CHRISTIANITY OR ISLAM? WE HAVE A CHOICE

INTRODUCTION
I'm a  catholic by birth
Winners' member by education
And Daystarian by choice.
Hello,I'm Deola and today I'm going to talk about religion because I feel like. :D
Religion is a way of life I presume?Am I right?And then in today's world, the major religions practised are Christianity and Islam. I think I'm right on both counts?
Now I'm not here to say which one is better or which one rocks or which one doesn't. That is not the issue, it is so not the issue. Religion as we see it or as we perceive it is not what it seems. Just as money takes on the character of the one who possesses it, so does religion.

THE ROLE OF OUR PARENTS
In today's African society, most of the time when it's time for marriage, our parents go "Don't bring a Muslim home to me or don't bring a Christian home."And I can understand their wariness, we are scared of the things we are not accustomed to and most of the time, the end result is usually not positive for those involved as conflicts in belief system is bound to create real conflict in the home. So, it is therefore more practical to marry someone with the same belief system as the other is not for the faint-hearted.
Agreed, this does not apply to everyone though, as I know of Christian-Muslim marriages that are as strong as ever. Now I'm not even here to talk about marriage but the role our parents play in this whole Christian vs. Muslim debacle.
When we were born, we didn't have a chance to choose who our parents will be and because of that, most of us do not have a choice as to what religion we'd practice.
I was born a Christian and so I grew up learning Christian values and beliefs whether orthodox or pentecostal, they were all Christian values. I would expect that anybody born into a Muslim family would grow up learning Islamic values and beliefs.
And its common knowledge that whatever we learn growing up kinda sticks and it will take a complete paradigm shift to change it. The fact is we all believe that there is a supreme being although our ways of worship are very different.
So why then would you discriminate against someone just cause he/she is Muslim or why would you commit acts of violence against another individual cos he/she is Christian?We Have A Choice!!!
WE HAVE A CHOICE!
Although we do not have a choice as to what religion we'd practice in most cases, we do have a choice to decide what our actions will be.
As a Christian, I'm pretty sure the word of God does not encourage discrimination, pettiness or bias all in the name of Christianity. In actual fact, it is the direct opposite, it says "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. this is the first commandment.And the second like it is this:You shall love your neighbour as yourself.There is no other commandment greater than these."
Also, fine I am not a Muslim but I'm pretty sure that the Qu'ran does not encourage acts of wickedness as I have a couple of muslin friends that have the kindest hearts.
My Bible quote earlier doesn't say if your neighbour is Muslim,Hate him!It doesn't!So why cant we just follow basic principles?Or do you think because the person is Muslim, he/she would not make heaven?Is that what you think? Like I said earlier, just as money takes on the character of the one who possesses it, so does religion.
My heart weeps every time I see or hear about massacres carried out all in the name of religion but you know what? Crimes against humanity, suicide bombings, terrorism, hard-heartedness, unforgiving spirit, envy, slander, jealousy, lying, stealing e.t.c are all in the same category. There is no big sin and there is no small sin. Sin is sin and God wouldn't judge us according to the "weight" of our sins. We are going to be judged according to the state of our hearts. According to Rev. Sam Adeyemi, the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.
First within, and then without, it is your heart that controls your life. A good heart won't give you a bad attitude neither will a bad heart produce a good attitude. If you are reading this post, I'm gonna assume that you are an adult and that you know the difference between right and wrong. So, we have a choice!
1. We have a choice to either be good or bad.
2. We have a choice to decide whether we are going to love every step of the way or just when convenient.
3. We have a choice to render help whenever it is in our power to do so.
4. We have a choice to help others grow in love.
5. We have a choice to be sensitive to the feelings of others.
I CONCLUDE
I know I might not be making any sense to some people as we are all entitled to our opinions concerning certain issues but one thing is clear, we have a choice and nobody is going to make it for us.
P.S: If you are Muslim and you read this post and you are my friend, don't think I won't try to convert you oh,God is just so much fun and I love to share.
Yours Truly,

LOVE IS WICKED OR IS IT???

