I Love You! Psych!

I will never understand how love and tragedy are synonymous with a great romantic love story. I will admit when I became a fan of PLL (Pretty Little Liars for those that don't know)I adored the trysts between Ezra and Aria. However, as the seasons progressed and I realized Ezra had the sin of omitting, I knew something was a bit off about Aria's Prince Charming.


I finished watching Monday's episode of PLL and  I have to say I am still in a state of shock. Ezra has no soul. How can you manipulate an innocent teenager for a true crime novel? I gasped as I watched his truth unfold in front of Aria. He had the audacity to alleviate the situation  by professing his wacky love for her.  This deranged adult actually uttered 'love' in the midst of this tear-jerking discovery.

There are times in which fiction translates to reality. There are men and women who have played the role of an Ezra Fitz and there are men and women who have played the role of an Aria Montgomery. They are in this never ending cycle explaining an unattainable love and partnered with destiny destroyers. There are men and women who date for sole benefits as opposed to encouraging a shared beneficial relationship. Consider the grief of knowing you are far from the protagonist in your boyfriend's book, a man who wooes you daily, actually has a fanatic obsession with your supposedly deceased friend. No leading role, no happy ending, just a guinea pig for research. How do you contain yourself without exploding in a fit of anger? Has the question been finally answered, is Ezra really 'A'? Or is he just one of the many men who should be jailed for child abuse? I need answers for Aria.

I Shall Not Be Moved...

I started off this morning being incredibly angry.

I had to hop on a bus in 9 minutes and meet my hair appointment. I was close to stepping out of the door and then realized my CTA Ventra card was not in my bag. In a split second, I turned from being composed to state of uncontrollable frenzy. I looked at my CTA Transit Tracker and the bus was coming in 6 minutes! I made a mad dash and started making it rain in my room.

Neatly folded clothes were thrown from left to right, as I struggled to remember where I last saw my Ventra card. I started whining and slapped my hand across the closet door. I was angry. The bus was coming in 3 minutes and I was close to canceling my hair appointment. I finally moved my blanket and found my Ventra card in plain sight.

I rushed downstairs and hopped on the bus. I grabbed my Ventra card only for the bus driver to explain the Ventra reader wasn't working properly. I felt incredibly stupid. How could an inanimate object change my mood? I felt uneasy. I prayed that morning and had taken the time to talk with God. How could I have easily been flustered with this situation?

In under 9 minutes, I showed poor judgement. Appointments can always be rescheduled. Lost items are always replaceable. However, my rapport and trust in God is parallel to how I address future situations. Life doesn't always have a 2nd chance option. There are split seconds choices that make or break someone's life. I could have easily entered the bus and in a split second an accident could have occurred. Thankfully, that didn't happen. I chose to rest on dependable shoulders and forgot in under 9 minutes that I shall not be easily moved. I need to get it together.

Stay Broke Or Fix It

Suli Breaks

One of the most compelling statements I have heard is "We will not let exam results decide our fate."

It's interesting especially being raised in an environment in which education is a priority. I grew up knowing that most Nigerians Africans preferred STEM majors. As a teenager, I was certain that I would become a doctor. Biology and Chemistry weren't intriguing subjects but I assumed this was destiny.

Fast forward to my freshman year and I was completely invested in research and writing, discussing social justice, and campaigning for human rights. I decided to follow the passion and not the profession. It was worth it and I am thankful for the personal and professional development that comes with attending a University.

Now on to real life, higher education is one of the best institutions that perpetuates being broke. Consider this, students attend higher institutions with the desire to be employed after graduation. The harsh reality is jobs are not guaranteed. It is embedded in society's norm to become an employed and productive adult. An adult without a job is seen as simply being lazy and even misguided.

The 2008 economic recession brought about a series of reality checks. It meant that everyone was susceptible to being broke and possibly poor. Imagine the horror of a degree in one hand, and  zero job prospects. If  I learned anything from the recession, it had to be perseverance. It was a full-time job looking for a job. Not to mention the countless companies that preyed on recent graduates and purposely underpaid them.

