By afric.iWRITE | 3:57 AM
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YSSS Contest 2011


Are you a young and talented writer? Do you think you have what it takes to make money from creative writing?

If so then write your way to greatness in the 2011 Young Stars Short Stories Contest and get a chance to be among five (5) winners that will be transformed into published and paid authors instantly.
It’s a chance you can’t miss out on

HOW TO ENTER
Write a creative and inspiring short story and submit to ys_shortstories@yahoo.com. Stories should be sent in the following order in the body of the email.

Name

Age

Address

Phone number

Class

School name and address

Title of story
(your story)

NOTE! NO ATTACHMENTS ALLOWED. Attaching your story can lead to disqualification.
Stories must be original and never published and not more than 2000 words.
This year’s entry is open to students in SS1 and SS2 classes only
Entry closes on or before 24th July 2011
Remember… you cant win a game if you don’t play, so start sending entries now! 

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By afric.iWRITE | 10:34 AM
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Real YouthSpeak 2011


On these days and these venues:
Enugu (University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus) , 8th August 2011
Abuja (University of Abuja) , 10th August 2011
Lagos (University of Lagos) , 12th August 2011
BLUES & HILLS Consultancy, in conjunction with BigScreen Media Ventures Limited present RealYouthSpeak! Conference 2011, tagged "Own Your Future."
This initiative sees the speakers from different countries touring various campuses within Nigeria. They would be giving talks at these campuses which we have called "Camps", "Town Hall Meetings," and "Main Conference," on the basis of this initiative.
"Camps" participants will be chosen from early entries. Only 20 people will be chosen for this. Everyone in the "Camp" gets a chance to hear and be heard. It is designed in such a way that everyone is involved actively.
"Town Hall Meetings" participants will be chosen randomly from personal statements. Here, we would have a bio-data of everyone present, and so we would engage them on their own fields of interest; we would draw out their affinities by engaging them actively.
"Main Conference" participants include everyone who has registered for the conference. There will be Q & A sessions, lunchtime, entertainment, networking and panels.
As we are in an age where peer pressure plays a major role in shaping the lives of young people, we have developed a theme: Own Your Future. Through this theme, we will explore an eclectic mix of topics to help young people in making strong decisions in their lives.
To apply, simply fill out the application form and submit.
Registration
We will offer both our standard Conference Participation at N2, 000, and a special VIP Donor Membership at N5,000. If you can afford it, we do invite you to consider registering at the Donor level. In addition to the extra privileges such as early-access seating that guarantees a great spot for every session, you'll be invited to an exclusive onsite event and get a different-colored badge that recognizes your contribution. As a Donor, a larger portion of your fees are treated as a donation, and you'll therefore be making a spectacular contribution to spreading knowledge, insight and inspiration around the world. You'll find registration links below for the conference and donor memberships.
Speakers
From all over the world, we are gathering young people and they will be addressed by great achievers and innovators under 30 years of age. These speakers are people who have achieved a lot in their chosen careers. They come from different backgrounds: physical science, fashion, literature, social science, journalism, entrepreneurship, music and art.
While we are basking in the euphoria of being addressed by young people, this conference has been designed in a way that older people, who have walked through the lanes of hardship, hardwork � and most importantly, success, will share their experiences with us too.
Your application must be complete by the following deadline: July 27th to help the Organising Team prepare applicants� tags and materials.
Payment should be made to:
BIGSCREEN MEDIA VENTURES LIMITED FCMB, 
0242930018

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By afric.iWRITE | 9:16 AM
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A Dude's Bad Day

I visited a funny wedding website and found a few photographs. They convinced me on how women value getting married. It doesn't matter who. They must make sure you show up. It seems to be the most memorable time of every woman's life on earth.


Come to think of it (Guys). Your rude girlfriend forces the four words out of your mouth, and to please her, you go ahead and ask her "Will you marry me?. What do you expect? She's def gonna say YES, and then the wedding planning triggers. Your only hope is for God to send down thunder from above, to scatter the plans. When it doesn't happen, you may decide to voice out or play a few pranks, like cheating on her (as if she cares). My dude below must have done all that to no avail. He has now taken laws into his hands. See how he does it.


He nails the front tyre. Arrrrhhhh! But his resilient fiance shows him she's a trained mechanic. She's fixing the tyre. BOY!








But she's not so good, you know. There's no fuel in the tank! YARK! Now, she must get to the closest station to get a gallon to wed the idiot. He must be wedded today gor! Don't play with a rude Gurl...






After fixing the ***king tyre, filling the tank and driving to the registry, the dude is voicing out. He doesn't wanna be hooked. "Lai lai..." the rude gurl yells. "No be money matter oh! Me, I go provide am! You no go just use me finish come dump me!"




