Bits and Things

I have just come in from my third seminar in as many days. Keeping professionally up to date has become even more necessary in the light of the current events in corporate America and elsewhere. You snooze at your own peril. It is also a requirement to maintain my certifications and licenses in Canada. Often times I wonder if the stories one hears about wrong diagnosis even of very simple health issues back home are real. Perhaps suggesting mandatory refresher trainings for those professions where minor mistakes are often of colossal consequences may be worth it. Do you think I am stirring an hornet’s nest in thinking this way?
For more than two weeks, I have been experiencing a challenge with carrying out an online transfer from a chequing account I have with an offshore bank in an emerging market. Sorry I should have said frontier market because I understand "Naija" has been reclassified a frontier market by global economists in an effort at sounding more politically correct. I have contacted the bank repeatedly without getting an explanation that makes any sense at all. First it was a system issue then it was a minor procedural matter. God knows what creative story they will come up with next. The bottom line is that they are still holding onto my money and this is 6 weeks and counting.Unbelievable!!! I wonder what message this sends to anybody who wants to be supportive of his roots and not get burned doing so. Interesting!!
Tuesday and yesterday were youth program nights for Sampi and the boys respectively. These are hour-long activities at church to try and keep pre-teens and teenagers focused on the things that really matter in life in the midst of all the negative options that abound in school and in the media these days. As this is lent period, it encourages them to stay on track and not feel that they are losing out by ‘not having fun’ (a phrase that lends itself to many interpretations).
Danju had his Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair (BASEF) presentation today at Mohawk College in Hamilton. He and his project partner Ilia had built a hovercraft. They said the reactions from the judges were mixed so they are keeping their fingers crossed about the result. They are happy however for the experience; and I told them that was key and they can only go from here to greater accomplishments irrespective of the outcome of this contest.
Meanwhile, Danju’s basketball playoffs resumed yesterday. They won at home and have a game tomorrow with the next coming up Tuesday nest week. If they make it that far, his team would be matched with his former team on April 15. For his sake, I pray they do as he is so looking forward to a home coming game at St Andrew Catholic School.
Papa will have his first full day of Football (not soccer) practice on Sunday after Mass at Appleby College field.
I guess this brings the Diary up to date and now it’s time to go work on my draft tax preparations. Taxes, taxes, taxes. If only there was a way to make this chore any easier. I don’t do the final stuff myself. My accountant does; but I have to arrange all the receipts and do a simple spreadsheet capturing all activities (now that’s the hard part) so he can do his bit. It’s often said that two things are constant here and none can be avoided – Taxes and Death. It’s the nature of the beast.
Take care and see you.

Mothers' Day

I understand it’s Mothers’ Day for Protestants in some parts of the world today. May all females (mothers and ‘yet-to-be’ mothers) please take a bow. You deserve to be recognized. I salute you all. Come to think of it, why do we have a separate Mothers’ Day for Catholics and a different one for Protestants? All this dichotomy and schism beats me. I am not advocating for religious irredentism but for those of us who believe in the existence of a Supreme Being, would it be such a bad idea to collaborate once in a while on those topics that are less divisive such as having one day worldwide to celebrate Mothers’ Day? Did I hear you query why we should celebrate mothers only on one day? Of course we acknowledge their roles in our lives daily with every breath we take but then have a ‘party’ in their honour one day globally. You are at liberty to hold a different opinion on this please.

I came out of Mass today pondering over the real reason why we work? Is it just for being able to provide for our various stakeholders (not shareholders please before you accuse me of being an unrepentant capitalist) or have we fallen into the deifying materialism that we now worship our jobs. We seem to covet our jobs so much that we literally go to creative lengths to keep our employment. I am not pontificating here, not at all. I am just wondering if our jobs have taken the place of God Almighty in our value architecture. Just thinking …

At last March break is over and the kids get back to school tomorrow. Papa is out at the Millbank Park hanging out with another of his friends – Jacob. Danju meanwhile has gone over to drop off a present for Sebastian whose birthday it was yesterday. Sampi is watching one of the many reality shows on television that teenage girls are enamoured with. Old ranger is punching away on the computer keyboards. Soon we would be back to the routine. The upside is that officially spring is here and with it an upbeat mood after the havoc wrecked on our psyche by old man winter. Let’s the fun begin ….

