Author: Jesutofunmi Mary Lawal

Categories
On the Blaze

VACATION DESTINATIONS: VISA-FREE COUNTRIES NIGERIANS CAN EXPLORE (TWO)

In the previous article, 28 visa-free countries that Nigerians can visit were mentioned and we promised to curate a list of the topmost vacation spots where you can relax and enjoy breathtaking environs whether alone or with your loved ones i.e. girlfriend, boyfriend, friends, or family.

There are a lot of beautiful countries to visit, judging by the previous article, your wishlist might be filled up by now which brings us to the question that might have gone through your mind after reading the article– which of these countries guarantees a very interesting and memorable experience? Which particular visa-free country or countries can I go to enjoy a premium ‘soft life’ alongside my loved ones?

Here is a curated list and concise description of some suitable countries you can visit;

BARBADOS 🇧🇧

An island located in the eastern Caribbean, its capital is Bridgetown. This country is known for its breathtaking view of water bodies, beautiful waterside gardens, and buildings.

Barbados is a perfect place for a couple’s weekend getaway where you and your boo or bae can indulge in romantic and memorable activities away from work stress and the environments you have gotten used to. While in Barbados, you can visit Harrison’s Cave, Haute’s Gardens, Farley Hill National Park, and Barbados Wildlife Reserve amongst others.

Harrison’s cave

Image source -wikipedia

Image source-wikipedia

Haute’s gardens

Farley National park

Barbados wildlife reserve

The requirements for visiting Barbados are a passport valid for at least 180days and a return ticket.

CAPE VERDE 🇨🇻

This country is one of the most developed African countries surrounded by beautiful cities like Sal, Praia, Fogo, Buracona Blue Eyes, Santo antāo, and so on that now serve as tourist attractions. It is a perfect country to travel to when taking a break from work and tourism centers for tourists. Nigerians can easily get to Cape Verde by road transportation from Lagos State and the period of stay for a Nigerian is 30 to 60 days.

FIJI 🇫🇯

Fiji is a country located in the South Pacific, its capital is Suva, a city renowned for its beautiful architectural buildings. The Fiji Museum is said to have ethnographic exhibits.

Fiji is an ideal destination for beach and water lovers. Nigerian citizens can stay in Fiji for up to 120 days with their Nigerian passport. The exciting places to visit in Fiji are;

Fiji Museum

Image source – wikipedia

Coral Coast

Blue Lagoon Island.

HAITI 🇭🇹

Haiti is a Caribbean country perfect for a getaway as it is said to have several places that are pleasing to the eyes. Vacation here will not be complete without exploring the capital, Port-au-Prince which boasts beautiful beaches and historical buildings around the island, you can explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site, La Citadelle. It is a mountain-top colossal fortress and one of the largest on record, the Labadee, a private port, and Sans Souci Palace was the royal residence of King Henri I of Haiti.

Haiti grants visa-free access to Nigerian passport holders for up to 90 days, there is enough time to explore all the places of interest.

La Citadelle

Image source - wikipedia
Image source – wikipedia

Labadee

Image source – wikipedia

Sans Souci Palace

SEYCHELLES 🇸🇨

Seychelles is a small country in Africa, another amazing destination to spend your vacation. From its scenic views of water bodies to the views of beautiful coral reefs, to a variety of delicacies, and numerous activities like water diving, you get to have a close to none thrilling experience. A visitor’s permit is granted to Nigerians visiting Seychelles for a 30-day stay. While there, you can explore exciting places like Praslin, and Mahe, a beautiful city in Seychelles. The capital, Victoria, La Digue, and also get to see rare animals like the Aldabra tortoise.

Aldabra tortoise

There are a lot more countries that promise exciting experiences. As you visit these destinations, do not forget to abstain from stress-inducing activities, forget about work and bask in that moment, and also remember to capture the moments by taking beautiful pictures and videos.

Have you ever visited any of these countries? Share your memorable experience in the comment section below.

Categories
Story Time

Who Made David Mad? (EPISODE 2)

Alfreda knew immediately she saw the look on his face that David was in trouble. Big trouble. He is not difficult to read especially when something is bothering him and somehow, she is always quick to detect just like this moment.

She took a step away from the window planes, and turned to face him,
“David, you can’t pretend nothing is bothering you, it’s all over your countenance and I know deep down that something is wrong, this was further rooted when you raised your voice at me over the phone today. what exactly is the problem? I need to know,” She asked in a barely audible and persuasive tone.

