WHAT LOVE IS AND WHAT LOVE ISN'T

"The Way of Love

¹If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ²If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing.^3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end. "

 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

Have you been searching for the true meaning of love? Well what you see above is the true definition of love. 

The above extract is directly from the MESSAGE BIBLE with no modifications. 

It clearly points out what love is and what love isn't. 

To live is to love and to love is to live. 

Love is pure. Love is kind. Love is rich. Love doesn't cost a thing. Love unconditionally! Not the love of this world that is selfish,puffed up and expects something in return but the kind that is genuine and sincere. 

Today,  determine to show some more love to your family,  friends,  colleagues,  strangers and even your  enemies. Yes! The Bible says Love your enemies because by so doing,  you heap a coal of fire upon their heads. 

If you allow hate to grow in your heart because someone hurt you or disappointed you or caused you harm in anyway, that passion of hate will end up consuming you,  not the person that offended you. 

Know this today, when someone hurts you and you harbor hate for that person,  you bring yourself down to the level of that person but when you forgive, you are the bigger,  stronger and happier  person. One who forgives quickly is not a fool, infact, it takes a lot of courage and strength to forgive a friend who stabs you in the back or a lover who broke your heart or someone who betrayed your trust but if you can look beyond the pain,  very difficult I must say but possible, if you can, you will be happy and proud of yourself. 

When love hurts,  you can look up to God as your source of strength. He will help you refine your broken heart and renew the love that had been buried by pain. 

Don't sacrifice your happiness and inner peace because of someone else's shortcoming. You deserve to be happy. You deserve love. Everyone deserves a second chance at love. It's not easy at all especially when the hurt is buried in your heart and the pain runs deep in your soul but with the help of God,  you can overcome anything and come out stronger and better. 

Love just a little more today. Love your neighbors  as yourself. If your love has been the fake type, pray to God to teach you how to genuinely and sincerely love and he will definitely help you out. 

Have a blessed week ahead and remember, LIFE IS LOVE! you stop living the moment you stop loving. 