On the other hand, the recession stirred up creative juices  in people and it became an avenue for more income. As opposed to wallowing in a self-fulfilling prophecy of being unemployed and broke, many people shifted their financial planning from a single job to diversifying their income. YouTube is one of the biggest segue to success and is an inspiration and testament of creative geniuses. It is a platform that offered archived videos in every area of  development for free! The 2008 economic recession helped me to understand education isn't confined to a classroom and learning is infinite. There's nothing wrong with being broke but there's something unsettling about staying broke and I happily worked towards fixing it.

MLK Day

Life's most persistent  and urgent question is, ' What are you doing for others?'
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Photo courtesy of Nigerian Misfit

I admire Dr. King because he is one of the very few persons who grasped an opportunity to shape the progression of his fellow people. I truly believe he embodied selflessness and understood unity in the midst of prejudice society.

This picture was taken some years back at a volunteer site while volunteering for Chicago Cares annual Celebration of Service.

Sadly, I was unable to volunteer for the one day community service, but I am glad there are a number of ongoing programs themed around the service of Dr. King for the entire month of January. I look forward to volunteering sometime this month and reflecting on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.

 Additional information can be read at Chicago Cares.  

12 Years A Slave, 12 Years Surviving

I will admit that I am yet to watch Steve McQueen's '12 Years A Slave.'

However, I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments and recognition of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o. There is a huge difference between role-playing and acting. I'd like Kristen Stewart to start taking notes, now. I have seen a number of previews and I admire the compelling story of Solomon Northup. I commend Steve McQueen for his critically acclaimed film and addressing the role of slavery in America's history.

As much as I would love to watch '12 Years A Slave,' the misfit in me is slightly scared of experiencing uncontrollable anguish and possibly an anxiety attack. I was close to giving up the ghost as I watched, 'The Passion of the Christ.' It would be easy to look at slavery as an unutterable word, but it existed and people experienced unfathomable humiliation and degradation. The thought alone sends shivers down my spine.

It is hard to grapple with the existence of slavery, particularly because it was one of the many streams of capitalism that built many core countries of today. The Transatlantic slave trade was never set up to develop Africa, and subsequently it experienced an irreplaceable loss of its people. Much like 9/11 it is impossible to forget the existence of slavery. '12 Years A Slave' is a stark reminder of the inhumanity of humanity.

It is also a reminder of how easily we interpret films of this magnitude and sweep it under the rug. I hope "12 Years A Slave, " won't easily be digested as one of the great American films, but employs us to tackle and address current social injustices happening worldwide. Films like '12 Years A Slave,' evoke a call to action and it is Oscar worthy in my book.

I am a Nigerian Misfit

I am a Nigerian Misfit.

In the midst of my Funke Akindele's 'Jẹnifa' impersonations and the constant tug-of-war with my own cultural nuances, I have always realized that I have been an odd ball in comparison to the vast majority of Nigerians. Sometimes, I think I am socially backwards whenever I am conversing with my fellow Nigerians. I purposely dodge speaking Yoruba with adults because they ridicule my pronounciation and say I speak it like English. I have tried so much to tailor my life with Nigerian-isms, and I have come to the realization that it's not by force.

In all honesty, there isn't an ideal Nigerian. We are a collective number of people who have assimilated throughout history. Not only do Nigerians immerse themselves in other cultures, but have established a voice in North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Australia. Although it is easy to love the cultural enrichment of Nigeria, it is also easy to be annoyed by the grandiosity of some of its people. They know themselves.

I am a representation of the labor of my heroes past, born in the home of the brave. I am a Nigerian Misfit. I am horrible when it comes to cooking efo riro, and I am allergic to apon/ogbono. I am a Nigerian Misfit. I don't understand the need for a 'headtie' because it can be itchy, so no thanks, I am good. I am a Nigerian Misfit. I watch Yoruba movies and have a journal of words with their English meanings. I am a Nigerian Misfit. Multiple Saturdays have past, approximately 52 as of last year, and I am not married yet. I am a Nigerian Misfit and I am proud.