I saved a little for you

Beautiful people,

So we had our first episode of the "Ladies First" show last Thursday and it was so cool.

 With my girl Erefa and Dj moonlait in the studio, it was girl power all the way.

 So if you missed it here is a tiny mini piece of it .......

Get ready to discover the world from a woman's amazing point of veiw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ladies 1st will be on this Thursday 7.30pm on

Rhythm93.7

When Ladies get together,,,,, yes, they always talk

"Ladies First"  is now set to debut on rhythm 93.7port harcourt.

Iphie and Erefa

 It is a show my girl Erefa  and I have been working on for some time now.

So we finally got the go ahead from the boss and we are ready to roll.

Listeners who tune in to Ladies first should be ready to enjoy a fun an interactive time out, with funny and intelligent women.

Displaced and seeking refuge

Last Saturday was an experience that left me grateful for the things in my life which I have often taken for granted.

Am sure most of the people who have been displaced by the floods in different parts of Nigeria, never thought they would ever have to flee their homes and depend on charity for things as little as drinking water, not to talk of food or having to camp in the classrooms of government primary schools.

I joined the WESEI team - an NGO as we set out for some of the relief camps in rivers state, to support and encourage some of the victims displaced by the floods...

All set and ready to leave for ahoada


So we took off , a team of 10 persons and some supplies, but nothing prepared me for the destruction I saw, houses covered in water, farmlands and crops totally destroyed.  More pics

The Day of the Girl

Hello people..

I feel like I have to re introduce myself, well am Iphie , and growing up for me was spectacular.

I had education and parents who made me believe in my self and want to be the greatest. 

Today, I am happy, I still hunger for more , but am confident in my place , in my vision and goals.

As the years go by , what I had  , has become just basics, Parents all over the world are offering their children so much more, raising girls who are focused and confident.

Today is the International Day of the Girl a day which promotes girl rights and highlights gender inequalities that remain between boys and girls.

Ironically this comes a few days after a 14 year old Pakistani girl Malala Yousufza was shot and wounded by Taliban's for being an advocate for girl child education.

Malala Yousufza

Time after time...

Hi guys......

Its so dusty *coughs* been months since I've been in here.
 There's so much I want tell you about and I will.

A lot has happened since I last came here lots of good stuff and sadly some bad.
Portharcourt Nigeria has been "cloudy".

I remember I was at the office when the rumours of the killings started filtering in, saw some of the gruesome pictures and that was it.

And if like me you have refused to see more gruesome pictures and that video, its ok.
So we raise our voices and speak up for justice and also pray for the souls of Ugonna, Lloyd, Tekena and Chidiaka who were brutally murdered by an irate crowd in aluu, Rivers state.

This incidence has unified young people in Nigeria in a way we never thought possible. We have tweeted , pinged, sang, talked about it on radio, sent text messages and made phone calls. The tragedy has formed the basis of most discussions among friends, colleagues and even strangers.

So we take from it that somehow we are all connected, we feel as though our brothers were murdered, so lets feel that way among those living too. Look around you, who needs you and who can you reach out to and help?

Let the cloud roll away and let the sunshine come.

ZOOM in and FOCUS

I had an amazing time on the show today, talked about common distractions and how they can affect our life especially our productivity.

 And guess what, it feels like as the years go by the list of distractions are getting longer, think about it just not knowing when to drop your blackberry can make you flunk a test, not meet a project deadline or even go late to work.

 So i said the listeners could send in text messages and tell me what their major distractions were and here's a few of the most mentioned points .

                     

 Television

 Mobile phones

 Friends 

Relationships

Women

Now it's really annoying no one said Men.. trust me they can distract too. Lol

 But when it comes to the television matter,i used to be a big culprit, Iphie was the girl that could reschedule an appointment just to watch something on TV smh*

 In vivid colours i remember writing the last chapter of my uni project late into the midnight in front of the TV during the ad breaks of the MTV Europe music video awards.

 I had a deadline with my supervisor, but then 2face had been nominated for the best African act and trust me his winning is not the kind of news you want to hear from a third party. Lol, i had to watch it LIVE!.

But lets say 'i've grown up since then,and my eyes opened up since then'(in Kano's voice).
If TV is a big distraction for you, here's an "Iphie Tip" that works every time...

