 

Our lives lack beauty when we stop appreciating nature's little things, it is devoid of genuine happiness when we are always on the run, especially after our every desire. Not taking simple moments off to appreciate whatever condition we find ourselves in, knowing with all certainty that millions are in far worse situations. 

   Everywhere around us lie beauty, we only have to take a moment off, give ourselves a much needed break, embrace the warmth or create one and for once, forget about that thing or those things you so much crave for that is keeping you restless.  

   There is so much beauty we sometimes don't see even when we see. 

 
 
 
 

THE TWO "F" FACTORS; FRUSTRATION AND FEAR.

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  Frustration and Fear riding in the rear
Could be in form of a load to bear or a cloth to wear
Or a constant ache or itch just behind the ear
And a beautiful rose flower badly gone sear

The fear of failure make us work and work to succeed
And the frustration of failed attempts lead some to suicide
Frustration and Fear riding in the rear
Could be in form of a cloth to wear or a load to bear

We work and work and sweat for dough,
But what do we have? just enough for a Doe
We wish, we pray, we fast and hope
While our leaders leave us dangling by the rope

The husband would work and toil in stress
To earn enough and buy the wife a dress
We grumble and mumble all day long
But still, we come to the same song.

 We wake in the wee hours (of the morning) to prepare for work
And we get back in late hours (of the night) due to gridlock
So I say, why won't there be frustration and fear
The two (F) factors, always riding in our rear.

Composed by Mar'yam Thawbaan (NobleHeart)

PLEA TO BRF; OUR HIJAB, OUR RIGHTS.

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 How do we safeguard our children, the future generation?
When we deny them their rights and put them to degradation.
How do we ensure that they remain chaste and righteous,
And to save them from a state of being notorious?

So, I'm asking Lagos state government "why the ban on Hijab"?
In our government secondary schools and not just in the school lab.
Why put an end to religious studies in our various classes?
Only to have our children involved in other meaningless cases.

Since time past, women have always dressed modest and in chastity,
Go check annals of history and ask about any old city.
Even Mary the mother of prophet Eesa (Jesus) was favoured by Allah,
Not as a "celebrity", but to deliver into this world the great Messiah

Yet we shout of a state of decadence
Wanting our children to attain excellence
What have we for them as providence?
After we've failed to give them self-confidence
In the practice of their religion (Islam) which ensures prudence.
Click on here to read more about the hijab experience

So this is a plea to BRF our able governor,
To ensure our rights for the remainder of his tenure.
My religion  (Islaam) decries terrorism and places women in reverence,
A fact which no state can deny in all of its governance.

Composed by Mar'yam Thawbaan  (NobleHeart)

THE HIJAB EXPERIENCE: YOUR IDENTITY, YOUR HONOUR

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  It was indeed a conference, as serious conversation started right from the onset; I say kudos to sister Ruqayyah Giwa and her co M.C. for that feat. I acknowledge this because most events, even the ones typically called “conference” sometimes don’t have that conferential feel.

   The 2014 sisters' conference of the MSSN UNILAG sisters’ circle was indeed (and I say again) a conference. With a theme that goes thus: “21^st century muslimah”, it is difficult to imagine anything short of serious discussion. The two moderators, both female, (remember its sisters' circle thing, so the prog. was strictly for sisters) came onto the stage and threw a question at us, a question that later generated a highly participated discourse from among us.

   We were asked to share our experiences while in hijab; the good, the bad, the odd and the ugly, so it got started. With beautiful faces here and there, bright colours of scarfs and smiles, the Unilag main auditorium was almost filled up. Fellow sisters were itching to stand up and share, but some were shy and some were simply unwilling, I on the other hand was simply observing, I couldn’t even think of anything worthy enough to share at that moment, or maybe I was simply being timid, *covers eyes*.

   The first sister collected the microphone and narrated her experiences, she started from the very one which later led her to becoming a Unilag student, it was a mixture of the good and the ugly ones (experience). Few others got up and relayed their good, bad, odd and ugly experiences all because they’re donning their hijab.

