About Ayotunde

Re-invent ...

Possibly Controversial Views (11/02/2009 – 2:54AM)

I should really be asleep, but while trying to do so these thoughts continued to swell in my mind. Hopefully after I put them down I will drift off for some hours. The ideas are not new, I have been ruminating on variations for a while

OK, here goes

Kids: 2 is enough for every couple
kids sex: personally, I want 2 handsome athletic boys. Twins is OK, one after the other with say 2 years difference in age is OK

Marriage: marry someone better looking than you are – you owe it to your kids. You are giving them a head-start in this complex world if they look good.
Men: marry beautiful women (yes, Godly, loving, compassionate – all these I assume you have already made sure of) or at least marry a woman who is more beautiful than you are handsome (or ugly if applicable)

Women: marry a handsome man (yes, Godly, loving, compassionate – all these I assume you have already made sure of) or as handsome as you are beautiful

Women/Men: marry someone with any visible physical deformity (congenital etc – results of injuries don’t count) ONLY if it does not run in the family. Take me for example, as far as I know, no one else has the same or similar physical deformity in my extended family that I know of – so it may be be safely assumed within reason, that mine was just a glitch in the formation of the fertilized cell (while developing) that is the person I am now.
Actually it may be argued that, were it not for selfish reasons, deformed people should of their own volition, choose not to pro-create in order to avoid the possibility of bestowing such a legacy on future generations. We may no longer be in the earlier ages when physical strength and makeup was all that counted towards survival, but in this world which is still infatuated with outward appearances, one should as much as possible ensure that future generations are as perfect physically as possible.

Women: don’t marry a fat man unless you like or don’t mind the paunch. The love handle is not restricted to the sides as you feed him.

Men: don’t marry a fat lady unless you that’s what you want/like. Marriage makes even the thinnest of ladies “voluptuous”. At least if you start out regular, it sort of grows on you. That way you almost don’t notice it and it is acceptable. Afterall, it’s both your creation.

Generally, for both men and women, once married, it’s down-hill from there (talking about weight)

Make sure I am gone

We are all narcissistic to a certain extent. Yes, a part of me want to be in the limelight just like all those Hollywood types, with the paparazzi dogging and cataloging my every move in words and pictures. But once one is dead, of what use is all that? Yes, I would like to be remembered. But the African’s excuse of using every burial as a day-out to party and eat is something beyond me. When I “go”, please just ensure I am truly gone, then get a wooden casket with no frills and no lacquer if possible, so the worms can get access as quickly as possible. A church service would be nice, but no need to put anybody out. Say immediate family, anyone else who is interested for a grand total of about 50-100 people should be enough. No need to go far, the nearest reasonable ground for such affairs is OK. A headstone would be nice, so that passing generations can stop by and ponder the transiency of man. I do so anytime I see a graveyard. I have been known to read the inscriptions on headstones. To always do the maths to workout how old the person was at death. To consider what the person’s life was like when he was alive. We will all go sooner or later. Death where is thy sting …

Damisi Itayemi

Damisi Itayemi (193x – February 03, 2009)

lying all alone
on a cold slab of stone
that is my uncle
but is he?
he is long gone
with the last breath – his last song
to join the angels’ throng

none of us can save another
not wife
nor child
nor husband
nor father
nor daughter
nor son
nor sister
nor brother

when the bell tolls
we are all alone
each man by himself
to heed the maker’s call

what then is money or property
is gold worth its weight?
will diamond light the path?
what use is silvery plates and pans?

Lazarus has fallen asleep a second time
never to rise again in this life time

every man is a tortured soul seeking rest

what is man, that thou art mindful of him?
and the son of man, that thou visitest him?  (Psalm 8:4)

the days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.   (Psalm 90:10)

we blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,. And wither and perish but naught changeth thee

R.I.P. Uncle Damisi Itayemi

The Pessimist’s Beautitudes

I, a-man-just-like-thee, on this day no-one lays claim to, not in the spirit, and not on Patmos, having ruminated on the words of Solomon ibn David ibn Jesse, the lamenter of old, do agree with him of blessed memory, that beyond death, and above all there is, in addition to its joys and sorrows, that all of mans labour is in vain and vanity upon vanity. It is indeed better that man never was born. Therefor says I:

Blessed are the never-born, they neither experience joy nor sadness

Blessed are the dead, for sorrow is now alien to them

Blessed are the long-gone, the sands of time has wiped away their misdeeds

Blessed are they who have passed on, no harm can befall

Blessed are the truly fallen, never to rise again, therefore never to fall again

Blessed are the forgotten, because neither pain nor regret is remembered

Blessed are the shades, having no substance, are no longer bound to the earth

Blessed art thou, when thy time runs out, for only then art thou truly beyond the reach of the evil that men do

Blessed art thou when thy sojourn ends, it is the beginning of eternity.

Don’t go straight … to hell

I think I should stop lying to myself. Am I truly saved? I have indeed confessed with my mouth and I hope I believe with my heart … I can’t say I have ever heard from God. Yes, I have sometimes listened to the small still voice – which some say is one’s conscience.
I suspect it might have been more from a sense of guilt or a fear of being caught that made me listen to the voice. Was there ever really a voice?
Or just me weighing the pros and cons?

What have I made of so great a sacrifice by the Lord Jesus Christ?
How many times have I rededicated my life?
And fallen away again before the day is done?

I am just an ordinary man trying to stay out of hell. Is there anyone that’s truly ordinary? After all, we are all fearfully and wonderfully made. Should I be able to say I am a man? What have I done in this world to claim that title. Think of men of old, now those were truly men. So I have been here 30+ years, who cares?