A low groan escaped his lips and he pushed himself up against the pillow. She noticed he was trying not to make eye contact with her and that made her more agitated.

“Al, I’m deeply sorry for raising my voice at you. I don’t know how to begin telling you this, I’m so scared and afraid. Saying this might cause a rift between us and I don’t want that, Al. I would be able to bear this burden alone,” He said while still making efforts not to make eye contact with her.

“David, you not speaking to me about whatever is going on means only one thing, and it is that you do not trust me. I need to know what is eating you up, baby. Do you know how I feel? As if you built a shell around yourself and you’ve withdrawn into that shell, shutting me out. What you seem not to know is, that I’m not happy when you are not, Dav. So please, talk to me,” she pleaded.

“Sweetheart… er hmm…you see…one thing I want you to know is that I will never intentionally hurt you, you’ve always been my rock, always been there when I need you most, you prioritize me over anything else even your career and I feel like I am the luckiest man on earth every single day and I pray earnestly to God that I do not want to hurt you because I love you with all my heart, without you, my existence is meaningless, my life had a turn around when you came into it.”

At that moment She had struggled to even breathe as a blush crept up her neck and spread widely across her cheeks. Oh, how he has a sugar-coated tongue, he has always been that good with words, words that made her insides tingle.

She snapped back to reality, beginning to get impatient and it seemed as if he was deliberately stalling time. Was he pulling her legs?

“Baby, I know all this, just tell me what has been bothering you.”

“Al, you see…ermm…,” He paused to clear his throat

“I have wronged you, all we have built is down the drain..be..be..because of my stupidity. All our savings are gone, I sold off my car and yours, the new owner of your car is not yet here to pick it because I told him to wait until I have informed you. I’m sorry I did not do so before going ahead to sell it. Al, there’s no hope of getting a proper apartment again, I sold my position at the office too, and I took out loans in my name and yours. We’re in a huge debt and we’re back to square one.” Then he went silent.

She said it! He was pulling her legs or he was simply playing a prank on her like the videos she has been seeing all over the internet nowadays where people play pranks on their loved ones while a camera records somewhere across the room.

She stood up to ransack every nook and cranny of the room, scattering things along her trail, looking for the hidden camera. Surely, this must be a prank or if it turns out not to be that, then it must be a dream.

“Al, take it easy, what are you looking for? You’re scaring me this way, Al. Al?…Al?..Al!”

She turned towards him suddenly and snapped,

“For God’s sake, where did you hide the camera? Where is the damn camera? I know all this is a prank but it is not funny, when did you start shooting videos for comedies, Dav? You know I hate surprises like this and you should have told me beforehand. So, where exactly did you place the camera?”

While doing all that, her heart was slamming widely against her chest. She had looked straight into David’s eyes and what she saw horrified her. She saw guilt, anguish, and woe.

“Dav, you were playing a prank, right? You were trying to see what my reaction to that news would be, right? Are you being serious?”

“Yes, Al. I’m damn serious”

Her throat became dry and painful.

She sat on the bed next to him and said, “It’s no problem, all you spent was for the investment of your start-up company, right? The one you started alongside, Jide? Is it not moving according to plan? Do not worry, I understand. Everything will get into place soon. I know all this is to make our life and that of our children better and it’s not easy for a start-up company to boom immediately. We just have to trust God and put in more effort to make it work. Do you need more money, then? I can take out of my savings for you, baby”


“No, dammit! There was never a startup company Alfreda. Our lives are ruined!.”

“Our lives are ruined? Oh no, darling, I trust you”

Suddenly, something dawned upon her and she rushed towards her vanity table, opened the drawers, and ransacked it from top to bottom, she moved to their wardrobe, ransacked it, and still could not find the documents to both her car and his. She rushed downstairs and searched everywhere for her car keys but found nothing.

She had picked up the phone to call David’s friend, Jide, and cunningly asked Him about the start-up company and he denied having started something of such and even laughed at the idea of a start-up company.

She ended the call and put off her blouse to create a source of air herself as a wave of heat came upon her from nowhere and her throat felt tight. The atmosphere had been cold but it seemed as if she was in an incinerator.

This is a dream and she needed to wake up.

“Somebody wake me up,” she screamed

“Alfreda!” David called rushing down the stairs toward her

“Get it together, Al you’re not helping matters, you’re rather making it worse with your display. You know, I didn’t want to tell you. If I had known you’d go berserk like this, I wouldn’t have told you” He said with a straight face


“Make it worse? My display? You say all that to me? You sold my car, spent all our savings, did all sorts of things on only-God-knows-what without informing me and you dare say those words to me? I trusted you to know what you were doing but there was no company to start with. Oh God! I have been fooled. My head… My head is hot. Where did all the money go, Dav?”

