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 Literature › Opportunity For Africa Writers : A Chance To Study With Chimanmada Adiche by Psittacus(op): 10:38am On Apr 14, 2016 |
Every year, Farafina Trust organizes a literary workshop in Lagos. Aspiring writers are invited to a ten-day intensive writing retreat facilitated by Chimamanda Adichie. You get a chance to receive training and mentorship from Adichie. As you can imagine, it is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for those who are lucky enough to get in. Most people who have attended in the past return with glowing testimonials about their experience. Read Eloghosa Osunde’s piece on her experience here. See photos from the 2015 session here. Read Akwaeke Emezi’s piece on meeting Adichie here. See below for all the details on how to apply. Good luck! Deadline is May 20. Farafina Trust will be holding a creative writing workshop in Lagos, organized by award-winning writer and creative director of Farafina Trust, Chimamanda Adichie, from June 21 to July 1, 2016. The workshop is sponsored by Nigerian Breweries Plc. The Caine Prize-winning Kenyan writer, Binyavanga Wainaina, Aslak Sira Myhre and others will co-teach the workshop alongside Adichie. The workshop will take the form of a class. Participants will be assigned a wide range of reading exercises, as well as daily writing exercises. The aim of the workshop is to improve the craft of writers and to encourage published and unpublished writers by bringing different perspective to the art of storytelling. Participation is limited only to those who apply and are accepted. To apply, send an e-mail to udonandu2016@gmail.com. Your e-mail subject should read ‘Workshop Application’. The body of the e-mail should contain the following: 1.Your Name 2. Your Address 3. A few sentences about yourself 4. A writing sample of between 200 and 800 words. The sample must be either fiction or non-fiction. All material must be pasted or written in the body of the e-mail. Please DO NOT include any attachments in your e-mail. Applications with attachments will be automatically disqualified. Deadline for submission is May 20, 2016. Only those accepted to the workshop will be notified by June 10, 2016. Accommodation in Lagos will be provided for all accepted applicants who are able to attend for the ten-day duration of the workshop. A literary evening of readings, open to the public, will be held at the end of the workshop on July 1, 2016. Good luck! ********** Brittle Paper is not responsible for the organization or further promotion of this workshop, neither do we have a stake in its popularity. Address any inquiry to the email included in the post. - See more at: http://brittlepaper.com/2016/04/opportunity-african-writers-farafina/#sthash.DB4SX8Yv.dpuf |
| Celebrities › Re: Davido: "Why I Shot A Gun From My Home" by Psittacus(m): 7:08am On Mar 30, 2016 |
even this doesn't explain the dangling horse whip 13 Likes |
| Education › Re: 12 Things You Should Tell Yourself Regularly After Graduation by Psittacus(op): 11:37am On Mar 23, 2016 |
8. Nothing shapes the trajectory of your life more than your friends. I know you desire affirmation. But I beg you to use a filter other than popularity when determining your friends. Look at the motivations of others. Look at the heart of others. Do these individuals love God? There is more to life than popularity and notoriety. Eventually, your standards will raise or lower to the standards of your friends. Choose friends that make you better, challenge you, and raise your standards 1 Like |
| Education › Re: 12 Things You Should Tell Yourself Regularly After Graduation by Psittacus(op): 11:35am On Mar 23, 2016 |
7. Worth and identity are not found in the car you drive or the clothes you wear. Other than sex, few things drive your current culture more than money. Even though you don’t technically own anything, you still find worth in the type of car you drive, the house your parents live in, etc. Money is very, very powerful. It can (and will) overtake your life. Stop allowing the idea of wealth, a big house, and a big car to be the catalyst for your career choices. This is a terrible way to choose a career path. I won’t ruin the story for you, but God is going to wreck your desire to have a lucrative career with tons of benefits…for His glory, of course! 1 Like |
| Education › Re: 12 Things You Should Tell Yourself Regularly After Graduation by Psittacus(op): 11:12am On Mar 23, 2016 |
6. A life of selfishness produces a heart of anger and resentment. You use people to get what you want. You experience a lot of anger and resentment because you have unrealistic expectations of others. And this is one reason you struggle to find purpose and peace. The lie that says true life is found in something external. Over time, you will realize true life comes from within. It comes from God. It is the product of allowing God to be your heart’s desire. It comes not from expecting others to give their time and talents to you, but from you giving your time and talents to others. Maybe you could try some of that now. The current version of yourself would greatly appreciate it! 1 Like |
| Education › Re: 12 Things You Should Tell Yourself Regularly After Graduation by Psittacus(op): 11:04am On Mar 23, 2016 |
