Paidion Coalition

       Yesterday, a friend asked me why I don't blog about the current political situation in Nigeria. I wouldn't bore you with my answer and the rest of the conversation. For my New Year's post, I decided to do something different: blog about my prayers and wishes for 2012.

Written by Tolu Osasona           I grew up not understanding my mother and definitely not agreeing with her. She responded to situations in ways I could not come to terms with as a kid. To me, her ways could only be described as cruel. Mummy was a no-nonsense woman and had no problem showing it, especially to her kids.             She would always want me to come home before the street lights came on. I was 13 and my curves began to show. Gosh! She never understood that night time was the best time to hang out with friends, gist, laugh, and generally just make merry. I would hear her shrill voice ring out my name.  My friends would roll their eyes, call me funny names, laugh, and even mimic my mother’s high-pitched voice. God help me if I didn’t get to her before she stopped calling my name. She calls my name just once.

Are you freaking kidding me?  That single moment when Maura Isles raises her eyes, bats away Jane Rizzoli’s hands and screams "don’t touch him" shattered my heart into a million piece. I sat in shock as I watched Jane shoot Patrick Doyle, Maura’s biological father, and seeing Maura reject Jane's help broke it. Holy shit! This is the worst season finale that I ever watched in the entirety of my life. 10 minutes till the end and still no break in the case was enough to tell any ardent #RizzoliandIsles fan that the ending would be a cliff hanger. But nothing prepared us for this.

It has been an amazing five months. Thank you all for partaking in this journey with me. I wish you the best. Merry Christmas! Eat, merry and be jolly. And remember, rice and stew very plenty. My favorite part of Christmas, as a kid, was rushing to put on that special " aunty give me cake " dress, twirling around in it and taking food to neighbors' houses as I got tipped! I pray that today is as memorable as the rest. Once again, Merry Christmas and chop belleful .

Continued from Dec 1, 1998 I’ve been stuck in traffic close to an hour now , a nd it isn’t even rush hour. Sometimes, I hate Lagos! If the air fumes and the Agberos on the street don’t do the trick, the go-slow would surely do it. I move the car forward, just a little bit. A little boy runs from the other lane and uses his rags to wipe my screen. I roll down my side mirror. “I beg you to clean my moto for me? Abegi, comot for here,” I say. “ Oya madam, find me small thing nau , ” the little rascal says as he continues w ip ing my windscreen. I hand him 20 naira, the last change I have on me. “Oya comot for here,” I say.

I started my first internship hunt a few weeks ago. I’ve got three more semesters, which includes summer, to my graduation date. And I am supposed to leave college with a minimum of two internships. It has been an interesting few days. This post is resultant from twittalking with @laurenkgray . She tweeted “I think we all learn more about ourselves on the internship/job hunt! Good luck!” Last semester, I knew I was going to intern in the spring. I carefully planned my spring schedule to ensure that I had alternate days of the week free. I was excited and ready to find my internship. I considered many. And I applied to one for many reasons, which included that it was a campus job, all previous interns all had amazing comments about their internship experiences and an incredible woman was in charge. I didn’t get the job. Therefore, I am back to square one: sorting through my contacts, searching through Google and using the Intern Queen. Through it all, I have three weeks to find a...

            “He slammed into me. All I could think of was I would kill him someday.” I feel dizzy as I review my day.             “At 10 a.m., I received a call from him. He had finally called. He asked if I were at home. I told him that I was, but left out the part that I was actually getting ready for my 11 o'clock class. Five minutes later, he told me that he was outside. I needed a ride to class anyways. So, I grabbed my handbag and books, locked my door and got into his car. He wanted to hang out. I told him that I was going to class. We made arrangements to meet the next day. He drove me to my faculty.

Today, we had more than a five minute conversation Okay maybe not that much But a first in a while Been riding on grace for the last few months Closing my eyes saying goodnight Opening and rushing out of bed

I had this writing assignment and had to use a certain form to write a story. I used the police report form. This story is obviously not a "complete story" as it doesn't have the normal trigger, climax and resolution structure to it. But it is one I enjoyed writing and decided to share. Had to play with blogger to get the structure right.