Food for thought: The next time you go fronting "I will marry you", better don't match a rude gurl! ***wink***


(photos sourced from http://www.zuzafun.com/)


I can't wait for weekend anymore. Started mine just now.

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By afric.iWRITE | 7:12 AM
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This and That Cartel

Recently, I have been blogging about jobs, its beauty, its wackiness and its satisfaction. Like anyone who is fund of reading my blog posts, you would always find me telling a story or two out of everything that happens in that place called OFFICE. My last post (on jobs) was about busters and lickers. I pray you read it, and you have been following up too. This revolution of mine started on Monday, 13th June, 2011, when I woke up and felt like staying at home. Maybe I was still feeling the June 12 rebellious fever. I felt like foraging my library, looking for a blank sheet, and I felt like penning down words, as little as I imagined them.

Hello Boss,
Good morning. I don’t have the strength to write more than a line, but I’ll try my best. I wish to inform you that I am resigning from this day. Thanks, and I won’t lie, I never loved it working with your firm.

Regards,
D’Ink

But thank Jesus I never did such a silly thing. Hunger for kill me well well. I was only lazy that morning, like everyone else.

Today, I wish to bring to your notice what happens in most firms (both publicly and secretly). It is called Cartel. Who ever found this word and sent it to the dictionary was certain he had produced a word that would finally destroy the whole world. Hhhmmm...Cartel! It simply means an interest group, lobby, alliance, association, union and league. It means everything that brotherhood depicts. It is by its authority that world leaders are made, and they embezzle all our federal revenues. Obama only needed a cartel to create the characters and myth guiding the death of Osama. I believe Obama oh, before you derail me from my track. And what was George Bush doing looking for a nuclear weapon? No one told him, anyway, that there must be a cartel before a weapon is built. Destroy the cartel, and you’ll mute the sound of bullets.

I want to talk about cartels in offices. And it exists, from top to bottom.

I am yet to meet this guy I’m about to tell you his story. I only saw him in my imaginations, and i named him Franklin. Franklin gets a new job. It has been more than four years, after his graduation, after NYSC, and after losing hope. He has just been employed in one of those new generation banks, and is booked to resume almost immediately. His mother, Abigail, loves fashion. She smirks at Franklin’s fashion behaviour and colour confusion. He ignores the different shades of colour and wears just anything, maybe because he doesn’t have many colours to wear. Abigail, a middle aged woman, goes shopping for her son. She plans to buy him a banker’s grey Italian one-piece suit, leather shoes and some English ties. Shirts are not excluded in her list.

“I need just the best for him,” she tells the lady at the boutique. “He must make a grand entrance.” Franklin smiles shyly at how his mother demonstrates every word she utters.

It is the first morning of Franklin’s first day in the office. Abigail forces him to walk before her, gracefully rehearsing every bit of the swaggering step she tutored him. Franklin catwalks before Abigail, many times, before he finally gets her approval. He knows it’s what boys that are only children face under their mothers. Then, Abigail serves him a three course breakfast before he kisses her on her cheeks and leaves for work in a hired taxi.

At work, everything is different, Franklin thinks. He observes every single person that walks pass him. He knows those who work with the bank. He has seen them many times, with their well made and designed jackets, and glossy shoes. Well seated behind the teller counter, he takes a brief glance at his well polished leather shoes. Franklin is not sure of what to be happy of, his new job or his new shoes. It takes the whole of his first day, counting a few notes and wiping off dust from the face of his shoes.

“You must be a big dude,” the branch manager tells him. They’re in the convenience together. Franklin, to be frank, thinks he has been trailed. “Why do you prefer the teller?”

“Not that I do Sire,” he responds in the same tone Abigail had thought him, exposing his newly bought baritone. “It’s always good for a young man of my status, not considering his family financial status and buoyancy, to start from the scratch. I decided to join the teller because I really need to learn a lot.”

“Oh yes, you really need to.”

Work is over, the first day, and Franklin is offered a ride home. He declines, saying someone was coming over the drive him home. The branch manager is disappointed, but lingers in his steps.

“Oh no, don’t worry Sire,” Franklin says to him. “He’ll be here in a jiffy.”
In a jiffy, before the branch manager, Franklin spots a grey Audi 800 parked at the lot. It’s his private cab, he is sure his manager hears him.

“Nine o’clock, I’ll call you,” the branch manager says. “There’s a party up-town. I’ll want you to meet the people that matter.”

“Okay!” Franklin shouts before rushing to catch the cab. The skyscrapers of Victoria Island that nearly touch the clouds outline the streets, like streetlights, as they drive home.




(to be continued...)

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