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NAIRA EXCHANGE RATE

Nigeria my beloveth country,
Oh the giant of Africa!
Why art thou fallen?
The alarming depreciation of the Naira currency is heartbreaking. The tremendous increase in the exchange rate is nothing to write home about, from 199 to 400 naira per USD in a matter of weeks is shocking.
What exactly is going on? What could be the reason for this sudden increase? Never in the history of Nigeria have we had it like this.
Now to buy common sachet water,  they will say dollar has gone high so it's #10. I recently went to the market and I wanted to purchase a product and the seller was claiming the product is now expensive because of the high dollar rate and am like but this is a Nigerian product. To my amazement, this guy told me that the content of the product is Nigerian made but the container is foreign... Whattttt!
The height was when a bikeman told me that his charges have increased because of dollar... Joker!
While things may still seem a bit normal for now,  it won't be for long if this increase should continue. There is already inflation of prices of goods due to the ridiculous exchange rate and before you know it,  there will be scarcity of goods and even money will be hard to come by. When all these happens,  it only boils down to one thing - Increased crime rates.
By the time youths and men cannot make ends meet,  they will take to the streets and do whatever it takes to put food on their table for themselves and the family. Before you know it,  it will become "survival of the fittest" and Nigeria will be thrown back into the perverted state of nature where life is "brutish,  nasty and short"
I want to believe our government will not let this unbecoming situation deteriorate to that stage by God's grace. Now the pertinent question is what is being done? Scratch that... What can be done?
It is common knowledge that we cannot solely rely on Petroleum as our major source of revenue anymore and as a result, the focus has shifted to agriculture and other sectors  to diversify our source of revenue,  but is this enough?
While the government is making conscious deliberate efforts to booost up economic development in Nigeria, I  still feel there is so much more they can do.
Aside exporting goods and local products, we can sell out our services also. There are so many bundles of extra ordinary talents sitting at home, searching for employment. Nigeria is filled with so many gifted minds that have a lot to offer if they are given proper orientation and training.
We talk about adulterated goods,  our famous "Abba made products"  but do you know it takes a lot of intelligence, skill amd hardwork to make a duplicate of a product that looks so much like the original? I mean some of these so called Abba made products, you can't even tell the difference between the original and the fake,  because those guys are that good. Also,  the quality of these Abba products are gradually improving. I won't deny the fact that I patronize them sometimes and I can tell you that I have some Abba shoes that have lasted longer than the so called UK made. Who can relate?
If these guys are encouraged, trained,  given the right facilities and infrastructure,  do you think they would not be able to make quality superior products? They would 100% but then again,  even if the government makes an attempt to rebrand these products by investing in them to make the products better and superior,  the 'foreign factor'  will still be there. The foreign factor simply means "if it is not made in Italy or UK or US, then I can't buy it" please my sister,  if you don't buy it, who will?
It's our Nigeria. You want change,  be the change you want to see. We cannot keep investing in the American economy or other foreign countries and expect Naira value to increase. Let's erase the "foreign factor"  mentality. Not all nigerian goods are substandard and inferior,  the few that are good, patronize them and by so doing,  you raise more funds for the manufacturers to improve on the quality of the products.
The government has the major role to play. The government should establish a n effective regulatory body to ensure that there is a set standard for the goods produced in Nigeria and that no one goes below that standard because no one wants to eat poison all in the name of patriotism. If the goods are standardized,  more people will buy.
Also,  most of the youths with innovative concepts and brilliant ideas are  in the U. S or U. K because they stand better chances there with the right facilities and the U. S government welcomes them with open hands because they know they will advance their economic development but what do the government do in Nigeria? They watch them go.
We cannot rely on goods and products alone while allowing intellectual property go to the drain. Our economy should be diversified.  The government should invest in this area of intellectual property,  encourage inventions and innovations, put adequate capital in place to bring brilliant ideas and concepts to life.
Until we take that bold step towards developing our own industry and economy, our economy will continue to be a slave to other economies. The government cannot do it alone. It is a team work, a concerted effort.
Let's begin to look around and help ourselves build the Nigeria we desire. It's our country. We are freaking Nigerians! We are smart,  brave and creative. Let's work together and do the best we can. The government should try out new technologies and techniques, invest in manpower development. lf there is no manpower development, we will keep experiencing economic growth but no economic development. They are two different things.
We are Nigerians! We are more talented than this present  ridiculous  value of the Naira currency.

WAIVER : I am not an economic expert so this is no expert opinion, just the thoughts of a concerned Nigerian citizen with Secondary school Economics knowledge, who is passionate about change in Nigeria. 

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FROM BREADSELLER TO BREADWINNER : THE JUMOKE STORY

The story of the young lady who went from being a breadseller to being a model in a matter of minutes is  definitely the talk of the town right now. The life changing story has got heads rolling and tongues waggling.
Olajumoke Orisaguna hit her jackpot as some would call it when she photobombed a celebrity, Tinietempah's shoot with Ty Bello, a famous photographer in Nigeria.
Ty Bello who claimed to have noticed some distunct features in her included Jumoke  in the shoot and ever since then  the ex breadseller 's life has transformed totally.
Now while some may say it's mere luck or "good head",  many have agreed that it is purely divine,  it's no coincidence.
The 27 year old mother of 2 kids went from a simple bread hawker to being the most popular girl in Nigeria right now. She was featured on the cover page of Thisday Magazine and that was just the beginning of her stardom.

Tv stations have featured the amazing story of this young lady,  including CNN! Various fashion blogs and websites across the world have also posted about the story,  including U.K and even India. Talk about worldwide recognition... 

Even the celebrity,  Tinietempah @tiniegramon IG made her his WCW(Woman crush Wednesday) last week. 