I am sorry, I haven't written anything in a while. Every time I typed or thought about a shortie or poem, it ended being something for me alone, to make sense of the recent days, to mourn in my own way. It also doesn't help that I have been extremely busy. I wrote this letter a few days ago. I needed to get this off my chest. Hopefully, this would help me sort through my confusion.

Whether from being sugar high or discovering my passion for PR, I did talk too much in this class than in the entirety of my college life. But my propensity to talk wasn't the only thing I learnt, this class opened my eyes to the world of public relations. From the topic "what is public relations," I learned that there are many definitions of public relations which only "reflects the nuances of the professional or academic niche from which they originate, while giving short-shrift to the commonalities that bind us all" ( prdefinition.prsa.org/ ). My textbook answer, "public relation is the management function that identifies, establishes and maintains mutually beneficially relationship between an organization and the various publics on whom its success or failure depends," is sufficient till the Public Relations Defined project is completed (think public relations). Then, I would be able to do a better job defining public relations. And not result to...

A group of five students from the University of South Florida volunteered at a Pumpkin Festival on the 30th of October 2011. Even though we were volunteering because we had to for our Pur3000 class, we were pretty excited about the volunteering opportunity. We got to venue and had a hard time finding Gate 5: our entry point. We finally found the unmarked gate after a couple of wrong turns. We contacted our liaison who told us to wait, where we were packed, for a golf cart to transport us to the festival ground. A while later, no golf cart showed up and we walked into the ground unhindered. It was surprising how easy we had walked in, even though there were visible ticket booths at Gate 1 and 2.

My twitter experience has been amazing this year. I have had amazing twitchats and met PR folks through twitter. So I thought, why not write a list of PR folks that I would recommend to my friends? However, I must confess that this list is an ongoing project, one that I shall continually update. Now this list is subjective to names and faces I see and talk to all the time. And the names are: @r_efrain_ayala @JGoldsborough @SonjaPoppStahly @dbreakenridge @jspepper @prtini @Cat_Pylant @MattLaCasse @tressalynne @KirkHazlett @KratzPR @ValerieSimon @laurenkgray @DebWeinstein @Worob @elissapr @lizstrauss @heatherhuhman @AmyL_Bishop @WomenInPR1 @mikeschaffer @arikhanson @nikki_little @shonali @ThePRCoach @CourtV @teachpr @jackmonson @jamiefloer You also need to know the 25 Twitter Chats Every Entrepreneur Must Know: http://under30ceo.com/25-twitter-chats-every-entrepreneur-must-know/  This should help twitter newbies, at least a little bit.

On 25th of October, USF PRSSA hosted Lisa Brock, the principal of Brock Communication; a public relations and marketing firm specializing in full service public relations. Lisa Brock graduated from Florida State University after majoring in Criminology and Women Studies. She was pre-recruited by Procter and Gamble, a Fortune 200 company. She left to start her own company and currently teaches at the University of Tampa. She talked to the students about success in public relations. She advised them to be a generalist and not a specialist. It pays to be knowledgeable about different aspect of public relations. Dressing the part goes a long way in determining whether a public relation professional would be taken seriously. “Clothes in this field are an investment,” said Lisa Brock. Your appearance matters, avoid facial piercing, hide or avoid tattoos and consider having shorter hair as opposed to free flowing hair.

Dear Self, I know I can not turn back the hands of time. If i knew then what I know now, I would tell you to look after Naomi because she would turn out to be your only sister. Remember when she used to say she was dizzy and light headed and you would laugh it off and tell her to get over it and that it was just a minor headache. Well, little did we know that she had cancer. I would have told you to take good care of her and stay close to her. That she was very vulnerable and needed someone to pay attention to her. Also, I would've advised you to take it easy with mum when she was getting frustrated with you because dad left and married a much younger woman. She needed a shoulder to cry on.

Remember that career workshop you had in secondary school when you were about to transition into SS1. It was the only time I saw the guidance counselor. She tried to ensure I got my career path right. I was given some survey to fill, which was supposed to show me my strengths and weaknesses, and the certain career that suited me. I remember shaking my head on how ineffective those things are, as I did completely rig the outcome. I had always wanted to be a lawyer, so I made sure that the best profession that suited me was law. Now, I didn't reminisce to pinpoint just how much one can beat the system but to talk about this: parents' expectation for your chosen field. I never understood or could picture why some parents thought they could and wanted to influence their children's career path. Now, I don't have the luxury to say that.

