This is Me, Victor. There's a lot to write if I write about myself. Be ready for a lengthy essay. This is about a unique person. Well, in the actual sense, everyone is supposed to be unique. I am the 3rd child and 3rd son of my family, and you can decode what position I lie, since we are 5. My juniors are sisters (2). I was 20 on the first day of the -ber months. It was a lovely day for me, with a lil party for about 20 friends. 365 days before now, I couldn't have thought of that many friends. I am much more conversational now, and it has helped a lot. My new friends have been responsible for that too.

I started school at Calabar Preparatory Nursery/Primary School, from the name, you know it is in Calabar, but my secondary education was at Federal Government College, Ikom, another town in Cross River State. I finished there in 2002. I am now at the University of Calabar

I am not really a fun-seeking person, just cool. These days, I don't even enjoy online chatting, as I used to. I love football, basketball and lawn tennis. But it's never more than that - just love to watch, not play. There could be many reasons for that. I didn't play football well when I was a kid, so it meant less interest in trying to show skills. There is a general craze for soccer down here, or perhaps everywhere in the world and you easily get caught with the flu. I used to play recorder in my junior years in secondary school as part of my music course. After a long time, I tried to set my hands on it and the only thing I could play was the Nigerian national anthem. I sang for a band in secondary school. It was an acappella group (Ambassadors of Grace) in school church, and in the first year waxed a hurried album I didn't get a copy anyway. I boarded throughout my secondary education.

Wow, I guess I've exhausted all I have to say. I am thinking what next now (just a second pls). Ok! I have many different ideas on almost every subject under the sun. Imagine I can't remember any now. No, there are many, just that I can't write much on this page. There are in my Jotter. Yeah, everyone is entitled to his belief, and I am a Christian (Pentecostal). God is such a difficult topic to debate about, most things easily get hidden in "mystery" - from the beginning of creation, even before then, to death to when the world ends. Anyway, I think God always knows what's best for us, and he provides that in His word, the Bible. So let's say to be a Christian is to do what's good for you. It helps you NOT to do things you normally know will harm you and yet you can't stop doing them. Christianity is more than self-control, better choices and even more. Consider that you are fraudulent, you won't be trusted, and your boss can't promote nor entrust money in your care. Get drunk, or get a girl pregnant. Common sense tells me God's laws are much more better. It seems everyone knows this and too few are ready to follow it. Human nature.

Well, I have lots of friends (mainly my classmates now). There's actually a closest. But to talk about the rest, it's difficult to define friendship. From the list of those who I invited and those who attended my last birthday, I have a clue. Anne, Bassey Archibong, Rasine, Emmanuel are amongst the closest.

I have a lot of pleasant memories, especially from secondary school, since I was boarding. Well when I was about 9 or 10, the children of my compound organised what we called "Gala Night," during the 1995 Christmas . I'll always remember that day, it was an all-children affair, we asked for little funds from our parents and invited them for the show. It was very very creative. It's one of the advantages of living in a neighbourhood.
I remember my first day in secondary school, 1st November 1996. My dad took me there and the buildings looked like upstairs and I was admiring the environment. Actually there is no upstairs. They were actually tall buildings, due to the nature of the ground (muddy) and its hilly topography (near Ekabonkong Hill).
In my final year in secondary school, I remember when my Labour Master(also my House Master) met me and told me that there was a shake-up in ranks and I was to take over as the Assistant Labour Prefect. I was at the back of the assembly, as I watched the Principal announce during the Last Assembly for that term. I guess it was just a reward for being a good boy and an intellect. I also sang duet for my house during the carol night. That day, there was a lil row over which boys should sing and I was to be dropped from the choir. I was a bit angry because the boys that were actually picked didn't show much interest during our practices, and I wanted to leave everything. The actual stuff was that there were limited costumes and they needed bass, while I sang tenor. I was getting ready to sing for my acappella group before the "big" girls begged and set things right (sure, you don't give a deaf ear to ladies). I still didn't sing for the choir that night but at least I was pleased at last with the duet. We sang almost the best duet, and the lady(Baje Ayuk) I sang with had a pleasant voice, she sang the alto while I sang the treble. Though I am sure we would have had a better song had we practised and listening to the cassette song (Shout to the Loud by Darlene Zchesh).

I remember doing many quizzes and perhaps a few debates for my house. I wasn't good in debates though. In my final junior class (JSS3), we had done debates until we got to the finals. But the timing was wrong, we had finished our junior certificate exams, so it was useless waiting in school because of one debate. My partners ran home, I was bored to the bone and joined them definitely. There was always the stage fright before then, so it was good for me not to faint on stage on another trial. I think they chose other people and they won for us. Well, we usually topped in most occassions, especially in my senior years. Though it was quizzes I started doing and not debate again. Better people emerged from the moon to do the debates (notably Imeiba "Robo"and did it superbly. But it's still my house that won. So, I won.

I sang for my acappella group, Ambassadors of Grace for over 2 years and ended up as leader of the group in my final year. We did a recording in my first year of singing, though I never got the tape, I at least listened to it to hear my soothing voice from the background. I did one exhibition for Young Farmers' Club (an agricultural club) in my school and that year, I also collected a prize for the best student overall in my final junior secondary certificate examination. I was always top in Maths and Further Maths and that reflected in my final results. I had distinction (A1) and credit (C4) respectively, and perhaps the one in two persons that even passed Further Maths.

I wanted to write a paragraph, here I am writing an article.

Just a minute, there are lot other things I haven't written here - best meal, film, book, stuffs like that. I am now wishing I had them. I don't have good taste buds these days, part of the boarding house experience - anything u see to eat, just eat. It's the stomach issue. So if I say Fufu (cassava flour) and Afang Soup (the original Efik delicacy) is my best meal - I will be saying what is an everyday meal. Most times I just eat without remembering the name of the meal. My best film - I guess Ever After, a Cinderrela story. Key actor was Drew Barrymore. It's the type you never get tired of watching and always discovering something new every other time. My best book? I'm not an ardent reader of novels, but newspapers, books. It's always been easy to pick a book and read, but not a novel, because I hardly read any book from the beginning to the end. In recent novels I've read, I guess I like Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. I'll check the author now on the net. It's about lawyers and law. I think what I like about the book is the suspense and logical reasoning. But I am always thinking if books can't be written without romance. The last ten novelss I've read have a good element of romance, when actually it isn't the main topic of the book. My best TV show - "Who wants to be a millionarie?". Best TV soap - Super Story. Best Musician - let's see. The secular musicians - I like Westlife's sing-with-us voice, Mariah Carey's high pitch voice. I think her clean songs are very good too. And Michael Jackson's heroism and uniqueness. This guy sings from inspiration, you just feel him. I can't forget to say the christian music I enjoy. Acapella music seems to be best. I can hardly think of another music that I enjoy more. At least I sang Acapella for some years, so it's just been with me. Styl-Plus seems the best Nigerian band; the only "hard" song I seem to like is Black Eyed Peas' "Where is the Love"? I seem not to like any other of their music. Music seems to be something that if you enjoy it today, you might not enjoy it tomorrow. The mode you are, and which one you listen to more often is very necessary. And of course if you know the lyrics, it heightens your enjoyment and curiousity.

What's next? I guess I should say I am not at all fanatical when it comes to Best this, Best that. That's done.

So, I am saying bye here. If there is anything you want to know, you can ask in my guestbook. I'll be open to answer all. You can go ahead and read about the guys and gals in my home. They are really characters. Enjoy!

The Rest in Da House - - >