Hey Timi,
I did not actually go anywhere for my vacation. I just stayed in New York. Hung out with friends, went to the movies, ate out and watched TV like it was going out of style. I decided to stay in New York because I am planning to go to Nigeria soon and I also plan on going to the UK next year so I decided to keep the travel to a minimum for now.

By the way I laughed so hard when I read your remark about looking at your bank statement. Hey I know that feeling. I feel like many times I pay one bill and rest for 5 minutes and then its another bill on its way. Sheesh...why did we grow up :)

I looked on your website and I think its absolutely wonderful. Its getting better with each issue!!! I know you said this issue took alot more work but rest assured that the extra work shows. The interviews were great, the wedding fair was really nice to see and I love the jewelery.

I mean to read more Oscar Wilde as so far I have only read The Portrait of Dorian Gray. I really liked it as Dorian is so bad, he's good. He is truly a man who lives solely for his own pleasure, a dedicated hedonist.

Goodluck on your exams. I am praying for you.

Sorry to hear about the flooding in your parent's house. That is indeed a bummer. I hope that your dad was able to salvage some of the damaged stuff, especially the furniture. That is one of the things that Nigeria has to work on, better drainage. No matter how heavy the rain, people's house should not flood unless we are dealing with a hurricane or Tsunami(God forbid).

Goodluck with the house hunting, that can be stressful.

I am hoping to be in Nigeria for Christmas. The plane ticket prices are kinda crazy.I have looked online a number of times and I am beginning to get discouraged by the ridiculous pricing, I mean its not like I am putting down the down payment for a house. Pray for me oh!!!

Okay I am off. Talk to you soon.
Trish.

posted by TrishNYC at 4:55 pm (EST) on Sep 10, 2008

Timi,
First I gotta apologize cause I somehow forgot to answer your message. I remember reading your message awhile back and laughing about your comments on comparing people to characters in Mrs. Dalloway and then I somehow I must have forgotten to reply. I could have sworn that I did reply but I guess I never did. Again sorry about that.

So what's new with you? How is life, family, friends and work? How has your reading been going? Read anything fascinating of late.

I am well. I am kinda overwhelmed by the number of books that have taken over my house. I have so much to read and so little time. I am back to work after a month off on vacation so I think that my reading will pick up as well. Riding the train to and from work does wonders for my reading.

Alrighty, I am off to go find a bargain on tickets to Nigeria...wish me luck. Talk to you soon.

Trish

posted by TrishNYC at 9:42 am (EST) on Sep 1, 2008

Thanks and thanks!

posted by bjza at 7:54 pm (EST) on Aug 24, 2008

Yeah you are right the heat in Nigeria can get really bad. When I was last in Nigeria, I was literally cooking. I think coming when I did, did not help at all. It was Winter in New York and coming smack dab when it was hot in Nigeria had me sweating(or was that glistening?) did not help.

Still have not gotten a chance to check out the website. Will check it out this weekend but I can't wait to see what you've been up to.

In all honesty I do not know anything about Columbia's MBA program. My brother just graduated with his MBA so he may be better able to help you out. He did not attend Columbia so I do not know if he will have info on that school in particular. However,he may be able to give you some info on an American MBA in general.

Sounds like you are reading some swell stuff. I read Mrs Dalloway when I was in college and I really liked it.

Talk to you soon.

posted by TrishNYC at 8:06 pm (EST) on Jun 12, 2008

Hey Timi,
How now? You are right, its been awhile. How were the exams you were studying for? I am well and all is very well. Work has been a tad busy but not in a bad way. Its Summer and the New York weather has been none too kind of late. Its so hot!!!! I keep trying to explain to everyone who asks me why I hate Summer so much(and they are always amazed to hear that I spent my formative years in Nigeria, ergo I should be used to the heat) but the heat in Nigeria moves, as in there are scores of trees and so the air is not stagnant.
Anyway aside from the crazy weather, all is swell. I need to go check out your website again cause I really liked it the last time I was there. Any Summer plans? What are you reading of late?
Take care.
Trish

posted by TrishNYC at 1:04 am (EST) on Jun 12, 2008

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to respond. I've got a new job that's keeping me hopping and going to court and meetings, etc. My mother in law is doing pretty well, we have to wait and see. My husband is back home (Yay!). So things are crazy but good. Sounds like the same with you.