  A status update on a FB page was enough to send me running to Amazon.com. The first-five-chapter online-preview was enough to wet my appetite. And make me currently more veered to Sade as a character. I am intrigued to find out more about her plight. Would Bode change or not? Right from the very first mention, she comes across as a round character. As for Wale Ademola, not too much. I am afraid I really do not sympathize with his character at all. In as much as I would love to go on, I fear I cannot because I have not read the full book and a review of the book now would definitely be an unjust one. Although, I assure that I would write one as soon as I finish reading the book, whenever I get the print. But for now, I would be posting chapter one and the links to the Amazon copy below.

Yes, I was motivated to write this post by the notjustok.com's one, although I have been dragging this article for a few days now. Alright, a week. There are three things/media I can say that I am knowledgeable about, because I have been exposed to them since childhood. They are music, books and TV. And for as long as I can think of, I have been fascinated with the world of make-believe. I grew up watching too much TV perhaps, and was the one who would go to an home-video club and rent Nigerian home videos. So trust me, I am not crapping out or diminishing Nollywood, just stating facts.

Like I said in my previous post, I would be covering a #pr20chat 's discussion about identifying influencers. I would be answering four question in brief paragraphs below. Q1: Does the definition of influence change for each client or campaign? Should it? How so or why not? I do not believe that the definition of influence changes. However, I believe that metrics of finding such influencers do change. The end goal is always the same; it is how you get there that is different. Also, your audience is the driving force in finding and attributing influence in a person about a particular topic and not the client. Q 2: How does context factor into influencer research? Yes, context is important in any kind of research. The purpose of the campaign and the target audience is important in carrying out an influencer research. Like I said earlier, the audience is the driving force, fullstop. Never underestimate, undermine, overlook or lose sight of who the audience is. By understanding the...

(10/18/11) Tonight's #pr20chat 's discussion is on "identifying brand influencers for ones clients." I believe that Klout would play a major role in this discussion. Klout, for those who keep asking me, is an online platform that calculates one's social media presence and clout. It allows you to sign in using either your facebook or twitter account and has your klout score already available. For example, my present klout score after taking a nose dive is 61 out of a 100. Klout also places you in certain styles. There are 16 categories: specialist, activist, explorer, observer, networker, socializer, conversationalist, dabbler, pundit, thought leader, feeder, syndicator, celebrity, taste maker, broadcaster and curator.

Branding for a PR person is an intricate job description. We are always the brand's ambassadors. Michelle Foley always says that she wouldn't be at Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa Fla, if she didn't connect with the hospital's motto. She also said that she wouldn't be able to sell the brand if it hadn't fallen in line with her personal conviction. So, a PR's person is more than just an advocate, but a brand's advocate. So what then is a brand: text-book reading says a brand is "something that leads you to feel something in your gut about the product - an aura, essence, personality and invisible layer that surrounds the product. And what makes it different from other products." I however would say that a brand is the totality of the package. A friend asked me last week to be his PR campaign manager as he would be competing in a reality show: Next Movie Star. I agreed to help create a buzz but reminded him that since I was not in Nigeria, I was l...

You sit at the round table and stare at the wall. Does she know that I defended her today? That my voice rang loud as I said "No, my sister isn't a bother to me." That I walked out on my liaison when he suggested that we part ways. That I stopped at the tech shop on my way home and bought her a canon. That I had smiled all the way in the taxi, imagining her face when she sees the big blue box. Her carefully unboxing the camera. Does she know? you wonder.

What comes to your mind when you think about PR. I wager that it has to do with artiste management, student government positions, publicity and damage control. You would be right BUT this is just an aspect of Public Relations. Public Relation is kinda hard to define. The closest I can come to defining PR is that "it is the management function that identifies, establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its various publics on whom its success and failure depends on" as stated in Think Public Relations.