   But what was most significant was what the Lecturer of the day, Hajia Ganiyyah Adenle, (lecturer mass. Comm. LASU) said, that we the 21^stcentury muslimah are not any different in comparism to the stone-age muslimah, as long as we’re still serving the same God (Allah), believe in the same prophets, the same holy books and we still act righteous and modest, and that if we are trying to look at challenges being faced, we definitely didn’t experience the “ugly” as much as they did, citing Sumayyah, (first female martyr in Islam) and pharaoh’s daughter’s hairdresser and countless others.

   She explained that strong-will is what is missing in us (21^stcentury muslimah), the ability to remain steadfast and never wavering in the face of any challenge we might be experiencing. Some cited instances of humiliation encountered by them when they had to visit the American embassy to collect their visa, and some, the harassment they faced in the passport office, and she carefully explained that all we need is to stand up for ourselves and to hold our grounds.

   The program was concluded after the editor of the sisters’ circle presented and launched their annual publication (of the sisters’ circle), WISE LADIES OUTREACH (W.L.O) and the cover title; YOUR IDENTITY, YOUR HONOUR. Sister Aminah Fashola, I really admire your work, it was a job well done. And to the chairperson of the event (can’t really remember her name) called “sister celeb”, she was described as small and mighty and indeed the event can make up for her stature.

   And that brings me back to the discussion we had earlier in the day on MSSN Lagos half hour, ( a program that holds on star 101.5fm at 8:30-9:00am every Saturday) that our hijab is our rights (click here) to read more on that, and we maintain that no hijab no vote in Lagos state in sha Allah.

Happy new year (1436A.H) to all Muslims.

Wa ssalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakaatuhu.

 

THE G.E.J. EXPERIENCE.

Experience they say, is nothing but the best teacher
We need not a clear advert nor the words of a preacher
We've experienced GEJ for 6 good years and our lives got no better
Yet he aspires to run in 2015 and to win the hearts of all voters

I know not much about politics, so  I speak not on the matter
But I speak now of we Nigerians and how we're made to suffer
Can we say we brought it upon ourselves by voting GEJ as our father
After he told us he is a man just like us without a complete slipper

But we were no prophet and neither were we soothsayers
While casting our votes for him in our ballot papers
No food, no job, no light, no water
Bad road, bad transport, bad housing, bad leader

Yet he said he came with transformation agenda
Nay, he came with deceitful propaganda
Nigeria is an oil-rich country called the "giant of Africa"
Still we struggle to get a liter of petrol and we're made to suffer

Even after turning PHCN into the hands of private owners
Our lights change not from the way it was, and "NEPA" keep counting meters
The poor light their candles and the rich ON their inverters
Or they start their generators or power sourced from solar

Then our youths keep streaming into the entertainment industry just to sing "Mama sita"
Instead of getting quality education and make their lives better
Or discovering their real potential and try to work harder
They refused all that and joined the wild goose chase, yet they want to prosper

So I say, are they to be blamed or our cranky leaders
Who loot our country off her treasure and leave us with torn trousers
They rob us off our simple rights and our humble manners
And left in us hunger, deprivation and crave for bread and butter

And I agree with "psalms of love" author, Omisore Jedidiah
When he said whoever called us Third World Nation is indeed as flatter

Now, tell me one good reason to cast my vote for GEJ in my ballot paper
After experiencing him for 6 good years and our lives got no better.

Composed by Mar'yam Thawbaan (NobleHeart)

THOUGHTS ON THE WHITE THRONE

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 There upon the white throne that's where I sat

 But to answer natures' call not to sit and chat.

Then accross my mind it flew,like a flying dove. 

A book I read just yesterday called "Psalms of love".

The part that says "now or never", 

Or that which says "our life is getting better".

We sit and think, How do we start .

We wait and wait but what do we get. 

It's better to take the bull by the horns,

Not to fake and sit on thorns. 

Neither to sit honking our horn, 

Nor to wait for a Messiah to be born.

So why wait to think or fret,

when you can wake, get up and act.

Composed by Mar'yam Thawbaan (Noble Heart)

INTRO; EXPERIENCE

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   Yesterday's experience can become today's nightmare, and today's experience can turn out to be tomorrow's nightmare. Likewise, today's nightmare can unfold to become tomorrow's experience.