The website looks amazing and so do you in the photos. Good for you! Let me know how it's going.

posted by citygirl at 2:01 pm (EST) on May 23, 2008

A very happy belated new year and V-day to you, Timi! ... And happy Spring! Hope you've been able to do some good reading in the last few months!

posted by nadadeh8 at 4:14 pm (EST) on Apr 29, 2008

Hi Timi, I'm not sure how I came across your page. I spend some time every time I get on to log in more books just checking out people's pages after reading their comments, etc. I was impressed with your accomplishments at such a young age. I am in the writers-readers group, also. Don't you love this site? I went to your web-page. It's very well-done, looks good, and I'll be back to check it out more thoroughly with my daughters. Thery are 26,20, and 14, all soon to be...their birthdays are in June and August. Nice to make your aquaintace, hope to see you around, Mary Beth

posted by mmignano11 at 5:12 pm (EST) on Apr 28, 2008

Wow Timi,
Thanks so much for sharing. I am so IMPRESSED!!! Good job. I loved everything about it. The graphics were beautiful, the layout was just fantastic and I loved the subjects that you covered. Very, very nice. Well done oh. I can't wait to see how this grows.

Nne, goodluck with you exams. I know how excruciatingly annoying NEPA can be. Sometimes its like they just know when you have something important to do and then they take the light. Anyway, I am sure you will still do swell, light or not.

Remain blessed
Trish.

posted by TrishNYC at 7:30 pm (EST) on Mar 8, 2008

Hello,

I recently joined the All Books Africa Group. As a publisher who has just released a novel about the Angolan Civil War, I thought it might be worth bringing to your attention. Ondjaki's Good morning Comrades has just been released (indeed, i'm not sure amazon has changed it status yet). Ondjaki is a Lusophone writer of international reputation, and our edition of Good morning Comrades introduces him to an English speaking audience for the first time. It will not be the last: Aflame Books in the UK is set to release his fable The Whistler, and I know New Directions is also looking at publishing something by him soon. We expect he will become one of the most celebrated African novelists of his generation.

Anyway, if you would like further information on Comrades, you can chcekc out our website at www.biblioasis.com. It is also available online on amazon and elsewhere, and available through any good bookstore.

Thansk for your time, and I do hope that this was not too intrusive. (We're a small literary press based in Canada, and we're just trying to do whatever we can to let potential readers know about the book.

Best wishes,

Dan Wells

posted by biblioasis at 10:02 pm (EST) on Feb 29, 2008

Hey Timi,
Thanks for your reply. Tell you sister that Jane Austen is the bestest!!! Infact I was just watching Emma last night. The Pride and Prejudice miniseries used to be my favorite movie of all time until I saw the BBC miniseries of North and South and fell in love with John Thornton. I still love Pride and Prejudice and the book is still my favorite book but it is now a solid second behind North and South. I hope you sister sees the Austen adaptations out there as they are for the most part delightful. I know many have complained and moaned about the newest Pride and Prejudice version but I personally loved it. It will never replace the '95 version in my estimation but it was a very good movie with breathtakingly beautiful scenery. I also loved that we see a different side of Mr. Darcy. Anyway why am I rattling on about Austen, you sister is the one reading her not you. I guess you can pass on my comments.