5. If you wear a costume to hide who you really are, you will always feel empty. You appear like a good child , but once you get in front of the “right” people, your personality changes. You can put on a mask. Most of your peers do. But always remember this. When you wear a costume, the person others love and accept isn’t actually you. It’s the costume. As long as you “play the part” your life will be plagued with emptiness. Because the love, acceptance, and affirmation others give you never make it to your heart. They are absorbed by the costume. 1 Like |
| Education › Re: 12 Things You Should Tell Yourself Regularly After Graduation by Psittacus(op): 10:58am On Mar 23, 2016 |
4. The decisions you make now shape the person you will become in the future. Perspective is a missing virtue in your life. And this clouds the reality that your future self and current decisions are intertwined. I need to tell you that some of the bad decisions you are making now continue to rear their ugly heads ten years later. Consider the trajectory of your life. Who are you becoming? What do you want from life? What is your purpose? Think about these things now. Stop living for the moment. Every decision is leading your somewhere. Make decisions that point your life towards God and towards greatness. 1 Like |
| Education › Re: 12 Things You Should Tell Yourself Regularly After Graduation by Psittacus(op): 10:54am On Mar 23, 2016 |
3. As long ng as you are controlled by insecurity, you are a slave to the opinions of others. I know you struggle with insecurity. You wish you were taller. You wish you were better looking. You wish you were faster. Etc. Etc. I want to challenge you to change your perspective. You look at the world through the lens of what you lack. Because you do this, you are blinded to the abundance of gifts God has given you. As long as you are controlled by insecurity, you are a slave to the opinions of others. And you will stop at nothing to please others. Don’t be that person. Rest in the man God created you to be. Until you do, comparison will drive you down dark roads. And the unique purpose God has for your life will go to waste. 1 Like |
| Education › Re: 12 Things You Should Tell Yourself Regularly After Graduation by Psittacus(op): 10:51am On Mar 23, 2016 |
2. You do not have it all settled and figured out. You think you have all the answers to life. No one can tell you anything you don’t already know. You throw out opinions that don’t line up with yours. This is dangerous. Listen to people older than you. Accept rebuke from people. Believe it or not, you are not always right. Surround yourself with people that are smarter and wiser than you…and learn from them. 1 Like |
| Education › Re: 12 Things You Should Tell Yourself Regularly After Graduation by Psittacus(op): 10:47am On Mar 23, 2016 |
1. Don’t worry about the things you can’t control. Career, future wife and family, school. Between all of these, almost every second of your life is filled with worry and stress. The unknown is hard. I get that. But believe me, God takes care of it. You should see your amazing wife and kids. I won’t show you a picture. Just know your wife is going to be amazing . Surprisingly, she loves you despite your faults. And she loves God more than she loves you. You should see your kids. No, I won’t tell you if they are boys or girls. But know they are amazing (and smart). They get it from their mom. You will never guess the career path God has chosen for you. Man, I want to tell you so bad. But I won’t. Just know it will make you laugh, and it will remind you God is ultimately in control of your life. As long as your life is filled with worry, you can’t enjoy it. Relax. 1 Like |
| Education › 12 Things You Should Tell Yourself Regularly After Graduation by Psittacus(op): 10:41am On Mar 23, 2016 |
Graduation. What a glorious season of life. Maybe the academics part is not so glorious, but who looks back on their years in school with fond memories of studying and homework? If you can’t tell, you thought you had it all figured out. you thought the world revolved around you. Then you graduated and surprisingly life moved on. Here are 12 things I wish I could tell myself regularly after graduating from secondary school |
| Family › Re: 8 Simple Rules To Dating My Daughter by Psittacus(op): 8:30am On Mar 19, 2016 |
Rule Eight: Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy near Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit your car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car - there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine. 5 Likes 1 Share |
| Family › Re: 8 Simple Rules To Dating My Daughter by Psittacus(op): 8:28am On Mar 19, 2016 |
Rule Seven: Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a pot/bellied, balding, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me. 5 Likes 2 Shares |
| Family › Re: 8 Simple Rules To Dating My Daughter by Psittacus(op): 8:20am On Mar 19, 2016 |
Rule Six: The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there are no parents, policemen, or nuns within eyesight. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka - zipped up to her throat. Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movies which features chain saws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks homes are better. 3 Likes |