How does a girl wake up and start the day looking like this

then somehow she winds up looking like this

and as if that is not enough her final look at the end of the day is

Don't bother your head trying to guess what it is, it is simply because of man!Yes, Man!Please give it up for the descendants of Adam for having this super-power of just determining your mood all because you love 'em.
THE PARADOX BOY CYCLE
Once upon a time, for a relationship to last,Love was enough but these days if you still think like that, you're on a slippery slope. I mean guys can be the most insensitive beings on earth and we just keep loving 'em and we console ourselves by saying "this too shall pass".*yimu* pass ko, fail ni! I've had a rollercoaster ride when it comes to relationships but apparently God gave me excess optimism which helps a whole lot and sometimes just sets me up for crap!Allow me to give  you a brief history of my boy cycle.
It all started with this super uber cute boy who lived on my street named Babafunmi, my very 1st crush,I was crazy about the boy but then again crushes are stupid!I was 15 and he was 20 but I really didn't care but apparently he did(so he says), the boy knew I liked him and he was just using me to catch trips and that experience left me heartbroken.My very first heartbreak!!!Yay!!!Don't mind me, I live for drama.
Now onto my very 1st real boyfriend by name Dotun and we were in school together. The boy was caring but I think I just drove him crazy as in even I knew that I wasn't normal;it wasn't my fault but its just that its hard for we capricorns to show emotion. Finally, the boy got tired and he broke up with me :(. Then came along Debola, my long-time family friend whom I thought would be the bestest boyfriend ever but I thought wrong. He was sweet and sometimes he'd even cook for me but all he was interested in was putting his vuvuzela in my jabulani(he might tell this story differently but trust me this is the true one) and at that point in my life, my jabulani didn't want any visitors so we had a big problem and I don't know the cow that said this "body no be wood"(Mscheew) so he began to cheat on me(I don't blame him, he was at that age where that was all that mattered) but the mistake he made was letting me know he was cheating and as usual because I couldn't wrap my head around being anyone's No.2, I bailed! Now this next one enh, is the one who spoilt it all for me, its because of him that i hate Valentine's day.I,Adeola Oyeshomo who forms hard but is really a hopeless romantic met Tope on Valentine's day after 5 months of no boys, I fell like a ton of bricks,it was bad!As in,I was very pathetic and that was when this stupid Beyonce girl sang that yeye 'Halo' song.I actually recorded my own video for that song!*smh*I was madly in love with him like I would have done anything for that  guy but sadly this wasn't gonna last.Now that I think about it,I can imagine how irritated my friends must have been back then in school cos every word that came out of my mouth had to do with that boy *smh* for myself again.Anyways, lemme not talk too much,long and short of it,the bobo dumped my ass,and imagine the reason why?Wait for it.......He was busy!!!Like seriously???Busy!!!A whole me,now I might make it seem like it was funny then but menh it was far from funny,the dude did serious damage and I'm suffering for it today!There was a time when hiding my emotions was like child's play for me but i'm sad to say that all those walls i spent years building,one guy who didn't deserve me took 'em down and for the first time ever, I cried,Scratch that,I wept because of Man and this wasn't for one day more like 3 days and the only reason i stopped was because a bus conductor gave me advice cos he saw me crying in the bus!Imagine???Isn't it funny how everyone suddenly becomes Dr. Phil?And that is how I snapped out of it(or so I thought).Moving On>>>>
COULD THIS BE MY VERY OWN ADAM?

Ehn!Agirl can dream right?

There was this guy who I met right about the same time I started dating that goat,I liked him but I couldn't date him cos it was long distance(I hate long distance relationships or so I thought) and so we remained friends. After I got dumped,he was my oasis and I gradually started becoming sane again.Long and short of it,a year later we started dating.Now,I love this boy like I have never loved anybody in my life(I didn't even know I was capable of loving again) but sometimes enh,the boy can be such a pain in the ass.
Baby I know it might take you years before you see this but sometimes I just feel like whacking your head.You are so annoying!!!Ugh!!!!You make me so angry and exhausted with you.Like I could just kill you sometimes.*sighs* but sadly I can't!(will get back to this in a bit)
LOVE IS WICKED

Love is a very wicked sumtin!True!Using Brandy's words, have you ever loved somebody so much it makes you cry?There was a time in my life when I didn't give a shit about love,I mean its overrated but as the famous saying goes "It's better to have loved and lost than to never love at all".If we all loved each other,I think the world would be a better place but my dear brethren, today i am talking about that kind of love that makes your heart beat faster just cos you hear the sound of that special person's voice,the one that makes you want to spend every waking moment with him/her.Yep!that's the one I am talking about.
My dearest Adams reading this post,I know that there are plenty opuro girls out there,I know but please I beg you in the name of God,if a girl says she loves you and she shows it to you continually, please do not treat her like trash,please I am begging,not every body is strong enough to deal with matters of the heart.
My dearest Adams, please I know that God didn't create you guys as the sensitive ones but please I beg of you once again to be sensitive to the way your girl feels,these things do tell on us.
And all you Eves out there,Why must you take it for granted when your guy shows you so much love?Ehn?Even if somebody broke your heart,does that mean that you should start misbehaving?Ehn?At the end of the day,you'll be called a bitch,is it really worth it?
Anyways like I was saying,love is quite wicked!It entails much more than the stolen kisses or cuddles,you need a certain level of grace to love someone unconditionally,I know this because I'm not the easiest person to love.According to the bible,Love is patient,it is kind,it does not envy,it does not boast,it is not proud,it is not rude,it is not self-seeking,it is not easily-angered and it keeps no records of wrongs.Need I say more?
There are times when my boo makes me cry but he makes up for it in the various ways he makes me laugh.
There are times when he is so insensitive and I wonder why I even bother but in more ways than one,He shows me that he cares.
There are times when I just want to give up but God knows that its emotionally impossible for me...I might just go mad finally....yea that's how much I love him
He might decide tomorrow that he wants to leave me,yea love is wicked that way but you know what, cos of those happy moments i get to share with him,