Siya's Departure

Family night was good. We watched two movies –“She’s The Man” and “Fantastic 4” enjoying some home made popcorn and non-alcoholic fruit drinks in tow. Yours truly slept off midway into the second movie. Heard this morning that Papa and Sampi were no less guilty.
Hurried out of the house at 10am today because as you guessed, yes, the realtor had called yesterday that someone wanted to view our home. Papa in his childlike innocence had wondered that with house staging and showings, what if some items such as small pieces of art or a family heirloom got nicked? Thinking seriously. What if? How do you bring up the discussion without ruffling feathers, embarrassing people and perhaps only finding out many days after the fact with the real culprit long gone? Well let’s just say we expect none of that to happen. We have our fingers crossed.

So we scurried out of our home and headed to IKEA for another family occasional ritual – IKEA breakfast and some quick look at home furnishings within the store. Anything to get a good bang for a buck especially in these times.
Danju's buddy, Sebastian and Papa's pal, Jack came by after 'shooting some hoops' at the St Andrew Catholic School yard and the four young men disappeared into the games room for rounds of Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 duels leaving me with the 'girls' for a couple of hours.

Our next major activity this night was dropping off Siya at the airport for her long haul flight home to Nigeria for the funeral of her father. I'd stay back here with kids for now and leave just a day or two to the funeral to do what is expected of me as the husband of the first daughter. Those of you who are Nigerians know what that means.
We just got home and it's time to pray and go to bed.
At times, living seems like a rat race.
Take care now and let's talk again some time.

Sampi's Safe Return

We have just come back from picking up Sampi from Pearson International on her return from Italy. We are grateful to God for journey mercies. When things work so smoothly -( I mean her flight to Italy via London, the trips between Rome and Florence and now her flight back to Canada), there is the part of us humans to take things for granted. To put this in some perspective, no trip is entirely safe. You may have heard of how a leisure skii training in Montreal turned ghastly for a well liked movie actress earlier this week. Recently too we read of a chopper going down with passengers aboard some where in the north of Canada and the Turkish airliner that went down in The Netherlands just a few miles from Schiphol airport. Thank you heavenly father for bringing Sampi and the rest of her team back safely.
My baby girl is so tickled. I'd give her a couple of days to calm down and get over jet lag then this Diary will demand some stories from her trip.
Siya came in very late last night from Edmonton where she moved to on January 2 this year. She would be flying to Nigeria this weekend for the funeral of her father, my father-in-law who passed on Monday, March 9.
So much has been written of his academic accomplishments that as ode to him, this blog will have a full day dedicated to him in April after the funeral.
We are just one day away from the end of March break. It's gratifying that Danju and Papa say it's been so much fun for them. That's very heartwarming for me for as a daddy. In this era of kids always asking for more, it's sobering hearing my boys say this March break has been awesome.
It would be family night again tomorrow and I would amongst all that we would be doing, thank the kids for being such a lovely bunch.
Take care now and talk to you again tomorrow.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't

It's good to be with you again after a couple of days of hiatus caused by circumstances that are best left for another day.
It's March break and my boys and I went shopping today - using up some gift cards they got from friends and family during Christmas. By shopping, we are doing our bit towards re-inflating a global economy that is in dire straits. A little bit of confidence in the economy should help at this time. There has been so much of negative stories in the press especially in North America and Europe that people are literally hiding the little cash they still have under their mattresses. Which is why some cheerful news is welcome.
Talking of cheerful news, Sampi called from Rome today! I had not heard my daughter's voice since Wednesday last week when I dropped her off at Pearson International for her school trip to Italy. I was excited to hear from daddy's baby girl and got a bit teary eyed when she said she was enjoying the experience but misses home so much. She would be back on Friday and I'd be waiting at the airport to receive my angel. Danju and Papa tried to act all grown up when Sampi called, a departure from the solemn disposition they exhibited the first night she was away. To think of it, this is the first time (if my memory serves me well), Sampi has been away from her brothers for more than one night. C'est la vie! The children are all growing up and soon each will go in pursuit of his or her destiny and what lies in the future. God help me.

I am not sure which is more difficult and tricky - consoling a spouse who's had a miscarriage or dealing with the mood swings of a spouse who's mourning the sudden loss of a parent? I know from experience however that none is fun. Hardly anything you do at such a time is right.If you appear happy for any reason and for any length of time, you could be seen as not showing enough empathy. If you are sober and reflective, you are accused of getting her more depressed instead of trying to cheer her up. A typical case of damned if you do and damned if you don't. Indeed a heavy burden to bear, a huge load to carry.
I said it was March break and so catering to the demands of the boys becomes an escape from the quagmire. A way to get away from being between the rock and the hard place.
It's dinner time so you would have to excuse me, Danju and Papa are already waiting.
Catch you on the rebound. See you later.