 A few weeks ago, RIM recalled their Playbook tablet. This should have ignited a trigger in the minds of people that something is up with the company. But that didn't get BB users talking or seeking answers. Then three days ago, it happened. My TL went crazy as different platforms started cropping up. Most people who used to call out Snaptu user were now themselves using the app. And certain handles were tweeting about how the mighty had fallen and how different weird twitter apps were popping up on their TLs. I had pegged it down to 9ja syndrome. And since I am not a BB user, I did not feel compelled to comment.

(Reminiscing) I once went to a wonderful school and had a wonderful teacher. She taught me how to use my voice and helped me curb my shyness. She, Mrs Inanga, shall forever be on my mind. Someday, sometimes, somehow we will meet. And I would be finally able to tell her how much she wrought in me. But, too bad, I lost my voice, I cant sing. But whenever I sing or hear this song, I always remember Mrs Inanga on her piano. 

(Dedicated to *ahem*) My heart races with the stretch of darkness My eyes squint shut as I filter through the images       My lips raised to his His planting a tender gesture I stand          I need to get outside His hands pull me back                              restraining                                         for just a moment

LG Text Ed Social Media Campaign on Prezi

http://olatodera.blogspot.com/2011/09/chapter-in-my-book-turned-script.html http://olatodera.blogspot.com/2011/09/chapter-in-my-book-turned-scriptcontd.html Dragging his gaze from her body to her face, he said “you look good.” “Thanks,” she is finding it difficult to be in the present as the lull of the past is strong. “So why did you pay N10,000,000 extra for the property?” she pushes the file she had across the table to him. “Oh you noticed.,” he said. “Is that supposed to be a compliment or a test?”

For too long, Nigeria and Nigerians have been readily associated with the online scams, financial crime and impersonation - termed ‘419’. However, beyond the unfortunate stereotyping, there are several positive characteristics and cogent intriguing traits of the country, Nigeria and its people, some of which are highlighted below as part of the ‘ 419 Reasons to Like Nigeria’ campaign which enlisted 100 volunteers and bloggers to share reasons why they like Nigeria. These reasons echo the voices of Nigerians, with resonating similar themes. The campaign is being facilitated in partnership with ‘The 419Positive Project’. The full list of ‘419 Reasons to Like Nigeria’ is available here The list of contributors to ‘419 Reasons to Like Nigeria’ is available here If you would like to say something positive about Nigerians and Nigeria, please do so here .

Many see Africa as a nation ridden with poverty, hunger, financial debt and fraudulent activities. They imagine a place where young black boys run around naked, hungry and in dire need of financial assistance. The media and Hollywood celebrities do not help to critically showcase how exactly the situation is in Africa. All American celebrities have at least a cause to alleviate poverty, HIV/AID, and illiteracy in the “poorest nation" in the world. TV commercials are continually showing famous actors, actresses and singers carrying a HIV stricken child, a child afflicted with Kwashiorkor, Beriberi or with some other mortal sickness. However, this is the only image projected about Africa; the media does not include in its information, the reason for such situation: if it is just in a little sector of Africa or its whole continent in need, or why Africa apparently does not have the capability to help herself.

A man walks to the receptionist. He is in a light blue blazer, black shirt with its last two buttons popped open and no tie. He is in his early forties. “Good day sir, how may I help you?” the receptionist says “I believe I have an appointment with Mrs Sullivan. Is she in this time?”

        Slept on it and woke up to it. Read Linda's new post and it opened all the emotional and intellectual barrage of tweets that my yesterday and the day before had been. So my first tweet today is "Dear Nigerians, please be sane today because I can't take another dose of your blatant disregard for humane logic. ---signed Moi."      However, I need to say this even if it might be brief. It is one thing that certain (I really am pulling back on the adjective that qualifies this folks) Nigerians on twitter are uttering nonsense that I am sure they didn't think through, it is another for the Abia State University's Vice Chancellor to come out and utter such arrant rubbish. Words matter!