Its all worth it!!!
Until next time,
toodles

IS IT ALL ABOUT BRAGGING RIGHTS PART 2

Happy New Year Friends!

It’s been too long since my last post but a girl’s got to take a break(Please disregard this, I like to believe that y’all missed me). Yea, Enough of that, back to business!

If I remember correctly, I dropped a couple of questions in my last post and now I’m going to attempt answering them.

Please Note: I welcome constructive criticism (emphasis on constructive) but I’d like you to remember that this is my blog and I’m not trying to make money so if you’re gonna take offense at whatever I write below, I suggest you create your own blog so people can hear you out. Trust me people will read it. Moving On!

Why are we fans so concerned about winning? Why are bragging rights so important to us? What exactly do we gain by watching football? Why do we get pumped up, excited and anxious when watching our favourite teams? I actually researched this issue, All 105 pages of it, it is a very serious matter but i won’t bore you with my research findings although they’d help with my answers.

WHY ARE WE FANS SO CONCERNED ABOUT WINNING?

Many of us when asked this question usually respond in this manner “Win or Lose (insert team name) till I die”, but when will I ever hear someone say “It’s good for my ego?” Let’s face it, people are not that honest. Non-football fans look at us and think we’re just crazy, I mean we aint getting paid for this shit, neither do they know us at the football club we wanna die for but you guys would be fine, we don’t need you to understand us! Most fans are concerned with winning ‘cos they’ve placed a huge bet on the outcome of the match, nobody wants to lose money you know. As crazy as I am about football, I’ve never placed a bet on the outcome of any match – I’d like to keep my sanity, thank you very much! Other fans do it just so they can brag about it and diss  fans of opposing teams. Why do I do it? I do it cos I attain a certain level of orgasm whenever my team wins and yep it’s good for my Ego. I mean I get to walk around with my head held up high, immunity to insults, well that’s until the next match.

WHY ARE BRAGGING RIGHTS SO IMPORTANT TO US?

Please I suggest that if you call yourself a football fan and you do not know the meaning of ‘bragging rights’ – why are you even a football fan? Please have a rethink will you?

“Omo, 19 league trophies and still counting, we are the best mehn< ----this might not be true at the moment but... They have the bragging rights!

“The Premiership is ours this season< -------this is because they are sitting on top of the table with their closest rivals two points behind but truth be told, they’re allowed....They have the bragging rights!

Match of The Day (Live Scores) 21^st January 2007

Arsenal 2 – 1 Manchester United< -------this didn’t happen cos Arsenal is the best club but.....They have the bragging rights!

According to the dictionary of Paradox, Bragging rights can be defined as the right to freely say anything against any team you’ve come out tops against in recent times. Please and please, this does not permit you to dredge up old ish, that Chelsea FC flogged another team 4 years ago does not mean they are capable of doing it this year oh (if you don’t believe me, go and check the EPL table).

Anyways, ehen, why are bragging rights so important to us? I really can’t say why but it’s important oh, very very. I wanna be able to tell ann Arsenal fan “Upon all the complete passes your team made, na we still carry the 3 points”

I mean it feels good when I say to a Chelsea fan “You people spend so much money, yet you never win Champions League”