| Family › Re: 8 Simple Rules To Dating My Daughter by Psittacus(op): 8:19am On Mar 19, 2016 |
Rule Five: I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry 2 Likes |
| Family › Re: 8 Simple Rules To Dating My Daughter by Psittacus(op): 8:19am On Mar 19, 2016 |
Rule Four: It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is “early.” 2 Likes |
| Family › Re: 8 Simple Rules To Dating My Daughter by Psittacus(op): 8:18am On Mar 19, 2016 |
Rule Three: I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don’t take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose a compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not come off at some time during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist. 5 Likes 1 Share |
| Family › Re: 8 Simple Rules To Dating My Daughter by Psittacus(op): 8:17am On Mar 19, 2016 |
Rule Two: You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter’s body, I will remove them 4 Likes |
| Family › 8 Simple Rules To Dating My Daughter by Psittacus(op): 8:12am On Mar 19, 2016 |
Rule One: If you pull into my driveway and honk you’d better be delivering a package, because you’re sure not picking anything up. 3 Likes |
| Business › Re: Football (+Other Sports) Betting Season 10 by Psittacus(m): 9:40pm On Mar 13, 2016 |
fabiano09:Pls come back and write. You shouldn't ignore the signs you kept seeing here. |
| Education › Re: I'm 22yrs Old I've Stayed 6yrs At Home, Help!! I'm Worried by Psittacus(m): 11:13pm On Mar 08, 2016 |
If you can afford it, National open university is a good option, if you are also interested in education, National Teachers Institute offers degree and diploma in Education at your convenience. And why do you care what people think about you, step out from among them bro, and be your own inspiration. our lives is not set on Thesame course, define your own path. you have your handwork get an education to compliment it. stop hiding o 3 Likes |
| Business › Re: Football (+Other Sports) Betting Season 10 by Psittacus(m): 10:10pm On Feb 27, 2016 |
fabiano09:do you know how long some of us have been silently waiting for you to write again. Welcome back bro. |
| Education › Re: 10 Science-backed Tricks To Improve Your Studying by Psittacus(op): 9:00am On Feb 27, 2016 |
10. Comfort zone? Change it up Of course it’s important to have a routine, and a big part of that routine should be where it is you decide to study. Research shows that if you study the same material every day, but change where you study, you’re more likely to remember it because your brain will be forced to form new associations with the information, strengthening the memory of it in the process. So don’t stick at your bedroom desk, or even restrict yourself to studying in the library for that matter. Discover new places on campus to study like empty seminar rooms, or head to a (quiet) local café or even a friend’s house to mix it up. Now you’re on your way to getting top marks at university, 3 Likes 1 Share
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| Education › Re: 10 Science-backed Tricks To Improve Your Studying by Psittacus(op): 8:55am On Feb 27, 2016 |
9. Exercise before you try tricky exercises Your brain, like the rest of your body, changes and develops as you grow, and can decline if it’s underused. Studies have proven that even just 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per day can improve cognitive function by 5-10% in adults. Not only is exercise also beneficial for attention span and information processing, but endorphins that are released during physical activity improve mood and sleep, and reduces stress and anxiety — win! The best part of all, is that the exercise you do doesn’t need to be exhausting, as many of the studies carried out were based on participants walking briskly. So whether you put on your running shoes, roll out your yoga mat or throw on your swimming costume, just half an hour of exercise a day is all you need to keep your brain in good shape. 1 Like
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| Education › Re: 10 Science-backed Tricks To Improve Your Studying by Psittacus(op): 8:51am On Feb 27, 2016 |
8. Study in your sleep (no, really!) Scientists at Northwestern University carried out an experiment to find out if playing sounds to sleeping participants would increase their memory of information learned listening to the same sounds while awake — and it turns out it really does work! If you want to follow this method, try associating sounds with revision cards during waking hours, and then playing those sounds back while you sleep to strengthen the memory. For almost 200 years, researchers have believed sleep plays a vital role in learning, and now it has been confirmed. Names, faces, numbers and locations are consolidated in memory during deep sleep — hurray! Other studies have also shown that by reviewing the most difficult topics just before sleeping the night before a big test makes them easier to recall on the day. But be warned, not getting enough sleep can lead to lower grades and impaired reasoning and memory for up to four days — yikes! 2 Likes 1 Share
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| Education › Re: 10 Science-backed Tricks To Improve Your Studying by Psittacus(op): 8:48am On Feb 27, 2016 |