A Roller Coaster

Phew! It's been a few days of some highs and lows. My father-in-law was called to eternal glory in the early hours of Monday March 9. He had not been feeling very well for some time but it was not such to give us any hint that he was coming to the end of his earthly sojourn. We are all still shell shocked by the suddenness of it all. It's now the time to give him a deserving 'exit party' once the contending village issues are dealt with. My poor spouse (his first daughter) -is holding up as well as someone who just lost a dear parent can. May his soul rest in peace.

For some bit of cheery news. As I write, my daughter Sampi is on her way to Italy -Rome and Florence; aboard British Airways. She is part of a school contingent on a nine-day excursion to Europe. Even though I dropped her off at the airport only a couple of hours ago, I already do miss her a lot. My poor baby. She is all so 'growed up' as Rugrats would say.
So it's just the boys and I are at home for the next week and a half until Sampi comes back.
The evening ended with the 'Parents Night' for the 2009 Oakville Minor Football League at the Oakville Townhall. Danju had chosen to concentrate on basketball at this time so it would be Papa alone playing football this year.
We already had the initial 'Combine' on March 1 led by an ex-NFLer who is currently a DB for Montreal Allouettes asssited by another CFL player from the Eskimos.
It looks like it will be fun for the kids this season. Papa says he is all pumped for it. Well, after being timed at 5.75seconds over 40 yards for an 11year old kid, I am tempted not to argue with him. In his rookie year two years ago, he was an Offensive MVP for Etobicoke Eagles Tyke team having played as a Running Back.
I have to go now so I can get things ready for school tomorrow for the boys. Usually, Sampi would have assisted me but for the next couple of days, I'd be on my own. Thank goodness March break begins on Monday.
See you around.

Daylight Saving Time

Today was one of those slooooooow days. Hardly any eventful activities to report on. As we do most Saturdays, we slept in until until about 9.30am when Danju made us 'special breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, tomatoes, grape fruit etc. Yummy!

Of course, we tidied the house- each person pitching in. Therafter we dropped off Danju at his friend's for their hovercraft project. On our way we had stopped at Home Depot and got a 235mph leaf blower which he needed for the project.
Then it was time to attend the dedication and first birthday party of a friend's daughter. I was able to persuade Sampi and Papa to go to the party with me. For accompanying me to the party Sampi got to go bowling with some of her classmates thereafter. Not a bad deal eh?
Well, I am back home now with the boys and Sampi is on her way home from the bowling alley.
At last I can have some TV time tonight before I hit the bed. Before then however I would adjust the clocks one hour forward - Daylight saving time.
Take care then and we shall reconnect tomorrow.

Family Night

Today began with a long distance call from my golf mentor in Nigeria – Joe. It was very kind of him to call to know how I was getting along. If you are wondering, I am originally from Nigeria but have been living with my family in Canada for about a decade and counting. Trying to raise a family in two cultures (Nigerian and Canadian) remains a challenge which someday we shall talk about.
Eighteen months ago, I ‘returned to Eden’ to do a tour of duty and in the process became friends with some of the nicest fellows you can find, Joe is one of them. We talked about family, Ikoyi club and of course business. He lamented that the US greenback was exchanging for Naira 177 at the parallel market. Unbelievable!! Less than three months ago it had exchanged for Naira 118 ( a 50% slide in just three months; even in these uncertain times is a bitter pill to swallow). Nigeria we hail thee.
Papa (our baby of the house) and second son, was the first guy off the starting blocks this morning.
Soon it was 8.00 am and time to pray before the kids all went out of the door. Spring seemed to have sprung what with 7degrees and according to the weather man, could hit 15 degrees at some point today. I can understand the rush to get outside. Having been hibernating with layers of clothing since December, warm weather is a welcome development. Remember here is Canada and our winter is legendary.
At 10.00am the phone rang and it was the realtor’s office telling me a viewing was being proposed for 11.00am to 12 noon. You know what means right? Time to leave the house so another prospective buyer could visit. Often times I wonder how many other properties these buyers are evaluating and how ours stacks up.
So to the Iroquois Ridge library I went and after reading a bit, I hit the gym.My work out today consisted of some aerobic time on the treadmill and anaerobic time concentarting on my biceps, triceps and shoulders. With that done, I headed back home to arrange some ‘potluck’ lunch for the kids. Papa and Sampi came in shortly after. Danju’s school (an academically gifted program) is some distance away in Milton so he usually gets in a little later.
With lunch over, Papa went to his school’s yard to shoot some hoops with Jack his buddy; while Sampi had to go help Kay with decorating for her 17th birthday party.
My daughter is fast becoming a lady. I still have vivid recollection of when God blessed us with her in 1992. I had just moved to Lagos to take up a job while my mum came over to stay with my Siya in Jos. I remember getting that call that changes your life forever- “…congratulations you are now a daddy….”.
To God be the glory that I did not crash my new company car that evening. I was still staying at a hotel being new on the job and I dashed off from Apapa in the Daewoo Racer ( not sure if that brand and model of car is till on the market) to celebrate my new status with Maurice ( then a 2nd Lieutenant and now a Navy Captain) in Ikoyi where he was staying with his aunt’s family.
Fast forward seventeen years and here we are. It’s been an experience that I wish and pray every male would have- fatherhood. Kids!!! They can drive you up the wall sometimes, adorable and loving at other times and something in-between especially during their teenage years when the hormones start raging and they try to test your will and push the envelope with you. All in all, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thank God for children.
It’s 8.13pm: Sampi and I have just returned from doing our grocery shopping for the week. Tonight is “Family Night” so we should be converging in the family room soon to shoot breeze and watch a movie chosen by the kids. Tonight, we’d be having pizza, pop corn and home made juice in tow. Our family nights which come up on alternate Fridays are looked forward to with relish by us all and is a good vehicle for bonding. I would suggest this to families reading this blog.
So excuse me before I run guilty of delaying family night. See you all tomorrow.