Jumoke is obviously sorted for life as she has been signed for various modelling contracts already. Just recently,  PayPorte,  an online shopping brand signed up Jumoke as its official campaign face for 2016.

This story is definitely a moral lesson to all of us. Keep doing what you know how to do best,  be in the right place at the right time because you never know when God will decide to elevate you and change your story for good. Don't give up when you are just at the point of your breakthrough. What would have happened to Jumoke if she had decided not to hawk bread that day and stayed home or if she had taken another route? 

Also,  Jumoke's story serves as a wake-up call for all Nigerians. Like Ty Bello said,  there are many Jumokes around you. You might not be able to land that pepper selling a modelling contract,  but render some help in your own little way. If she says her pepper is #1000, don't price it to #250.

Photo courtesy : Instagram @tybello. 

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DATING COLUMN : WHO SHOULD YOU MARRY, YOUR BOYFRIEND OR BESTFRIEND?

Who should you  marry,  your boyfriend or your best friend?
Hmmm this is a very sensational issue and should be answered with careful consideration.
It is a question that has raised a lot of controversy and arguments over the years.
If your boyfriend and best friend should propose to you,  who would you choose? Confusing isn't it?
So I went round and gathered some interesting  views on this stimulating subject  matter.

1st view :
Your Bestfriend
Your bestfriend understands you better,  knows when you are sad and happy. There is no pretence with your best friend.

2nd view :
Your Boyfriend.
You have never been romantically involved with your best friend .  Marriage is a whole new level. 10 years friendship cannot be compared with a 1 year dating relationship.

3rd view :
Your Boyfriend.
Marriage is extreme. Your best friend should not just come out of the blues and propose. Some people are better off as friends than lovers.

4th view :
Your Boyfriend.
Because there is a reason why one is called boyfriend and the other is a friend.

5th view :
Anybody the Lord ministers to you to pick.

Okay this next view is quite hilarious.

6th view : Test both of them in bed.

Do not think the guys are left out as I also gathered opinions from the men,  who should you marry,  your girlfriend or bestfriend?

1st view :
Your girlfriend should be your best friend. I may not allow my girlfriend to have a male bestie.

2nd view :
In my opinion, I think I would go with my girlfriend. Girlfriends are closer companions than best friends in terms of companionship.Both of them have fun, comfort and friendship so to say. But girlfriend spices it up by throwing some add-ons into the mix.

Enlightening right? But we are not still satisfied with the views. We want someone to throw more light, add a little twist and explain from a different angle entirely. What do you think?  Who should you marry? Drop your comments below,  let's gist!

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FASHION SEGMENT- MALE AND FEMALE

MAKE-UP AND BEAUTY TIPS

Hello ladies ! For our Wednesday fashion segment, I am going to be giving basic tips and make up tricks for my lovers of make up out there. The reason being that, I am a pro make up artist and I wish to share a bit of myself with you guys first since I am new to the blog. Firstly, I'll squeeze out some of my make up secrets  and of some really popular make up artists (can't tell you who they are 😉).
1. To get glitter liners ✨✨, instead of using glue or harsh adhesives, you can simply use eyeshadow primer as base for the loose glitters or get gel liners and use them all over your lid for those who can't handle loose glitter
2. For setting your face, if you can't afford to get the regularly ben-nye or Sasha buttercup powder, you can replace it with regular loose powder or baby powder. I personally use loose talcum powder some times 😌.  Be sure to always blend out.
3. When you run out of highlighter remember you can always turn to that gold or silver shade in your eyeshadow pallete you hardly use 😁... We all have one.
4. Also why some Muas are really fast when doing a job is because they don't waste time cream contouring. They speed things up using powder contour without having to do the concealer contour procedure and it gives the same result or even better because it's easier to blend powder. So that zaron or sleek contour kit is very useful on days when you want to slay but have less time!
5. Also in the contour business since that's what's all over the industry like crazy!.. Instead of using concealer to contour, you can also use foundations in different shades that are easy to blend. For example a 507 Marykay user can use a 500 to highlight and a 607 to contour.