She got no answer.

“What did you spend that money on before I go crazy? A mistress?”


“It was a game that was supposed to make me rich, The game took it all”

Right at that moment, she indeed went berserk

Then she laughed. She laughed like she never had in her entire life.



TO BE CONTINUED…

Categories
On the Blaze Uncategorized

VACATION DESTINATIONS: COUNTRIES NIGERIA CAN EXPLORE WITHOUT A VISA

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is what they say and here you’re working tirelessly without taking a break even when you have all the time in the world to relax, you still chose to work, ‘ahh’! Are you running a race with a clock?

Yes, it’s common knowledge that humans need to work mainly to earn a living and alongside, achieve some goals we’ve outlined for ourselves but at some point in time, there is a need to take a break, relax, and possibly make unforgettable memories while at it.

Making plans for a vacation to indulge in sightseeing tours in other countries is one of those ways to relieve work stress. As in ‘no kee’ yourself with work, try ‘dey’ enjoy small small!

There is an existing phenomenon that says exploring, that is, traveling to other countries is an essential part of life as it helps garner knowledge, learn about the cultures of other nations, and most importantly, have unforgettable experiences.

From having a bucket list of countries suitable for vacation, and as per the motto of Gen Z ‘delulu is the solulu’ i.e delusion is the solution, we progress to fantasize on several occasions about how every moment during the vacation is going to materialize, especially the things of interest you’d indulge in so much that your imagination is getting the better part of you. From booking an amazing hotel room with breathtaking views of the seas or landscape to trying different dishes, exploring beautiful places, taking aesthetic pictures for the gram, and generally speaking, having the best time of your life.

Now, you already have a ‘boujee’ budget enough for you to go on vacation and to explore during the vacation but you have a problem that is very much like a big issue that can mar your vacation plans and that problem is a Visa!

It’s common knowledge that a visa is compulsory to endorse international movements.

Almost all the countries in the world require a visa before entry, this policy is particularly peculiar to Nigerians and we all know how stressful it usually is to obtain one. Everybody wants to live a soft life, we can’t come and die on top visa.

If you’re a Nigerian reading this content, I have good news for you! With a Nigerian passport, you can travel to a few countries visa-free!

Countries Nigerians can visit visa-free

The Nigerian passport ranks 191st in the world as of March 2024 according to VisaGuide Passport Index.

The updated list of countries Nigerians can travel to visa-free with only a Nigerian passport as of 2024 shows a total of 28 countries and these countries are;

1. Barbados

2. Benin

3. Burkina Faso

4. Cameroon

5. Cabo Verde

6. Chad

7. Cook Islands

8. Ivory Coast

9. Dominica

10. Fiji

11. Ghana

12. Guinea

13. Guinea-Bissau

14. Haiti

15. Liberia

16. Mali

17. Micronesia

18. Montserrat

19. Niger

20. Niue

21. Senegal

22. Sierra Leone

23. Saint Kitts and Nevis

24. Gambia

25. Togo

26. Vanuatu

27. Antigua and Barbuda

28. Kenya

The period of stay for some of these countries can be as long as 30 days and some others longer than that, usually 90 to 120 days. It is important to take note of this so as not to forget yourself while enjoying your stay to avoid the risk of being penalized for overstaying or banned from future visits. Don’t turn yourself into ‘contraband’ by overstaying.

The question now is which of these countries promises a very interesting and memorable experience? Which particular country or countries can I and ‘my boo or bae’ go to enjoy a premium ‘soft life’?

In our next content we will give an overview of the top most appealing countries you can visit to ‘chop the life of your head’ visa-free and all you need is only a Nigerian passport.

Everyone is meant to enjoy life, and we must! The goal is to work hard, make money, and live life to the fullest.

I hope this pushes the idle ‘God when’ and ‘God abeg’ category of people to sit up and work hard. Everyone deserves to enjoy life but it requires a lot of effort.

Categories
Let’s talk

FIVE NIGERIA MYTHS THAT SHOULD BE PASSED ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION

In a typical Nigerian home, there are stories our parents told that have lived with us through time and have been passed on from generation to generation and would likely still be passed on to the next generation.

Myths are told to scare or make one believe a particular thing does exist. Sometimes, it is told to make the recipient get something done or obey an order.

As much as there are weird myths, we can not fully conclude they contain no iota of truth.