Day 2

I had promised to fill you in about the game yesterday. Guess what? I was simply too 'knackered' at the end of it all to sit up and write.

My first son - Danju and his school basketball team were in a Pool A and had their matches at St Marguerite of Youville school. They won their first two games (the second victory against the home school was a nail bitter and they got the winning basket with just 4 seconds left to play); and lost the third more due to fatigue than anything else. For the first 5 or so minutes, the kids in their back-to-back game were hardly moving not to talk of thinking. I am not a coach but I would have thought that the bench would have made some substitutions to get some fresh legs in and give some of the starters a bit of a break and then re-introduced them later in the game.

Anyway, enough said, after all it was more for social networking for the kids than for anything else.

I don't want sound like a broken record (as if anybody still plays vinyl records these days haha) but by 9.45am this morning the team was at Bishop Redding High School playing another round robin tournament. Holy shmooly!!! Talk of putting kids under pressure?

Anyway old ranger had to add dropping off Danju at Bishop Redding High School (because it was out of the route of the regular school bus) to his already busy itinerary. Isn't it nice to be a kid in these times?

By the way, did I tell you that our home is being staged for a sale. For anybody who's had to sell a home in North America, getting a home ready for a sale can be a pain, what with having to make sure all personal stuff like pictures etc are 'boxed' away to give the home some air. For my three kids, the house does not look like a home any longer, it now looks like a hotel. So every morning before they leave for school, we have to sweep and wipe just in the event that the realtors call to know if that potential home buyer who just came to their office can come have a look. What a life.

So you are not to leave any pots on the stove and of course, you need to leave the house so the 'viewers' can have unfettered access. Thank goodness for 'Febreeze' air freshner. We always succeed in having the house smell sweetly.

Well I have to run now (it's 10.12 pm) so I can go say the night prayers with the kids and then would go load the laundry machine. I have found that doing the laundry after 10.00 pm saves tons on gas and hydro. For my financial pockets, this is a welcome development especially in the face of the current global financial tsunami.

Good night then and we'd continue tomorrow.

Another Day

It's now almost midnight and I can now go get some shut eye after confirming that the security alarm has been switched on and the central heater turned off. Today was in the large part another cold day with the temperature at minus 17 degrees centigrade without adding the wind chill.

My day had begun as it has been since January 2 this year with playing mum and dad in one breath - rush everybody out of the house in the morning after making sure we have had our breakfast, vitamin C and multivitamin.
Read a bit and then gym. Head back to prepare lunch and then ensure we all do our homework. Read everyone's school agenda to be sure the instructions and notes from teachers are complied with.
Go to Danju's basketball practice on Tuesday and games every week on different days.
Drop Sampi at youth program on Tuesday nights and the boys on Wednesday for the same thing.
Start working on dinner and clothes for school tomorrow. Finish and sleep off exhausted on the sofa while trying to catch some news on TV.
This is the diary of a loving daddy. The schedule changes during the weekends.

I almost forgot, Danju's basketball team is scheduled to play 8 games in two days back to back. I just could not believe that organizers of school tournaments would do that. Obviously the kids will be all 'banged up' and the eventual winners of the competition can hardly be said to be the best team. It could be the team with the least injured players or the fittest team but definitely this would not be a best way to pick a championship winner. Eight games in two days? Gimme a break.

Until we talk again tomorrow, good night.