I guess that’s the cup half empty

Then trying to make heaven would be the cup half full.

Or is it the other way round?

My greatest wish while I am alive is to be able to fly unaided. Soar into the sky like superman, walk the air currents freer than a bird. Should a grown man with the knowledge of physics and gravity have such wishes? I don’t know – may be that is why it’s just a wish?
If it is not possible in this life, would we be earth-bound in heaven? Or will we be able to take off at a moment’s whim?

One wish when I am dead, make sure I am really dead before you put me six under, even before you slide me into the little crib in the morgue. How about waiting a couple of days to allow me to marinate on the slap on a warm table top – to allow decomposition to set in just to be sure? Then a postmortem to be doubly sure. I guess a postmortem makes one as dead as a door-nail. Now that is being dead for certain.
Why? I don’t want to wake up gasping for breath and scraping at the finish in my coffin. Then have my lungs collapse painfully on itself from lack of air.

I think I have said enough.

And to the man at the S.A. embassy, sleep well tonight and may you wake up healthy tomorrow. May the sun shine lovingly on you and the day bring good things your way.  Because if I don’t wish you well, the alternative will be to say “may the devil take you and others such as you everywhere in the world!”

dot the is …

Haven’t posted anything in a while, but couldn’t resist doing so when I came across the following (someone’s signature actually):

Capitalization is the difference between “I had to help my uncle Jack off a horse..” and “I had to help my uncle jack off a horse..”

Superstitious humans

amazing how superstitious humans are. I had a travel agent come to my place of work. The receptionist handed him a tag with the number 13 on it and he bluntly refused it saying he would accept any other number but 13. “13 is the most unlucky number”. I asked the receptionist to please give him another tag. I jokingly mentioned to him that at least it wasnt Friday the 13th. And the man is a pastor 🙂

I will no longer accept all this limitations placed on us by our environment e.g., gravity. Why can’t I fly, why can’t I move an object by exerting my mental powers (telekinesis), why can’t I put a thought directly into another persons head (telepathy). i am going to put a small object at an easily accessible place in my room and every day from now on, spend 5 minutes attempting to move it simply by willing it to do so! Let’s get started!

Slaves and Dreams

Had quite a vivid/terrible dream yesterday. Must have been close to the morning I think. In it there were 3 or four girls from my set back in school. And I knew in the dream that they were dead. And there they were digging their own graves and already the graves were knee deep. They had this zombie expression on their faces. In the same place I was modeling a woman and the structure must have been quite big because it appears I was looking up at it from behind.  And I was thinking the skirt was too short and in the manner of dreams I could increase the skirt’s length by just drawing a new line at the place were I thought should be the proper length. I woke up shaken and started praying for the girls’ safety. Thankfully I think I can only remember one for sure now, but when I first awoke I was sure of 3 of the four faces. Someone close was also arranging and re-arranging what appeared to be stuff from some god’s shrine in the same dream.

If you can lay your hands on a copy of Amazing Grace (2006) – you should watch the film. It’s about William Wilberforce’s effort to pass the bill that ended slave trading in the British empire at the close of the 18th century. Of course slave trading (or owning of) continued especially in the Americas for another seventy years or so. Consider it part of your cultural education (especially those who find it a pain to read history books).
If you can get a copy of “City of God” – it’s a must watch. It’s based on a true story of a slum in Brazil and it’s occupants struggle for survival amidst gangsterism fueled by drugs and poverty.

(08/08/2008)

skinhead

Cut my hair myself on Saturday. Since I literally skinned it, it wasn’t too difficult. I just stood in front of a mirror and ran the electric clipper over and over again all over my head. Of course I couldn’t see the back so i went over that portion several times just to make sure it was smooth. Would be the third time or so I would be doing so. My barber seems to have moved away so until I find another I am comfortably with, I will probably repeat the process when next I feel like a hair cut 🙂

Life …

I was told a 42-year old married Nigerian mother and Dentist by profession died recently in the U.S. of ovarian cancer. She was married to a Nigerian medical doctor. The story is quite complicated but from what I gather she had been responding to treatment in the US when the husband decided the whole family was moving to Nigeria. I guess her condition must have detoriated rapidly in Nigeria. Learnt she practically dragged her weakened self back to the U.S. unaccompanied by neither the children nor the husband. She checked into a hospital, an operation was performed, but when they opened her up, it was decided that nothing could be done to save her and she was given 3 weeks to live. She died about 2 weeks later.

I am not pointing accusing fingers at anyone because as is usually the case, the true story may be more complicated than the version which I got. I “feel” for the lady and her family.

I have always felt knowing when one would die may be a good thing – especially if one hadn’t suffered too much from the ravages of the disease or condition. The psychologists would probably talk about the various grieving stages such as denial, anger, acceptance etc. I think it allows one to make peace with self, God and others. Sort of take care of one’s affairs.

What’s happening in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somali, Pakistan, etc just helps to strengthen the case made by the evolutionists that we originated from some single-cell micro-oganism (and all that’s in existence from some big-bang way back in time)

Because human life has become a dime a dozen (ok, it’s always been that). If we dispose of each other worse than the animals do, what then makes us better than them? It’s said that a man who does not read is not better than a man who cannot read. Same goes for us humans who claim we have brains but refuses to use them.

Bombs kill people in Iraq and other places. A girl of 13 complains to the authorities that she was gang-raped by 3 men and the authorities decide that she was guilty of adultery, fill a stadium with over 10,000 people and then proceed to stone her to death in front of the willing spectators.