 Adding to this topic remember to use a damp foam for this (beauty blender  precisely).
So that's for the secrets but not all for today. To close today's topic I will drop basic make up tips and tricks to always keep in mind.
1. Always wash, moisturize and prime your face before applying make up.
2. Know your shade of powder and foundations (which will be elaborated on in future posts )
3. Moisturize lips with lip cream or balm before applying lipsticks.
4. Finally and as we all know by now....NEVER sleep with your make up on. Remember to always take it off before bed.
So folks that's all for today, stay tuned to this blog for future posts that will educate on living a beautiful and fashionable life style. Adios!

MALE FASHION SEGMENT

I'm Ekiran Babafemi Samuel of Crawford university.
Just a brief talk about fashion.

Fashion is d manner or style in which something is done. It is all about you being creative..
I knew fashion because I always wanted to appear good and fascinating. Now I've taken it as a part and parcel of me.
Fashion is lovely when you can combine colours. Let's have this combination.
A BLACK SHIRT,
A BROWN WAIST COAT,
A BLUE BLAZER,
A SLIM TIE WITH red/wine, black, white/cream colors
A  GREEN TROUSERS,
if u will wear an ASH SOCKS a honey BROWN SHOE will go with a honey BROWN BELT,
If u will wear an ASH SHOE, u can use a socks that has at least two colors on the tie.

Try it and appreciate.

Comment and leave your feedback in the box below. Subscribe to this blog by following on Google +,  Ogundipe Jesunifemi. We also accept write-ups and articles  for publication. Mail us at officialpurplenigmers@gmail.com

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TUESDAY SPICE - BURIED TRUTHS COMING TO LIFE; #TSQUARED2016

You know the common saying “every day for the thief but one day for the owner”. Well I guess you could use that to describe what had just happened as the secretary of people’s democratic party (PDP) and former right hand man to Governor Ayo Fayose in person of Dr. Temitope aluko openly confessed a lot of atrocities committed by himself and various politicians in recent years some of which included:
1) The fact the former president Goodluck Jonathan had a meeting with Governor Ayo Fayose and gave Governor Ayo Fayose 37 million dollars from the national treasury which was used to defeat then governor Dr Kayode Fayemi during his governorship campaign. He said Jonathan initially gave Governor Ayo Fayose $2m in March 2014 for the primary election and that this money was collected at the NNPC towers Abuja. He also quoted “ I have details for all I am saying and I was present when they brought the money, the 35 million dollars which he delivered to Governor Ayo Fayose at Spotless Hotel. “ I can name eight people that were there. We were all there because he said he will want us to take delivery so that there will be transparency and accountability”

2)  He also stated the names of other politicians involved in other money scandals during the electioneering process in Ekiti state including Senator Musiliu Obanikoro and also Dr Ifeanyi Ubah ( two previous PDP gubernatorial candidates). Although Dr Ifeanyi Ubah immediately called channels television station all the way from Ghana while the program was on air to deny any accusations brought against.
Things got more interesting as a media representative to Governor Fayose came on air to dis-approve any allegation against the Ekiti state governor and this lead to a heated argument between both parties which I’m sure could have resulted into a fight if not for the intervention of the channels television anchor.
Well what can I say… to be very honest if I were to judge the case of Dr Temitope Aluko I’ll say every testimony he put forward implicating himself and a lot of people stand a good chance of being the truth.
Leaving the sitting room that evening a thought came to my mind and I started wondering if every Nigerian was given an average of one million naira by the government, well aware that some Nigerians would still waste the money it cannot still be compared to the ridiculous amount some of our politicians embezzle for themselves and their family. It’s a sad reality of the country we live in and we can only hope for a better future and take personal actions towards making sure the future is brighter.

#TSQUARED2016
On a brighter note, we can't help but talk about the glamorous wedding of the on air presenter,  Toolz.