The realization that all these myths are not so true came as we grew older, but deep down we know these myths would likely be passed onto our children.

Here are a few of these myths worthy to be passed on to the next generation;

1. A GIRL WILL GET PREGNANT IF A BOY TOUCHES HER.

At times, you would hear a young girl even a teenage girl saying; “don’t touch me o, my mum said I will get pregnant if I allow boys to touch me”

While growing up, we all were told this, and it instilled fear of unwanted pregnancy in both boys and girls as they already know the consequences of getting pregnant at an early age.

By now, we understood that this myth meant well as it was simply to make both boys and girls steer clear of immoral acts.

It is, however, one of the myths that should be passed on to the next generation as it easily passes across a message that cannot be said with actual words and a subtle way of educating young ones on ‘unwanted pregnancy’ early.

2. EATING WHILE STANDING MAKES THE FOOD STAY ON YOUR LEGS.

This particular myth automatically means once you eat while standing and the food stays in your leg, you will possibly experience hunger again, and in a typical Nigerian home, there is no food after you’ve just finished one.

This belief has made most kids heed the warning the myth passes across.

Eating while standing is a bad eating posture as it can also lead to discomfort from bloating, to cramps and gas.

This myth is one of those that should be passed on to the next generation.

3. ONLY SPIRITS SLEEP WITH THEIR LEGS ON THE WALL

As untrue as this might sound, it worked wonders in the sleeping posture of most of us especially when we were young as no one wants to be tagged a spirit.

Sleeping with the legs on the wall is considered a bad sleeping posture, one might develop an ache in the lower back.

It is undeniably one of the myths that should be passed on to the next generation.

4. SPIRITS WILL VISIT ANYONE WHO SLEEPS LATE

Some of us took this too seriously and hated sleeping late to the extent that as soon as the clouds turned dark we would have retired to bed for the fear of being taken away or visited by a spirit.

One advantage we got from this was it instilled a proper sleeping routine in us early enough.

Health-wisely, sleeping late itself is not advisable.

This myth should therefore be passed on to the next generation.

5. STARING AT THE SUN IS AN OFFENSE TO GOD

Once upon a time, starting right into the sun, a girl dared the sun to come down.

As silly as putting this into action is, we cannot deny that most of us have tried staring into the sun checking how long we can withstand its brightness.

This could probably explain why this myth came into existence.

This myth has also been of good advantage as it cautioned this act and has saved us the trouble of having to spend money on treating eye problems.

There are so many other interesting myths that have originated from Nigeria and have been passed on over time. What other myths do you know and feel should be passed on to kids as it might be of advantage to them? Let us know in the comment section.

 

 

 

Categories
Story Time

WHO MADE DAVID MAD?

Alfreda suddenly turned face up, she had been lying down on her seat in the same position for some hours. The movement startled the old man sitting beside her, and she heard him gasp in shock, she looked over at him, he had that “What did you do that for” expression on his face. She had to say something to appease the man or else he would unseat her and throw her out of the plane with his intense stare. “I’m sorry, I was feeling uncomfortable sleeping on my side,” she said.

Sleep has eluded her for days now.

She’s been on this plane for 8 hours and she still hasn’t slept even for a minute. It was no better on the ground and in the sky, she had thought it could only get better while on the plane. She was wrong.

The images that pop up when she tries as much as to close her eyes to get a little rest are gory.

“David is not here on the plane with you, you have to take a few minutes of sleep. Try hard. Get him the fuck out of your mind and rest a little. You know you deserve better than a man like him,” that voice that has always been in her head said to her. The voice goes on and off, it comes to either console her, motivate her, or like now, scold her

“You know what? Just keep shut! If you do not get what my fear is about. You are just a passing voice, you can’t even help me, just disappear this very minute,” she murmured to herself.

It is easier said than done. It’s not as easy as the voice makes it seem. David has somehow imprinted the fear of him in her.

The thought of David and what he said he would do to her engulfs her like cold as every minute passes by.

He is capable of doing the most unthinkable things, I know who and what he is.

Alfreda has had no peace like he had said since she packed her belongings out of his apartment three days ago and finally, out of town yesterday far away from him and his vileness. But why? She was the victim here for God’s sake! The victim of his psychotic behaviors! She turned in her seat for the umpteenth time and sighed heavily.

She had loved this man with all her heart, Where did everything go wrong? At the peak of their relationship, everything just came crashing down. One thing she knew was that she was not at fault because she made sure to make their relationship work as much as she could.