      I had always prayed for a Nollywood series which I think would complement perfectly well with our ongoing soap operas fascination. But I swear, I did not envision the way Shirley Frimpong has embarked on. She terms it "a 10 chapter cinema movie series." As of now, you probably have an issue to take up with either me or Shirley. With me because I would be reviewing chapter 2 out of 10. And with Shirley because of the 10 chapter issue. But since, I refuse to re-watch chapter one over again, I really can't write about it.       Down to business, the cast includes Yvonne Okoro, Jocelyn Dumas, Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku, Anima Misa Amoah, Adjetey Anang, John Dumelo, KSM, KOD, Benny Fiifi Ashun, Fiifi Coleman, etc which is impressive I must say. I must also point out that I might be a little biased, thanks to this wonderful review of part 1   http://www.modernghana.com/columnmovie/11418/3/adams-apple-the-hype-does-not-match-the-work.html

Chapter Seven "I now pronounce you man and wife." The guests erupt into applause as the groom lifts Georgina’s veil and dips his head and bends her over his arm to kiss her. Her silk gown sparkling with the five thousand crystals, hand-stitched across the delicate fabric. The kiss ends and the couple turns to face the congregation. Stella’s breath catches in her throat at the expression on Georgina’s face. She is so happy, so deeply in love. It strikes Stella that while St. Stephan Cathedral glows with candlelight and glittering guests, none shines more brightly than Georgina herself. The light in Georgina’s eyes alone makes her heart ache. Stella’s heart turns over as music swelled, filling the grand Gothic cathedral, as the beaming bride and groom walks down the aisle. Georgina has found her match. She has found her mate. Weddings always moved her. But this one, this is exceptional. Georgina had been hurt so badly three years ago when her fiancé left her at the alt...

(Press Release) - Dating far back to the 80’s, the term ‘419’ has associated Nigeria and Nigerians primarily with online financial scams – ‘Advance Fee Fraud’. Most unfortunately, the situation exacerbated to such an extent that the internet became overwhelmed with such negative news attributed to Nigeria. In response to this, ‘ The 419Positive Project’ was initiated, with an ambitious objective of generating four hundred and nineteen positive attributes about Nigeria and Nigerians. “If you could tell the world one remarkable thing about Nigeria and Nigerians, what would it be?”

A lot of youths complain about Nollywood story lines but many choose not to write screenplays even though they blog stories pretty well . The biggest reason for this is, we all think that  script writing is harder than fiction. And so, we all resort to blogging amazing stories instead. What this competition is about, is showing  that screenplay writing isn’t all that hard. The rule is pretty simple, just point out the errors in this script. Clue: it is not the suck-ass H/Nollywood storyline. The winner gets to win a pair of white Chuck Taylor sneakers.  Now I know that the prize might not be in Don Jazzy’s category but you are not composing or dancing, just pointing out errors.

Jan 28, 1990. 12:51 p.m. Greece. Minoan Palace of Knossos I tried to drown the chatters around me. Even with the air plug, bits of conversation were filtering in. I heard Deidre’s reply on the golden seat throne discovery and it’s ramification. I turned to Great moments in Greek Archaeology and learnt more about the Aphrodite of Melos. The bus lurched to a stop.

Thanks @Kunledee for the inspiration. Okay, this post might be super short but I have to say this out. It is crazy that it is really easy to ascribe to someone the prefixes that you would kill someone if you were the recipient of such. Perhaps it's the Yoruba factor, or even religious affiliation that is the cause of the behavior. Just maybe.

    Plagiarism, especially for a college student, is pretty scary. The repercussion of an FF is too humiliating to think of. It is forever in your record and no one would want to ever hear your side of the story. I got a close call once; I had refused to put quotation marks on my quotes even though I had accredited the quote itself.

1). Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. I hate horror movies and can't stand to watch them. Not necessarily because unnecessary blood makes me queasy or the costumes makes me scared(although I must confess to the two), but because the story lines are the same. Car breaks down on a journey, you are forced to veer down the road and sleep over in a haunted house. Then ghost chops you off one by one and bla bla bla bla.