Yeah, I love "The passport of Mallam Ilia". I think its such a great book. Its short but so profound. The beauty of the story has stayed with me even though I read it over ten years ago. Anyways talk to you soon.

posted by TrishNYC at 12:36 pm (EST) on Feb 25, 2008

Hey Timi,
I just happened on your library and for some reason when I saw your name, I thought "Could she be Nigerian?" cause I grew up around girls called Timi. Anyway lo and behold, I clicked on your profile and it turns out you are. Its really nice to see a Nigerian in Nigeria on such a forum as librarything.com. I used to live in Nigeria(Port-Harcourt) and I went to AFSS PH. I moved to New York after high school and I have been here ever since. Anyway hope you will add me as a friend. I would love to talk more to you about books, Nigeria and loads of other things. Remain blessed.
Patricia

posted by TrishNYC at 7:04 pm (EST) on Feb 22, 2008

Glad to know you're still kicking and are getting ready for the holidays. Always wonderful to have family around. I'm in Winnipeg in Canada right now with my MIL and SIL and Husband, of course. Unfortunately, my MIL is battling cancer right now, but we're all keeping our spirits up. Expecting a blizzard tonight. :-O Good luck avoiding dental surgery. I've been avoiding mine for two years now. I also think I want to start a blog, if I can figure out how.
Merry Christmas!

posted by citygirl at 11:35 am (EST) on Dec 21, 2007

Hey, haven't heard from you in awhile. How ya doing? Hope all is well.

posted by citygirl at 2:08 pm (EST) on Dec 9, 2007

Happy Birthday! If I could figure out how to put an image of a cake here--> I would, so imagine a cake there. (Don't imagine me singing, I have a terrible singing voice.) What a great present to discover you hadn't lost all of your data! And no, the wildfires are nowhere near me. They are in southern California and California is a looooong state. But thanks for asking. Things here are much as they were. Hopefully soon I will have something new and exciting to report. Enjoy 25! I sure did. :-)

posted by citygirl at 5:12 pm (EST) on Oct 26, 2007

Sorry about your laptop. That happened to me once. And would you believe I still have yet to procure an external hard drive? Now I save my writing on memory stick at least. I hope you didn't lose too much. :)

posted by citygirl at 7:33 pm (EST) on Oct 19, 2007

Hello, good to hear from you. It's sounds like you got a lot of pots brewing. Good. I'm sure you will find a way to make your novel into something completely original. Maybe you can add a new dimension that the other writer has not covered.

To answer your questions: the interview went well, I haven't heard yet but that's okay. I also have more than one iron in the fire and everything will work out as it should. My husband is doing well, we're just tootling along trying to make our dreams come true. An enlightened man? This means that he doesn't have a sexist bone in his body and does not expect me to conform to some traditional notion of a "good wife." He understands and supports my ambitions and my creative life. He celebrates my success and is not threatened by it. He doesn't care who makes more money (although I think it should be him - easier for me to quit my job someday) or whose career is more prominent or expect my dreams to take a back seat to his. If you've ever read A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf, she explains far better than I how difficult it can be for women to carve space in their lives for their art. Husbands and children expect to come first 100% of the time. Male writers generally do not have this problem, but it's very easy for women to come by. So I had to marry an enlightened man. Nothing else would work.
I suppose the next question is where to find such a man? I don't know. The best advice I can give is to expect one to arrive and maybe he will.

Writing: I am backtracking on my novel and doing detailed character analyses as recommended by Elizabeth George in Write Away. She says until you really know the character inside and out you can't really know what the character is going to do. I'm sure other writers approach this differently with success, but her advice makes sense to me, so I'm trying it.

Good luck on your dot.com and bookselling and whatever else you cook up. And thanks for keeping me posted. Whatever you do, enjoy it. Talk to you soon.

posted by citygirl at 4:00 pm (EST) on Oct 10, 2007

Hi Timi!

First, I am flattered that you believe I have anything to teach you or to hint you about.

In fact I have not.

I personally just got lucky. I wrote a short story and put it on my blog. A publisher surfed in, actually doing research for something else, and found it and liked it. And that was it.

When it comes to writing, I think talent can take you that far, hard work can take you that far and the rest, the icing on the cake, are "the tricks of the trade". A book that helps you get started (or at least helped me...) was Stephen King's "On Writing".