Take a few seconds and remind your self that the actress in that nollywood movie you are seeing is done with the shooting and is chilling at home probably sipping champagne with some six digit figure cooling in her bank account, oh and guess what she flew her family to Paris for her wedding and probably has an interview with CNN later in the day, if that doesn't inspire you to switch off the TV and concentrate ...... erm then we'll have to schedule a deliverance service Lol

 Relationships especially where there's a problem can also affect your focus, there's no shortcut to that one , just switch off your phone and get busy, when you are done, things could get better or not *sad face*

And for the guy who sent a text to say girls love him so much and it's affecting his life and relationship, just remember "NO" is a two letter word and those who said it have not died.

 If you've never tuned in, it's rhythm and soul on  rhythm 93.7Port Harcourt.(weekdays 10am to 12pm)

Quiet Calm Confidence

So we all back from the easter holidays and back to the hustle , somehow it just feels like it's a new year, another chance to start over and find a better understanding of this thing called life.


I can remember having some chit chat with a friend months ago and one thing stuck to my mind "how much of our lives is really under our control"?
The more I thought about it , it became pretty obvious, i mean think back to about a year ago, you probably had some goals, priorities, plans, maybe problems, and now almost a year later, everything might have taken a fully different turn.


The things that used to matter are no longer an issue, fresh problems , fresh goals and new plans. and it's kind of funny but life throws suprises at us every now and then.
I often say to myself , if everything worked out perfectly the way we planned them , life would have been really boring.


Think about it, life has it's unique way of juggling up our plans a little bit. For instance the girl who says to herself, I will work in Lagos for 5 years after graduation, and then get married and have 4 kids ends up getting married the very next year, while still a student, and goes on to live in abuja with her husband and two kids. Would have been pretty boring to know every step and not have any suspense in the story.


But then somewhere in the middle of our journey we panic and fail to have complete faith in God, we forget to believe that if we stay on the right path and trust him no matter how the script flips, we'll always end up right.


I have learnt to always apply my QCC  whenever it feels like things are not going my way and there's nothing I can do about it. I discussed the QCC in a previous blog, it's called quiet calm confidence. Its that factor that makes your close your eyes to the chaos in front of you and through your inner eyes see a beautiful preffered picture.


So when it shakes up a bit , just know that your life might be  taking a detour , remind yourself that no matter how turbulent everything might seem , it will pass.It's just another twist in your beautiful story.


Time Check 5.pm, time to look for food, funny though cos I had lunch, by 2.30pm. Well, having lunch twice is not a crime ... LOL , later guys

Easter and the digits .....

Just a month ago I had my Easter figured out, how I was going to travel to Lagos on Thursday, spend the Easter weekend with my friends and attend a friends wedding on Easter Monday, so yesterday should have seen me packing my bags, but it had me awake on my bed trying to cook up a fantastic excuse (i wont call it a lie) to give to my friend for not attending her wedding.

Am not one given to excuses but I totally forgot to book a flight ticket way in advance , my jaw dropped after I calculated all I would have to spend considering the Easter rush and the massive hike in fares, I decided to 'park ' well. lol, but I will call and honestly apologise. (no lies).

So I have an amazing plan B for Easter, will give you the details after they have happened though, but it includes visiting my family for a night , cooking up a storm in my apartment and attending a Frank Edwards concert with my sister who'll be visiting.

I planned to give my self  a present for Easter, a pet actually . Not sure what my actual reasons were but you see I have never had a pet, except of course the the dogs we had at home while growing up - Tiger and Snoopy, so you see they weren't exactly mine, they were every body's dogs.

This time though I wasn't going to get a dog, I saw pictures of these beautiful little rabbits and I thought 'WHY NOT'?

wainbow wabbits..lol

They were in so many different colours, I want to believe they are special specie of rabbits , but a  friend of mine insists they were painted .
 I fell in love with these cute little things but quickly respected myself and fell out of love as soon as I heard what they cost.

In case you are not sure, 200k means two hundred thousand naira , so if you are wondering if am still going ahead with the plan to buy it , the answer is YES  I mean NO!.