I have always wanted to write a review for Nollywood but wondered if I might make positive criticism though. And all the movies I really want to write on, are either in the theater that I have no access to or have not been produced yet. So, presently watching a movie on 9jatube.com . Boring night and I refuse to sleep. I must confess there is nothing too superb about the movie except that Alexander Lopez is in it and I haven't seen her in a decade. So I'm like, why not write about? The movie starts with the normal annoying non-diegetic sounds that only Nollywood produces: loud and unclassifiable sound with the credits rolling. Then, we are introduced to the major characters. Alexander in a brown poker-dot blouse that seems to draw one's attention to her boobies. Oge Okoye walks in in a gold top and a black short. Chika Ike and Thelma Okodua walk in one after the other too. And all of them complain about Alexander drinking vodka at two in the afternoon, in respectively anno...

Brunette is what I would call her, although you might disagree and point out that it is walnut brown with streaks of neutral dark blonde in it. Her smile lights up the whole room, as the line stretches from one dimple to another. Her gray eyes twinkle as if a star had fallen and taken abode in her face. Her plump face whispers “I am a natural woman,” as the bridge of her nose tips forward, loudly proclaiming her Irish background.

Kacy is in the kitchen stirring the broth on the burner. After a few stir, she walks to the sink, washes and dries her hand, in that order. I wonder what’s keeping them; he was supposed to be here 30 minutes ago she wonders, as she walks towards to the phone and picks it up.

“Nneka!” Deborah screams “We dey come, make una wait,” “Make una comot, make we fit waka come back on time oh.” Two young ladies walk out of red brick house with mud pots in their hands. They have mini cloths (oshuka) which is rolled up and put in between the head and pot. They walk over to a third girl sitting under the mango tree outside the house. “Mama still never come back from market oh,” the girl called Nneka says

I was clearing my table for the day when my phone rang. Feeling extremely tired, as I had pulled a late night in preparation for my early morning case, I pick up my phone. “Is this miss Sullivan,” the voice at the other end says “Yes, how may I help you?” “Oh-” My mind drowns all that followed. I suddenly felt dizzy. This shouldn’t be happening; I collapse to my chair and find the courage to say “Yeah I would be there in a few minutes.”

You had me at hello, seriously. Asin I am serious. I smiled mischievously but thank God you didn't see Cos words from Asa comes to mind "My mama used to tell me It ain't that cool to see a man u love and start to act like a fool" You bet the reason I love the song is because of that line. I croon and shout along to it every time the beat comes on Telling myself that I better watch out and don't play a fool Mama's voice sounding over Asa's voice And I swear it's her voice I hear every time

Initially posted on Monday, May 9, 2011 at 12:22 a.m.    You bet I was going to write something. Why wouldn't I? I did for Father's Day. Anyways, it's 11.56 p.m. and I have written a few words. By the time I am done, Mother's Day would be over where I am. Honestly, truth be told, I have no idea where I'm going or how this note would end up. All thoughts I had before opening a new note is all gone. My mind is all blank. But I know I am gonna wade through this. I guess I better say this now, even if it's too late: Happy Mother's day iya to bi mi and you all too. Yes, my mind is beginning to clear a bit, and my focus getting into place. So today a couple of my followers/followees tweeted on how there were many Mother's Day in a year. Well, been there, done that come to mind. Not proudin, nay, not at all. Just stating that I too have been confused before. Why I had to say happy Mother's Day three times or more. As in, sometimes I wondered if m...

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 2:14am Yah!!! for some reason when trying to pick title for this post, that stuck out at once. I am not my teeth, indeed, believe me the words ring out in Indie Arie's " I am not my hair" voice. Anyway what started this post since ya all know, something always triggers my writing mood. Sha I was reading a young girl like me's blog and she was talking about the gap between her front teeth. Immediately all my teeth started howling or doing whatever they do to get our attention. But believe me, I quieted them with a little thought, pschew, talk about mind control. Really don't test me.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 10:10pm http://www.bellanaija.com/2011/01/12/whether-na-one-naira-yeah-right/ <<---totally true, this article is so down to point.. It crazy how we all sing and say "it doesn't matter how bulky his pocket iz/her, as far as he/she loves me" I so wanna scream b.s!!!! Don't get me wrong I love the song "One Naira by M.I and Waje, might even have contemplated on crooning it to my other half at some point, but I do not fool myself in believing that I might mean the entirety of the message...(is something wrong with me, am I no longer the Christian that I profess to be? no thats not the case) No matter how good ly we want to look and project, we still need to count our losses.