It was David who was the orchestrator of the downfall that befell their relationship.

At first, David had sunk their finances into the mud. They both had agreed to keep a joint account and save twenty percent of their earnings in it, be it from their monthly salary, from proceedings of their side gigs, or any other means. They were a live-in couple and things were going well and as planned, in fact, they had planned to move from their studio apartment into a bigger and more spacious apartment by the end of the year.

Then, all of a sudden the money in the joint account started reducing day after day. Anytime, she asks David about it, he assures her and tells her it’s for a project introduced to him by his colleagues at the office and they needed as much money as possible to kickstart and keep it running.

At the point when it became obvious that he was going to empty all they’d strived to save for the past three years, she became worried and had to call him to talk.

One day, she had reached out for her phone to call him. Picking up the phone to call him was a usual routine and she was used to it already and he was, too or so she thought. As soon as he answered her call, the next thing she heard was him yelling at her and saying what she could not process at that moment, and up till now, she still did not understand what caused that outburst from him.

“Hello honey,” she said as soon as she heard his voice over the phone.

No reply.

“How’s work moving?” She asked and got no reply from him again.

He sure could hear her well, she could hear him breathing heavily.

“What’s wrong Dav? Are you okay? Why are you not responding? You don’t sound okay? Is work tedious today? Should I come to drive you around town so you can cool off a bit?” A wave of restlessness came upon her when she still did not get a response from the other end of the phone. She was about to look for footwear to put on when she suddenly heard him speak.

“Look Al, I need you to know the appropriate time to call and not to call, your call just made me lose a fucking deal! You need to learn from other girls who do not use calls to disturb their man during the day and do better.”

Alfreda stiffened at the snap in David’s voice remembering that David was all charms when dealing with her, something must be wrong at work then. He had abruptly cut off the call. She would wait patiently for him at home and get to know what went wrong.

He came home very late that night but she did not question him, he showered, ate a little, went up to the room, and slept immediately. Thankfully, the next day was a weekend, David does not go to the office on weekends so she decided to bring up the matter the next day.

Alfreda stood up very early the next day, to sort out house chores so she and David could have time to talk without any distractions. She went back into the bedroom and saw David already awake. David is no doubt a handsome man. He was a tall, dark, athletically built man in his late twenties and very aware of his good looks and physique. That drowsy half-awake expression on his face every morning never ceases to make her heart flutter. As Alfreda closed the door behind her, she moved further into the room and made her way to the bed, she bent down to kiss David on the cheek and immediately felt a tingle spread through to her spine. David pulled her closer and attempted to deepen the kiss but she escaped his embrace and proceeded to open the window blinds. She knew if she obliged him, they would forget the issue at hand totally.

It was glaring that he had been avoiding talking about what had been going on with him.

She was busy dusting the window with her back still turned towards him as she said,

“David, you know we have to talk right? About what you’ve been up to this past few months. I deserve to be informed about it and no! We won’t talk about this later but right now.”

She could feel David’s eyes boring intensely into her back. And right there and then, she knew.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Categories
Uncategorized

WHO MADE DAVID MAD?

PART 1

Alfreda suddenly turned face up, she had been lying down on her seat in the same position for some hours. The movement startled the old man sitting beside her, as she heard him gasp in shock, she looked over at him, he had that ‘What did you do that for’ expression on his face. She had to say something to appease the man or else he would unseat her and throw her out of the plane with his intense stare. “I’m sorry, I was feeling uncomfortable sleeping on my side,” she said.

Sleep has eluded her for days now.
She’s been on this plane for 8 hours and she still hasn’t slept even for a minute. It was no better on the ground and in the sky, she had thought it could only get better while in the plane. She was wrong.

The images that pop up when she tries as much as to close her eyes to get a little rest are gory.

“David is not here on the plane with you, you have to take a few minutes of sleep. Try hard. Get him the fuck out of your mind and rest a little. You know you deserve better than a man like him,” that voice that has always been in her head said to her. The voice goes on and off, it comes to either console her, motivate her, or like now, scold her

“You know what? Just keep shut! If you do not get what my fear is about. You are just a passing voice, you can’t even help me, just disappear this very minute,” she murmured to herself.

It is easier said than done. It’s not as easy as the voice makes it seem. David has somehow imprinted fear of him in her.

The thought of David and what he said he would do to her engulfs her like cold as every minute passes by.
He is capable of doing the most unthinkable things, I know who and what he is.

