If money cannot buy happiness and happiness does not come from just one thing, then where does happiness come from? First of all, happiness is not something you find outside of yourself. You cannot go look for happiness and find it somewhere. Nor can you simply just “decide” to be happy regardless of your circumstances. Happiness is more than just a mental state of mind that you can maintain by controlling your focus (although there are some who do believe that). Even though it is true that your thoughts can affect your level of happiness, they are not the only thing that can affect it. True happiness does not come from just one thing, not even just your thoughts. I believe that happiness is a positive state of well-being with many contributing factors. It is something that you grow inside of you.

What are the contributing factors? Amazingly, many of them we do not recognize immediately because our brains are programmed to focus on what will protect us from pain, discomfort, danger and other threats to our survival. We can easily overlook the “grass and flowers” in the field of life because we are too busy checking each area for landmines. We often do not realize how much something means to us until it is gone. Simarly, it is very common for us to be unaware of how much something contributes to our happiness unless it is missing. We often do not realize that the love and support we received from our parents as children including the happy memories, the fun, the birthdays, and everything else that was positive also contributed to our foundational emotional experiences that we are still building on today. But just talk to someone who did not have these things. They have a lot less on which to build in that area, and they usually recognize it. (more…)

  Posted By tyna     Aug 29, 2008       1 comment  

They never said that it will be easy,it have not been easy for me to post on this blog not because of lack of what to write but due to the Internet connection here.I have stayed up at odd hours just to keep in touch but then the Internet connection just goes off and on,very frustrating. During the day the kids will not give me a chance to be able to do anything, the most annoying thing is not been able to watch anything meaningful on television. The guesthouse with all the money that they are collecting from TOTAL can not pay their monthly cable subscription instead they depend on the free channels. This had made me to start watching Nigerian movies on African Magic channel,I noticed that most of the story lines have complicated issues well that is gist for another time. We have been looking for a house,you will think that the company will provide housing for us instead they will pay housing allowance according to your grade as opposed to the number of your family that we are used to elsewhere. My husband can’t take a new post in another department that was offered him that comes with better incentives because according to his boss the AKPO Project can not start up without him,if he is that important to them how come we are in this hotel? how come we have to pay about $300,000 to rent a house for one year and we must pay for 2 years upfront plus agency and lawyer’s fees? This is how the area look like it is called Victoria Garden City or VGC for short.

 The good news is that we have gotten a house,my husband went with the agent on Wednesday to see about six houses by Thursday i went with them to make a choice and by Friday it was settled. My husband is entitled to a status car but he doesn’t like the car being offered him so he needs to add about $50,000 to to get a car of his choice. My first son Chinedu took his grade 7 entrance exams today,he passed,school begins on the 7th of September and he is going to board. Kachi,Joel and Shawn have been feeling caged because of lack space to run around,did i mention that there is no cartoon channel in this Hotel? They are getting some fun now that i have bought a small DVD player to player their Barney tapes. Their school is in the same VGC .As for me i am still trying to establish a business here and it is coming up gradually,I am keeping busy with the thought of how to decorate my new home which happens to have an ocean view.I will post the photos when we move in, so far so good.

  Posted By tyna     Aug 23, 2008       1 comment  

While going through the horror of waiting for a flight at the Newark Airport,the one i wrote about in my post travel nightmare;we met this strange woman with whom i had a strange conversation.I took notice of the woman because of her large backside,i used to think that i was well endowed in that department until i met this woman to worsen her case she is flat chested. Enough about her physical attributes that is not the purpose of this post,she started talking with us in the process of the discussion i mentioned that i was tired of moving from one country to another because of my husband’s job. She replied that she loves moving with her husband,assuming that her husband works in an organization that enables them to move about i then asked her where her husband works,she told me that actually her husband exports goods from Canada.I wondering if she has to moving with the exported goods in the cargo or what? She started this topic about how she have to travel every week for work that she leaves on mondays to return on thursdays;i asked her again what do you do for a living? She then told us that she is an IT consultant,well that was when i knew that she is strange come to think of it any person that can use a computer can claim to be an IT consultant besides she was excited to inform us about a new social network that she just discovered, guess which one? Facebook in july 2008 and she is an IT consultant? She started telling us about how much she hates staying in a hotel and that she always go with her own towel and bed sheet that is very strange indeed.In the hotel that she usually marks the hotel bed sheet to make sure that they were changed,or she will sleep on the couch.As per towel she rather use her dirty clothes to dry her body after having a bath than use the towel provided by the hotel.At this point my husband stood up and left us he couldn’t bear it any longer. She is indeed a strange character,one of many that i have come to meet in my life time.As we got to Toronto airport one of the custom ladies asked us if we have Canadian visa,well i said yes while wondering how we could have gotten there without a visa, very strange question indeed.

  Posted By tyna     Aug 15, 2008       3 comments  

My friends Tom and Kim Sawyer are going to become a first time parents today,I can relate to the anxiety that have been building up in their home recently. Tom started a new blog Proud2parent just to let us know what they have been doing in preparation for their baby’s arrival. Both parents agreed to name their baby K,that is strange but according to Tom it was his mother’s wish that every girl child born in their family should have a name starting with the letter K. The name just reminds me of kellogs special K cereal,well she is their kid and they have every right to call her whatever name they fancy.It was like yesterday when i was expecting my first child,i can remember the whole thoughts going through my mind then.I wondered if i will be a good mother,will i be able to wake up in the middle of the night to take care of my my child? Will i mistakenly suffocate my kid if i sleep on the same bed with my new born? How will i change his diaper since i haven’t done it before? Will my child be normal? will his hearing and other things be functioning well? How will i bathe a tender child without hurting him?

Tom and Kim there is nothing to worry about being a parent comes naturally before you know it you are the best parents for your kid.Taking care of a baby girl is far easier than taking care of a baby boy that’s my opinion. Good luck to both parents. 

  Posted By tyna     Aug 14, 2008       1 comment  

Pretty soon it’s gonna be National Smile Week, and what better way to get those grins cracking than with some humorous and funny quotes? Get ready for your checks to hurt the whole week through. Here are twenty-five funny quotes to get you started.

1. “If it’s sent by ship then it’s a cargo, if it’s sent by road then it’s a shipment.” ~ Dave Allen

2. “The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.” ~ Albert Einstein

3. “Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere.” ~ Mae West

4. “I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.” ~ Fred Allen

5. “The four building blocks of the universe are fire, water, gravel and vinyl.” ~ Dave Barry

6. “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.” ~ Josh Billings

7. “Things ain’t what they used to be and probably never was.” ~Will Rogers

8. “Marriage is the only war where you sleep with the enemy.” ~ Gary Busey

9. “I love Mickey Mouse more than any woman I have ever known.” ~ Walt Disney

10. “Hippies, hippies… they want to save the world but all they do is smoke pot and play frisbee!” ~ Eric Cartman

11. “If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments.” ~ Flip Wilson

12. “If you would like to know the value of money, go and try to borrow some.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

13. “I’m Jewish. I don’t work out. If God had wanted us to bend over, He would have put diamonds on the floor.” ~ Joan Rivers

14. “A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.” ~ Emo Philips

15. “There’s no half-singing in the shower, you’re either a rock star or an opera diva.” ~ Josh Groban (more…)

  Posted By tyna     Aug 11, 2008       4 comments