7. Ditch the distractions It has long been noted that listening to classical music while studying can have a very positive effect on students’ outcomes, with research carried out in France showing a huge difference in test results between students who listened to classical music during a one-hour lecture and those who didn’t. But this doesn’t ring true for all types of music, which can in fact be quite distracting. Research by Nicole Dudukovic, who is psychology professor at Trinity College, Hartford in Connecticut, has shown that listening to music or texting friends while studying does not make you study better (despite the claims of many students). So while you can boost your grades by listening to classical music, listening to Kanye West while studying just won’t have the same effect. Avoid distractions by switching off mobile phones and social media notifications during your designated study period to improve concentration. 2 Likes 1 Share
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| Education › Re: 10 Science-backed Tricks To Improve Your Studying by Psittacus(op): 8:45am On Feb 27, 2016 |
6. Don’t let healthy habits slip It’s always tempting to binge on junk food around deadlines, so you can spend more time studying and not cooking. But in reality, this is only going to have a negative effect on your brainpower. Taking the time out to cook is both a great way to give yourself a break from the books, and also to ensure your body is getting the nutrients it needs at this stressful time. Top nutritionist Jo Lewin recommends opting for whole grains for a steady supply of energy, oily fish for healthy brain function, antioxidant blueberries and tomatoes for improving short term memory, and vitamins C and K in the form of blackcurrants and broccoli to increase mental agility and enhance cognitive function. And don’t forget to drink plenty of water to keep hydrated and help your brain work faster. Goodbye vending machines, hello straight A student! 2 Likes 1 Share
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| Education › Re: 10 Science-backed Tricks To Improve Your Studying by Psittacus(op): 8:41am On Feb 27, 2016 |
5. Break it down Scientifically speaking, cramming is never constructive. Instead, it is much better for you to break your workload down into bite-size chunks. Research has proven time and time again that studying for shorter periods of time with regular rest intervals improves both concentration and memory capacity. Your brain is much better at encoding information into the synapses in short, repeated sessions, rather than one large one. Think back to when you were younger and you learned to swim, ride a bike or play a musical instrument for the first time — you never perfected these skills in one day. So whether you’re memorising difficult maths equations or revising Spanish verb conjugations, remember to follow this technique! 2 Likes 1 Share
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| Education › Re: 10 Science-backed Tricks To Improve Your Studying by Psittacus(op): 8:37am On Feb 27, 2016 |
4. Get flashy Flashcards have been a fashionable study tool since a simple-yet-effective method was developed by German science journalist Sebastian Leitner in the 1970s. The Leitner system makes use of multiple flashcards organised into a box; if you manage to answer a card correctly, you file it into a section that will be revised less often, but if you give the wrong answer, the card is moved into a section to be revisited more frequently. This system is a highly effective way of prioritising your study topics in a logical manner and, better yet, means you can practise just about anywhere! 2 Likes 1 Share
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| Education › Re: 10 Science-backed Tricks To Improve Your Studying by Psittacus(op): 8:35am On Feb 27, 2016 |
3. Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3… Not only do practice tests increase your confidence before heading into the real exam, which in turn helps lead to better performance, they also improve your overall exam technique because you learn good pacing skills. By sitting down and taking a practice paper in exam conditions (that means no mobile phones, music or computers — just you, the questions, a pen and a clock to keep track of time), you’ll get a good idea of how the exam will be on the day and how you’ll divide your time. If a whole century of research proves that repeated testing works, the experts can’t be wrong. 2 Likes 1 Share
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| Education › Re: 10 Science-backed Tricks To Improve Your Studying by Psittacus(op): 8:32am On Feb 27, 2016 |
2. Get into the swing of things Pulling all-nighters may work for a very small handful of students, but unfortunately for the majority of people all-nighters generally equal lower grades. Research has proven that getting into a routine and setting yourself up to study at specific times of the day actually trains your brain to learn in those moments, making each and every revision session really count. Some students work best in the morning, others in the evening — there is no right and wrong here. So find the routine that suits you, then make a study timetable and stick to it over the exam period. Your grades will thank you for it! 2 Likes 1 Share
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