Alfreda has had no peace like he had said since she packed her belongings out of his apartment three days ago and finally, out of town yesterday far away from him and his vileness. But why? She was the victim here for God’s sake! The victim of his psychotic behaviors! She turned in her seat for the umpteenth time and sighed heavily.

She had loved this man with all her heart, Where did everything go wrong? At the peak of their relationship, everything just came crashing down. One thing she knew was that she was not the one at fault because she made sure to make their relationship work as much as she could.

It was David who was the orchestrator of the downfall that befell their relationship.

At first, David had sunk their finances into the mud. They both had agreed to keep a joint account and save 20% of their earnings in it, be it from their monthly salary, from proceedings of their side gigs, or any other means. They were live-in couples and things were going well as planned they had planned to move from their studio apartment into a bigger and more spacious apartment by the end of the year.

Then, all of a sudden the money in the joint account started reducing day after day. Anytime, she asks David about it, he assures her and tells her it’s for a project introduced to him by his colleagues at the office and they needed as much money as possible to kickstart and keep it running.
At the point when it became obvious that he was going to empty all they had strived to save for the past 3 years, she became worried and had to call him to talk.

One day, she had reached out for her phone to call him. Picking up the phone to call him was a usual routine and she was used to it already and he was, too or so she thought. As soon as he answered her call, the next thing she heard was him yelling at her and saying what she could not process at that moment, and up till now, she still did not understand what caused that outburst from him.

“Hello honey,” she said as soon as she heard his voice over the phone.

No reply.

“How’s work moving?” She asked and got no reply from him again.

He sure could hear her well, she could hear him breathing heavily.

“What’s wrong Dav? Are you okay? Why are you not responding? You don’t sound okay? Is work tedious today? Should I come to drive you around town so you can cool off a bit?” A wave of restlessness came upon her when she still did not get a response from the other end of the phone. She was about to look for footwear to put on and drive down to his office when she suddenly heard him speak.

“Look Al, I need you to know the appropriate time to call and not to call, your call just made me lose a fucking deal! You need to learn from other girls who do not use calls to disturb their man during the day and do better.”

Alfreda stiffened at the snap in David’s voice remembering that David was all charms when dealing with her, something must be wrong at work then. He had abruptly cut off the call. She would wait patiently for him at home and get to know what went wrong.

He came home very late that night, but she did not question him, he showered, ate a little, went up to the room, and slept immediately. Thankfully, the next day was a weekend, David does not go to the office on weekends so she decided to bring up the matter the next day.

Alfreda stood up very early the next day, to sort out house chores so she and David could have time to talk without any distractions. She went back into the bedroom and saw David already awake. David is no doubt a handsome man. He was a tall, dark, athletically built man in his late twenties and very aware of his good looks and physique. That drowsy half-awake expression on his face every morning never ceases to make her heart flutter. As Alfreda closed the door behind her, she moved further into the room and made her way to the bed, she bent down to kiss David on the cheek and immediately felt a tingle spread through to her spine. David pulled her closer and attempted to deepen the kiss but she escaped his embrace and proceeded to open the window blinds. She knows if she obliges him, they will forget the issue at hand, totally.

It was glaring that he had been avoiding talking about what was going on with him.

She was busy dusting the window with her back still turned towards him as she said,

“David, you know we have to talk right? About what you’ve been up to this past few months. I deserve to be informed about it and no! We won’t talk about this later but right now.”

She could feel David’s eyes boring intensely into her back. And right there and then, she knew.



TO BE CONTINUED…

Categories
On the Blaze Uncategorized

A VIEW INTO VALENTINE’S DAY

“Some people have never received valentine packages” and similar posts like this are probably the first thing you’d come across as you log in to any social media platform on the 14th of February every year.

Some playfully refer to this day as a perfect one to apply pressure and ‘press the necks’ of single people. But, has there ever been a day when single people are not subjected to pressure from couples? Those people have always restricted our airflow! God abeg!

To those of us single, it’s just another day to be reminded of our inexistent love life and to be pressured further when those in relationships upload lovely, and cute pictures and video evidence of them exchanging Valentine’s packages or gifts, flowers, and so on.

The work automatically assigned to the singles on this day is to display the ‘raise am, raise am’ act. Some do this by liking the couples’ posts, exclaiming, and leaving comments like ‘he-he’ ‘ awwn’ ‘God abeg’ and ‘God when’ while some will rather hiss, squeeze their faces, and scrunch their nose as they scroll past the posts with a speed of light.

People’s opinions about Valentine’s Day vary.