The much anticipated traditional wedding between popular (On-air presenter) OAP Tolu Toolz Oniru and Captain Tunde Demuren which eventually took place on the 30th of January 2016 is definitely the talk of the town right now. The event which took place at prestigious Landmarks Event Centre, Victoria Island Lagos was graced by various Nigerian celebrities including the Cool DJ Jimmy Jatt, Tiwa Savage, Olamide, Obi Asika, Wizkid and so many others.
Popular American (Nigerian born) rapper Wale was also present at the event. Wale was spotted with Wizkid and when approached confirmed that he arrived in Lagos the previous day for a couple of projects and has since been hanging out with his friend Wizkid.
In attendance at the wedding were two paramount rulers in Yorubaland, Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin of Oyo, the royal highnesses showed up to honor Toolz  who is from the Oniru royal family in Lagos.
Tolulope ‘Toolz’ Oniru is current an on-air personality at in one of Nigeria’s top urban radio stations- the Beat 99.9FM. She is an award winning on-air personality and currently hosts her own radio show ‘The Midday Show with toolz’, she is also Deputy Program Director for The Beat 99.9FM. Before trying her hand at radio presenting on the Beat 99.9FM, Toolz gained extensive experience within the British entertainment industry, having worked at MTV Networks Europe for several years before moving on to the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group before she moved to lagos in mid-2008 and eventually auditioned to be a radio presenter at the Beat 99.9FM after a friend mentioned the new radio station to her before she moved to lagos.
Toolz began hosting her own radio show in April 2009 and her blend of natural humour, love of most things showbiz, passion for music and strong African entertainment knowledge makes her show one of the most sought after –by listeners and celebrities alike. She is extremely passionate about Nigerian/African music, and in 2012 she approached the organizers of Nigeria’s biggest music awards ceremony – The Headies (formally known as the Hip Hop World Awards) and successfully introduced a new category called the ‘Rookie Of The Year’ which gives recognition to talented upcoming Nigerian musicians. She has won numerous awards has also anchored and served as a judge in various shows and was listed on YNaija’s 10 most powerful people in media list.
Captain Tunde Demuren on the other hand is a pilot or aero contractor and his father was the former boss of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Dr Harold Segun Demuren. Captain Tunde Demuren is also a graduate of the prestigious Concordia University Montreal which happens to also be the alma-mater of the former prime minister of Dominican Republic in person of Rosie Douglas. He is also an accountant and has two other degrees.
Populer Nigerian artist Bankole Williams aka Banky W is also a best friend to Captain Tunde Demuren and in an exclusive interview with Toolz she revealed that Tunde didn’t ask her out on a date when they first met and that Banky W was responsible for the match making.
As you can guess the traditional wedding at landmark event center in victoria inland was as classy as ever with the exquisite aso-ebi, the marvellous music not to mention the food amongst so many others. One of the major highlights of the events was a performance by Mavin dynasty queen- Tiwa Savage and YBNL solider- Olamide for the couple. The trending wedding has been tagged #Tsquared2016 and would no doubt be a contender for the wedding of the year at the end of 2016.
We’ll what can we say, Yoruba boys may be so many things but they sure do know how to throw a party.

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ENTERTAINMENT NEWS - LATEST ON THE KARDASHIANS, KANYE, CREED...

Entertainment surrounds us.
In several forms such as music, movies, gossip and basically all pop culture in every aspect.
This segment is dedicated in giving you juicy scoops of gossip, celeb sightings sha gist of all sorts weekly so you'd definitely know what's popping in entertainment industry. So stay tuned.

THE KARDASHIAN LOVE TRIANGLE

To the main gist of the day, how do we really keep up with the Kardashians? I mean they're the rich Armenian-American family totally taking over the world by storm but what's a popular family without a bit a drama. Lol scratch that loads of drama, tbh it's actually fun to watch their drama yunno.
So let's talk about the Kardashian love triangle, it's complex so I hope you guys can keep up.