 Experience they say, is the best teacher, but let us ask ourselves if our experiences actually teach us or do we actually learn from them.
 Experience consists of knowledge of or skill of some thing or some event gained through involvement in or exposure to that thing or event.
    For quite some time now, I've been nurturing the idea of doing something like this, sharing my daily experiences and what it taught me, what I'm able to learn from happenings and events around me, and how useful those experiences are, that brought me to "Today's Experience".
 "Today's Experience" is intended to bring to surface occurrences, happenings and issues surrounding our daily lives, to learn from them by extracting something meaningful from all of our daily experiences and sharing them in the hope to bring about changes, educate, enlighten and inform ourselves.
  I hope our today's experience actually teaches us something worthy of changing our lives positively.
 Call it a journal, yes! it is, but an open one. *smiles* 
 

DEDICATION; THERESA CORBIN

After reading her story on a  CNNpage, I decided to visit her website, and I loved what I saw.

 As a burgeoning writer, I always love to read about well known writers, and I find myself fancying some, following their works and admiring their style, at the same time never losing my main purpose, i.e. to learn.
 Her name is Theresa Corbin, she is a writer living in New Orleans and she is a Muslim convert and sincerely that made her story all the more appealing to me, and I especially love her quote " my scarf does not tie my hands behind my back..."
 Here is an excerpt of her story:

"I am the product of a Creole Catholic and an Irish atheist. I grew up Catholic, then was agnostic, now I'm Muslim.

   My journey to Islam began when I was about 15 years old in Mass and had questions about my faith. The answers from teachers and clergymen -- don't worry your pretty little head about it -- didn't satisfy me.

So I did what any red-blooded American would do: the opposite. I worried about it. For many years. I questioned the nature of religion, man and the universe.

   After questioning everything I was taught to be true and digging through rhetoric, history and dogma, I found out about this strange thing called Islam. I learned that Islam is neither a culture nor a cult, nor could it be represented by one part of the world. I came to realize Islam is a world religion that teaches tolerance, justice and honor and promotes patience, modesty and balance.

  As I studied the faith, I was surprised many of the tenants resonated with me. I was pleased to find that Islam teaches its adherents to honor all prophets, from Moses to Jesus to Mohammed, all of whom taught mankind to worship one God and to conduct ourselves with higher purpose.

  I was drawn to Islam's appeal to intellect and heartened by the prophet Mohammed's quote, "The acquisition of knowledge is compulsory for every Muslim, whether male or female."

  I was astounded that science and rationality were embraced by Muslim thinkers such as Al-Khawarizmi, who invented algebra; Ibn Firnas, who developed the mechanics of flight before Leonardo DaVinci; and Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi, who is the father of modern surgery.

Here was a religion telling me to seek out answers and use my intellect to question the world around me."

  Click on here to read more about her story.

 In times such as this, I believe Islaam needs more women like her.

 We need to speak up more for Islaam, Islaam is a religion of peace.

Team #speakupforislam, #islamagainstterrorism,

#islamthereligionofpeace.

DOCUMENTARY; PHOTOS OF NIJ STUDENTS' WEEK ACTIVITIES 2014

Comedian Ali Baba in an interview on the day of the grand opening ceremony

These are documented images exhibiting some of the activities held during the 2014 edition of the students' week in the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Lagos Nigeria.
 It was a lecture-free week when students are free from academics only to have other fun-filled activities after about 32 weeks of academic works.
 Beginning with the grand opening day...

Korede Bello of Mavins record (also a student of the institute) with ex Mr. NIJ, Olubunmi Adeyera

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST IMPORTANT NATURAL AND CULTURAL WONDERS

 

 Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

  

The 19 islands and surrounding marine reserve that are the Galapagos Islands are part of a unique archipelago of unusual animals, plant life and seismic activity that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Situated in the Pacific Ocean some 1,000 km  (620 miles) from the South American continent, these 19 islands and the surrounding marine reserve have been called a unique ‘living museum and showcase of evolution’. Located at the confluence of three ocean currents, the Galápagos are a ‘melting pot’ of marine species. Ongoing seismic and volcanic activity reflects the processes that formed the islands. These processes, together with the extreme isolation of the islands, led to the development of unusual animal life – such as the land iguana, the giant tortoise and the many types of finch – that inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection following his visit in 1835.