Some view this day as ‘overhyped’, some deem it important and look forward to it, every year while some think it is just like every other day. What then is the big deal about Valentine’s Day?

For the lucky few, it’s a day of happiness and to further bond with one another, for others it’s a day that opens up old wounds.

Now, here comes the question, Is Valentine’s Day really what it should be nowadays?

What’s Valentine’s Day all about?

Valentine’s Day is all about love.

St. Valentine, patron of love.

Valentine’s Day was presented in honor and remembrance of St. Valentine, a Roman priest. It is said that this man displayed love in its greatest form for the church through dedication and laying down His life. Since then, Valentine’s Day has been celebrated as a day of “love”. A day celebrated between loved ones with a theme colour of white and red that symbolizes this special day.

Over time, Valentine’s Day evolved from the celebration of St. Valentine’s sacrificial love to a day for individuals, friends, and families to rekindle and keep the fire of their undying love for each other burning bright, to ensure their bond wax stronger, and to appreciate one another through admirable gestures, such as exchange of beautiful words, and substantial gifts that further preach love to their loved ones.

But, spoiler alert!!!

Valentine’s Day has lost its actual substance and uniqueness. Nowadays, the exchange of material things is used to measure the extent of love between couples. High expectations as well as competition for who got the most expensive gifts are now the order of the day during Valentine’s Day. Also, Comparisons of what others did for their partners to what their partners did for them now matter over the real love that should be celebrated. Most people believe that the only genuine manner their partners can sincerely establish their love for them is through expensive gifts which should not be so.

Valentine’s Day has been reduced to one single day that is all about overhyped excitement of partners who forget being good or showing love to one another for the rest of the year. The majority have misplaced perceptions about Valentine’s Day and they celebrate it just to follow the bandwagon.

Series of events on Valentine’s Day

We witness diverse happenings on Valentine’s Day, some lovely and prayer point worthy while some are filled with sad experiences. The lucky few get appreciated, and some get served premium breakfast as ‘e dey hot’.

We see instances of a cheating partner getting exposed as Valentine gifts and the bearers of the gifts collide with one another in the house of a girlfriend or vice versa. Both men and women are dumbfounded as they witness or see videos of their supposed partners presenting gifts to another person.

For people like this, Valentine’s Day will forever be a sour day until someone somewhere, the right man or woman appears to change their view about it.

Then, there are the ones who experience kindness from real partners who immensely understand and incorporate intentionality on a normal day aside the Valentine’s Day. To them, Valentine’s Day is just a plus one day to wax stronger and a reminder that their love can’t be shaken.

I know at this point, you’re wondering how to reset the true purpose of Valentine’s Day.

Here are some updates;

• As a person with an active relationship, avoid exerting pressure on your partners to get you expensive gifts as regards Valentine’s Day, as this is somehow unkind and stressful. Do away with high expectations and let your main focus be on growing to be better in your relationship.

• If your partner is not buoyant enough to get you any gift whatsoever, spend quality time with them, and bond over meaningful things on this day, it might be a movie night together in your room, or a game night. Indulge in any other interest you have observed that sparks joy in your partner.

• If you have once been hurt on Valentine’s Day, it’s understandable if your view about it changed completely after that experience but trust me, you’re deserving of love in its purest form. Be open-minded and give love another try.

...life let me embrace my ‘single to stupor’ life

• To those of us single, let us keep exclaiming ‘God when’ to couples pictures!

• I’d advise us to not be a troll or leave hateful comments under couples’ posts or take memes or posts pointing at our dilemma to heart. Have it in mind that one of these days “God go run am” And if all those get to you, you better go find a partner! Or humor yourself and order a Valentine’s package for yourself, take pictures, and caption it “Valentine gifts from my man/woman” so you too won’t ‘carry last’

In all, we should be willing to rewire our ethos on the perception of Valentine’s Day. It’s all about love and love is all about being sacrifial, pure, selfless, and not materialistic as material things are just a plus. Therefore, all-round love should be the order of the day.

Categories
On the Blaze Uncategorized

A VIEW INTO VALENTINE’S DAY


“Some people have never received valentine packages” and similar posts are probably the first thing you’d come across as you log in to any social media platform on the 14th of February every year. Some playfully refer to it as a day to apply pressure and ‘press the necks’ of single people. But, has there ever been a day single people have not been subjected to pressure from couples? Those people have always been restricting our air flows! God abeg!