There's Kim Kardashian currently married to Kanye West who used to date Amber Rose who is allegedly seeing Scott Disick who used to date Kourtney Kardashian who is allegedly with Justin Bieber who was allegedly with Kendall Jenner. How can I forget King Kylie who is dating the rapper Tyga who used to date Blacc Chyna who is currently dating Rob Kardashian. What's really messed up is the fact that amber Rose used to be friends with Kim but now she's besties with Blacc Chyna so now the whole family is connected in one big ass love triangle.

And of course, there's their Momma Bear Kris Jenner who has some boy toy named Corey Gamble. No shade but this family definitely likes the darker berries (if you know what I mean).
Their lives are currently available on social media so try to keep up but if you can't we’ve got you covered.

SAYING GOODBYE TO SNAPE

Apparently, some if not most of us grew up watching and reading about the Harry Potter, the wizard boy with the lightning scar on his forehead and at the same time we all grew up hating Severus Snape, the mean potions master who used to bully young Harry.

Snape reminded me of all those mean teachers that were hard to please but at the same those teachers weren't being mean for nothing, they actually pushed us harshly to strive to be better in everything we do. It was their own way of teaching is and making us learn.  And that is what I saw in Snape character as portrayed by Alan Rickman.

Sadly, Alan Rickman passed away about a week ago. He had been battling cancer for a while now but even till end he was very brave.

May his soul rest in peace.

Alan Rickman aka Severus Snape will always have a space in our hearts.

P. S if you've never read any Harry Potter book, you should!

CREED

So I watched this movie a couple of days ago and trust me I was really impressed.

I've watched a lot of 2015 movies especially terrible ones (I won't mention any for now) but Creed is clearly one of the best movies in 2015. It has an impressive imdb rating of 8/10.
It's the story of Apollo Creed’s son, his struggle to succeed as a boxer just like his father amongst other things. Yh it's a movie about boxing but trust me it's more than. It's a story about bravery, persistence, courage and success.

Micheal B. Jordan played the role of Adonis Creed, he clearly embodied his role with a flawless performance. Like he legit gave be a pro boxer vibes. I used to think he was a basic actor but after this movie my impression about him changed.
Fun fact: For the ladies, there's a lot of scenes of him working out yunno and trust me he's a sight for sore eyes.
And how can I forget the legend himself, Sylvester Stallone who plays Rocky Belboa. As always he acted flawlessly.

So if you haven't watched the movie, go and watch it. I promise you won't regret it.

WAVES

So y'all might think talking about the sea but I'm not. I'm talking about Kanye West aka Yeezus and Waves is his upcoming album which would be out Feburary 11th this year. Already Yeezy has dubbed his album as "the best album of all time" but he's firgotten that we the fans are the judge of that.

I know Kanye is a bit of an egomaniac in several ways but we all can't deny the fact that he has produced some really good music like Stronger, Power, Heartless, Black Skinhead, See you in my nightmares, Mercy, All of the lights among several others. So I can't wait to see what's on his new album. Be it good or bad, I'll let you guys know.

Got any comment about Kanye? Drop it below,let's talk.

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MONDAY JUICE

Good morning purplenigmers. Happy new month. Yes it's a brand new month and it's just the second month in 2016 so if you have not started working on your new year goals, it's not too late, just see January as a trial month and start afresh this February. 

Well like you might have noticed,  we like kicking off our Monday with a pump of positive vibes to sustain us through the challenges of the week.

These days,  many people have forgotten or rather,  ignored certain courtesies that may not be necessary but are actually important. We take a lot of things for granted these days and it shouldn't be. Here are some gestures you should show this week to stay positve. Enjoy! 

Have a splendid week ahead. Don't forget to share,  subscribe to posts by email and follow us on Google +. You could also send your suggestions or articles for publication to officialpurplenigmers@gmail.com. 

References : www.facebook.com

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