My single advice would be - read. Not only to find out what works and what doesn't (and why), but let that become a by product when you read for sheer entertainment. Read different genres. Find out what makes different kind of stories tick, and why some stand out in their genre. What is different? What is good? What is unbarably bad?

Don't just read the bestsellers, but try to read broadly. In any genre. And don't decide on your own genre too early.

Well - that's all I can say, really. For a very generous writer that hands out advice freely (she is also very funny and cool), check out Lynn Viehl. She is to be found at http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com

And good luck! Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

posted by mackan at 1:41 pm (EST) on Oct 10, 2007

No, I wish I had read everything. I have a friend who reads over a hundred books a year. I bought a lot of books based on his recommendations. Maybe one day I will get through all of them. One can hope.

You can check his librarything account. It is markmobley.

posted by catsorkids at 8:50 pm (EST) on Sep 8, 2007

Hi, Timi. It sounds like a lot excitement/drama around your family home and you've found some unlikely allies. It's great when support comes from unexpected quarters. I'm over here on the other side of the world trying to juggle everything, putting a line or two together when I can. Let me know how the full-time writer's life is going for you. Talk to you soon.

posted by citygirl at 8:12 pm (EST) on Aug 24, 2007

my number is posted because i hope to attract a girl who loves reading.

n:i am impressed u love books.

posted by worldbookworm at 3:28 pm (EST) on Aug 21, 2007

Hi, Timi. Have you tried looking for used copies of the SOTP series on half.com or amazon.com? You could probably find used copies of all four books for a really good price.

posted by nadadeh8 at 4:55 pm (EST) on Aug 20, 2007

Not as well as I would like, but I am learning and I know that it is what I am supposed to do. We are trying to focus on evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, and service, but it is a big change for an American church who is used to being told how much God will bless them no matter what. We have more success in our missions outreaches to Africa and Central America, also to the homeless shelters and drug and alcohol rehab centers.

posted by markmobley at 10:14 am (EST) on Aug 10, 2007

Thank you. Yes, the books have been helping, especially SILENT SORROW ... though I just realized (thanks to Library Thing) that I read the old version of it, not the new one.

Am eagerly waiting other books, containing personal essays by women who have miscarried, from amazon.com

posted by nadadeh8 at 4:10 pm (EST) on Aug 9, 2007

Glad you liked the SOTP movie. I have to admit that it's one of my favorite movies of all time. I can't see the hospital scene of Tibby and Bailey without crying.

I think the movie did the characters of Carmen, Bridget, and Tibby justice, but not Lena. Lena and her story are so much more complex in the book than they are in the movie. The movie completely changes and "waters down" her story, to make it more palatable to adolescent audiences (and their parents).

If, like me, you didn't think much of Lena after the movie, do try to read the book; I think you'll appreciate her much more afterwards.

I hope they'll make movies of the other three books as well ... at least the second or third book. (Still have to read the fourth).

posted by nadadeh8 at 4:07 pm (EST) on Aug 9, 2007

You are right, we are a Pentecostal church. We have a real emphasis on soul-winning, though.

posted by markmobley at 3:08 pm (EST) on Aug 8, 2007

My library is the result of a lifetime of collecting, losing, replacing, having books permanently borrowed, etc. I guess they kind of reflect the journey that I have been on over the past 25 years. Since I never throw a book away, I have quite a variety.

Interestingly enough, I have a couple from Lagos in my church in Georgia (US). They are currently in London, but are really great people.

posted by markmobley at 8:30 am (EST) on Aug 6, 2007

Thanks! I was trying to think of something clever for my picture.

posted by catsorkids at 12:15 pm (EST) on Aug 2, 2007

It's not rude at all xD I really like Anthro...but I have no idea what I'd do with a degree in it xD And who knows...I just finished my first year, I might change my mind (I hope not though, that gets things complicated)

posted by Hollerama at 2:52 pm (EST) on Jun 15, 2007

I haven't declared yet, but I'll probably major in Anthropology and East Asian Languages & Literature ^_^

posted by Hollerama at 2:34 pm (EST) on May 20, 2007