Why are bragging rights so important to you? *pause* (insert answer here) but permit me to answer the question- It is good for the ego. I don’t know about you but for every win my team gets against other teams, there’s this ‘James Bond feeling’, I get this ‘I-am-untouchable’ feeling. I could go on and on about the 1000 different types of feelings i get but the truth is, it’s all about the ego. Now if you use your bragging right against others just so you can feel good about yourself all the time then I’d suggest therapy for you (I’m good at that too)! Basically, when we brag about our teams, you might not admit it but it boosts the way we feel about ourselves, we get this ‘I’m smart enough to have picked a team like this’. We bask in the reflected glory of our team, which in turn makes us feel good about ourselves. The fact that you watch every football match shown by Super sports or ESPN does not make you a footballer (I know this cos I suck at it). I remember having a big fight with my mum when she said she was gonna pay for the 4500 naira DSTV subscription, I told her All or Nothing. I mean it’s either she pays for the full bouquet or not, what’s DSTV without football --->IMO Absolute Rubbish. What do I gain? It’s not like the players even notice me sef but I will say this- wait for it – its all about the ego. I’m pweety sure that y’all are getting irritated by my one-nation answer to all the questions but its the truth. And why is that, you may ask. Apart from the fact that I learn more about football whenever I watch or the fact that some of them players are HOT!!! The point is, I wanna be able to discuss and analyze the match with my fellow fans, and as a girl in a man’s world, I try harder cause automatically according to most guys, girls don’t know shit about football. This might be true in most cases but in my case? Do not test me! Every time I open my pretty little mouth to talk about football amidst guys, I get immense attention, I love attention and so my ego goes up a notch cos what’s going on in my head is “These boys are actually listening to me, they want to hear what I have to say” and bless their soul if I make sense, the next thing is they want to know more about me. At this point, I already feel on top of the world, for you to be accepted by fellow football fans, you need to be able to talk in football terms, if you can’t; your chances of being accepted are very slim. Everybody wants to feel accepted and once you’ve been accepted by fellow football fans, you get this sense of belonging which in turn leads to an ego boost. You see!!!

I CONCLUDE

My dearest football fans, whenever we act crazy cos of our fave teams, people look at us and can’t understand why. I know I have given a single answer to all these questions but think about it properly. When you watch, you expect a good result, if you get it, you have been handed bragging rights, you might not use it but you have the power, you choose whether you want to or not.

Football fanaticism is definitely not all about bragging rights but it does play a major role in ego-boosting.

Until next time,

Yours truly, paradox.

IS IT ALL ABOUT BRAGGING RIGHTS?

Once Upon A Time
There was a lovely little girl who wanted more than anything to keep her father's love and the easiest way she thought she could get it was by pretending to love football. She pretended all right but then she started to love the game. Sixteen years later, she can't stop loving the game and hence the reason for this blog post.
Hi,
My Name Is Paradox
And I Love Football.
Granted I may be female but trust me I have the right amount of testosterone for this. I really wanna make sense, I really do but the fact remains that to an average person, being a football fan doesn't even make any sense.
For record purposes, I want to state clearly that I am  a Manchester United fan, sometimes I support Barcelona, I like to watch Arsenal play(even though the trophy cabinet is gathering more dust than trophies) and as far as Chelsea is concerned, I still think of 'em as intruders but not to worry they got nothing on me.
I support a very successful team and I'm sure for some people that is the sole reason why I love the team. I won't lie, I love the success, I mean who wouldn't? but it goes way beyond that. Sometimes I ask myself why i am so into that team and this question bothered me so much that my final year project was dedicated to finding out what motivates football fans and I must say I ended up with more questions than answers but i got really valuable information.
Moving on, why are we fans so concerned about winning?Why are bragging rights so important to us?What exactly do we gain by watching football?Why do we usually get pumped up, excited and anxious when watching our favorite teams?I know I have dropped a lot of questions but do not panic, for possible answers, watch this space for Part Two of this post.
Until then,Comments are welcome.
Yours Truly,
Paradox.

A WELCOME NOTE

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen!
My Name Is Paradox and yes if you don't know the meaning of that word, its a noun which just means a statement that contradicts itself.Yeah I know what's on your mind but not to worry I am not psycho,I just admit that I have certain personality traits that are not supposed to go together but somehow I find a balance (Yay Me!) Basically, you never can tell with me except i want you to, please note that.
Now, where do I begin?
I started this blog on a whim and now I think I'm experiencing major writer's block but I'll try at least to impress y'all a bit.
P.S. This will be my 1st and last blog trying to impress anyone, I do not write to please.
This would serve as an introduction of some sort, at least you get to know stuff you dont already know about me (<<<---that is a lie).
While I still am the sole author of this blog, i plan to give my double sided opinion on issues that "tickle my fancy"(I do not like that phrase But it seemed to fit so....)
I will write about football,
I will write about music,
hell I might even write about sex but whatever it is I write about, all you need to do is read it and post your comments. Please feel free to "gbagaun" me anytime you like, I won't take offense(Yea,I'm cool like that...lol).
I will try to be as objective as possible but then again screw objectivity,My Name Is Paradox!!!
Yours Truly