When India Arie sang little things and the joy they bring am sure she didn't mean ridiculously little expensive things and the E in Easter doesnt stand for Extravagant....lol

Happy Easter

Sugar n spice n everything nice..... and 'kind'

Over the past few weeks I have had some really enlightening conversations with different people, you know, the sort of talk that ,makes you think, like really think.
One of those talks that really stood out was this one about kindness. I pointed out to a friend of mine not too long ago that there seems to be a shortage of kind people in the world, seems like the world is gradually growing colder by the day.
I took a trip down memory lane to when we were kids and we were thought to share , to be nice to people , be respectful, give and not tell lies among others.
Those were the days when u had the phrase "give , it shall be given unto you" tattooed on your mind.
Who can remember the song (.......when i was hungry you gave me to eat, when I was thirsty you gave me to drink, now enter into the home of my father').
 As kids we always thought about heavens gate, our parents and our teacher's instructions, and when we did, it reminded us to be kind.
But then we grew up, and learnt so many things, some through experiences others through stories told by people who have been victims of their own kindness.
Lets just say we are too careful and too smart and we have forgotten that kindness puts colours on someones cloudy day and also make give us a sense of purpose.
From the smile on your face when u say hello to the door man, to the little tip u leave every now and then for people who serve you, to a phone call to a friend you heard is going through stuff, little things to you that make a world of difference to another.
Being kind to a person can be likened to a vase of beautiful flowers that immediately adds beauty and colour to plain room.

how beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it- George Elliston

I was inspired by three amazing acts of kindness i have witnessed in the past week, a colleague who sponsors a university scholarship for a certain young man and intends to take on another as soon as he can, another colleague who makes regular cash donations to the orphanage, to a friend who took it upon herself to help her friend overcome her accommodation problems. I dedicate today's blog to them and to every body out there who has tried in any little way to make life better for somebody, whether by giving money , food,shelter,encouragement or even just a smile, the world is a better place because of you.

I have found that among it's other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver - Maya Angelou.

31 days of drama, sunshine and rain

As we come to the end of January, am sure every one will agree that it has been quite a ride. I must say some days in this month had me wondering if I was an actress in some blockbuster, life can be quite dramatic sometimes.
Events of the nation, events in our lives, the decisions we make etc, could make a good script. But the fact remains that these 31 days have been real.
But i made a decision to not leave january with any of it's baggage, only lessons.
So I would like all of us to take a few minutes and reflect on the lessons of January.
For me, I learnt a few to always expect the best from my country and never be shocked when the government throws in a few suprises every now and then .
I learnt to eat better, got daily health and fitness tips from my friend all of which i intend to fully implement from febuary by the way *wink*.
But I learnt above all things to be nicer to myself, forgive myself for the mistakes i have made and take life a day at a time. To always believe that there is a big plan, that will play out as long as you remain calm and patient in times of trouble, especially when you've tried everything,to stand still and hold on in times that it has become obvious that you cant stop the wind. I call it QCC (quiet, calm, confidence).
Febuary is an opportunity to see if any of your broken new year resolutions are redeemable or if they were even worth it in the first place, a chance to embrace the new you and let go of the traits that almost cost you your sanity.
Ehen before i forget, it's also the month of love,as in overated valentines day,..we'll get into that later.
It's also the shortest month of the year *wink* , arent you excited already. lol
In febuary, I will do what i have always done... "eat, pray , love' .... yes and work harder and acheive great things... and eat some more. lol. We have been blessed with 31 days of sunshine and some rain.
Talk to you all in febuary....

Ready? Set ?....... Grow !!!

Hello amazing people, Happy new year!.... I know it's kinda too late to be saying that , considering it's the 29th of the January.But forgive me guys ,I could blame it on the fact that this year started on a chaotic note here in Nigeria courtesy of the fuel susidy removal and the protests that followed, or the fact that I had a bout of malaria fever brought on by the terible portharcourt mosquitoes.(hmmm. Iphie u sef, excuses plenty ooooo!!!)
Even people that owe you money will blame it on the fuel subsidy removal, it's an easy way out of everything.
But am not gonna make any, this is 2012 and there should be no room for excuses.By refusing to make excuses and embracing responsibility, we reap many rewards. The successes brought by this attitude act as a foundation for self-respect, pride, and confidence.
 As a girl who believes in truth and fairness (*hmm hmm* clearing my throat*), I will give myself a punishment for starting the year with excuses. lol
Today started like anyother sunday for me, jumped outta bed by 6.13am and headed straight for the radio station, but in between the three news bulletins i had to read this morning , I had a conversation with myself.
I thought about everything and the fact that i always had excuses for every little project I have failed to complete. And I tell u, those monolouges are very inspiring . I psyched myself up a bit and got 'gingered' and told myself "this week will not go scot free". I will grow every second of everyday and not leave for tommorrow whatever I can do today. I decided I was READY and SET to GROW.
Have a beautiful week guys, no more excuses.... Ready.... Set.... Grow!!!