To those of us single, it’s just another day to be reminded of our inexistent love life and to be further pressured while those in relationships seem to pressure us with uploads of pictures and video evidence of them exchanging Valentine’s packages or gifts, flowers, and so on. The work automatically assigned to the singles on this day is to display the ‘raise am, raise am’ act. Some do this by liking the couples’ posts, exclaiming, and leaving comments like ‘he-he’ ‘ awwn’ ‘God abeg’ and ‘God when’ while some will rather hiss, squeeze their faces, and scrunch their nose as they scroll past the posts with a speed of light.


People’s opinions about Valentine’s Day vary. Some view this day as ‘overhyped’, some deem it important and look forward to it every year while some think it is just like every other day. What then is the big deal about Valentine`s Day? For the lucky few, it’s a day of happiness and to further bond with one another, for others it’s a day that opens up old wounds.


Now, here comes the question, Is Valentine’s Day really what it should be nowadays?

What’s Valentine’s Day about?

Valentine’s Day is all about love.

St. Valentine. Patron of love.


Valentine’s Day was presented in honor and remembrance of St. Valentine, a Roman priest. It is said that this man displayed love in its greatest form for the church through dedication and laying down His life. Since then, Valentine`s has been celebrated as a day of “love”. A day celebrated between loved ones with a theme colour of white and red that symbolizes this special day.


Gradually, Valentine’s Day evolved from the celebration of St. Valentine’s sacrificial love to a day for individuals, friends, and families to rekindle and keep the fire of their undying love burning bright, to ensure their bond wax stronger, and to appreciate one another through admirable gestures, such as exchange of beautiful words, and substantial gifts that further preach love to their loved ones. But, spoiler alert!!!


Valentine’s Day has lost its actual substance and uniqueness. The exchange of material things is used to measure the extent of love between couples nowadays. High expectations competition for who got the most expensive gifts is now the order of the day during Valentine’s Day. Comparison of what others did to what their partners did for them now matters over the actual real love that should be celebrated because many are now wired to believe the only genuine way their partners can sincerely establish their love for them is through expensive gifts which should not be so.


Valentine’s Day has been reduced to one single day that is all about overhyped excitement of partners who forget being good or showing love to one another for the rest of the year. The majority have misplaced perceptions about Valentine’s Day and celebrate it just to follow the bandwagon.
Series of events on Valentine’s Day.

We witness diverse happenings on Valentine’s Day, some lovely and prayer point worthy while some are filled with sad experiences. The lucky few get appreciated, and some get served premium breakfast as ‘e dey hot’.


We see instances of a cheating partner getting exposed as Valentine packages and their bearers collide with one another in the house of a girlfriend or vice versa. Both men and women are dumbfounded as they witness or see videos of their supposed partners presenting gifts to another person.
For people like this, Valentine’s Day will forever be a sour day until someone somewhere, the right man or woman appears to change their view about it.


Then, there are the ones who experience kindness from real partners who immensely understand and incorporate intentionality on a normal day aside the Valentine’s Day. To them, Valentine’s Day is just a plus one day to wax stronger and a reminder that their love can’t be shaken.
I know at this point, you’re wondering how to reset the true purpose of Valentine’s Day.


Here are some updates;


• As a person with an active relationship, avoid exerting pressure on your partners to get you expensive gifts as regards Valentine’s Day, as this is somehow unkind and stressful. Do away with High expectations and let your main focus be on growing to be better in your relationship. If your partner is not buoyant enough to get you any gift whatsoever, spend quality time with them, bond over meaningful things on this day might be a movie night in your room, or a game night. Indulge in any other interest you have observed, which sparks joy in your partner.

• If you have once been hurt on Valentine’s Day, it’s understandable if your view about it changed completely after that experience but trust me, you’re deserving of love in its purest form. Be open-minded and give love another try.

…like let me embrace my ‘single to stupor’ life.


• To those of us single, let us keep exclaiming ‘God when’ to couples pictures! I’d advise us to not be a troll under couple’s posts or take memes or posts pointing at our dilemma to heart. Have it in mind that one of these days “God go run am” And if all those get to you, you better go find a partner! Or humor yourself and order a Valentine’s package for yourself, take pictures, and caption it “Valentine gifts from my man/woman” so you too won’t ‘carry last’


In all, we should be willing to rewire our ethos on the perception of Valentine’s Day. It’s all about love and love is all about being sacrifial, pure, selfless, and not materialistic as material things are just a plus. Therefore, all-round love should be the order of the day.

About Us

626blaze is an entertainment and lifestyle website that brings you latest gist and scoops from the world of music, fashion, movies, sports and social commentary.

Categories

Subscribe to our Newsletters