#this js also after i just spent all day on two flights

[gadgetsrevv]

Nigeria’s Ejuke wants to make his mark at Ajax… by beating them

Nwankwo Kanu, Finidi George, Sunday Oliseh, and Tijani Babangida are four famous Nigerians who made their marks at Amsterdam ArenA, and Chidera Ejuke wants to do the same… but not for Ajax, for Heerenveen.

While the four Super Eagles legends played for the home side, with Kanu and Finidi helping them to UEFA Champions League titles, 21-year-old Ejuke has little by way of credentials.

He’s not got a senior Nigeria cap, and came to the Eredivisie from Norwegian top flight side Valerenga, but is looking forward to the challenge of facing the Netherlands’ most storied side on Saturday.


In light of the recent form Ajax have been in, the youngster is confident he can both live his dream and stay motivated enough to make them remember his name.

“I am always excited and motivated to play in every game but playing against Ajax, I get like an extra motivation and I want to play in games like that,” he tells ESPN.

“Hopefully it’s going to be a great game and we go up there, give our all and hopefully we’ll come back with all three points.”

Ejuke is not a name familiar to many Nigerians. That is no surprise. Just two years ago, he was one of thousands of struggling Nigerian players learning their trade at one of the myriad football academies in the country.

And then he spent less than half a season at Nigeria Professional Football League side Gombe United, before heading out to join Valerenga in Oslo.   


Fifteen goals and six assists in 70 appearances earned the winger a move to Heerenveen this season, one that even he was surprised to hear about. Such was his inexperience with European football that he had to Google the club.

He says: “When I heard they were interested in me I had to do some research about them and I saw a lot which I was really interested in. I was really excited to join the club knowing all the achievements they have had in the past.

“The transfer happened faster than I expected. One day my agent called me and told me they were interested in me. Then I spoke with the trainer and the director.

“We had like a good conversation and they told me the plans they have for me and after a couple of days I travelled to the Netherlands, signed and did everything necessary.”

If he was surprised by the move, the club were not. They had been watching him for while, according to the club’s technical director Gerry Hamstra.

‘We are proud that Chidera has chosen us,” he said. “We have been following him for some time and know his qualities.

“With Chidera we brought in a player for whom the people come to the stadium. With his speed, dribbling and scoring ability, he fits in perfectly with SC Heerenveen.”

And Ejuke did not disappoint, making an instant impact on the club. Coming on a substitute in his very first game, the Nigerian proceeded to score a brilliant individual goal and has been a starter since then.

“I didn’t expect to score in my first game, but it was a good feeling coming in as a sub to score on my debut. What a way for me and the team to start the season and winning 4-0,” Ejuke adds.

“That goal means a lot to me because normally when you come to a new team you have to wait for some time or a couple of games to see how the team plays and now that I’m given a chance to start I’m going to give back by working hard and giving my best every game.”

If ever there was a time to make all that hard work show, it is this weekend. That great opening day start has been followed by a slump in form.

Heerenveen have gone on to lose one and draw three of their next four games, dropping down to 10th on the table. All three draws came in home games.

The Nigerian has also failed to score since that opening strike. Now, they travel to Amsterdam to face second-placed Ajax in a game that they desperately need to win.

Ejuke obviously wants to use the game to break his goal drought: “I am always expecting to score and hopefully, I am going to get one against Ajax.”

This, against a club he has long admired from a distance when he was back in Nigeria: “It would be a dream come true for me to play against them really because I know about them and the Nigerian legends who played for them.

“It’s going to be exciting not just for me but for people around me. They all know how I have been wanting to get this opportunity and to play against them and score would be like really good thing for me.

“[But] hopefully the game is going to go our way in a positive way because that is the most important thing, whether I score or not.”

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[elleforlife]

#SoItsSunday: Life Lately & Other Happy Things

Hey loves! Happy Sundayyyy 💖

As many of you know, I absolutely love Sundays. Unlike other days of the week, there’s something so simple and wonderful about them. Sundays mark both an ending and a beginning -- literally and mindfully. You wake up on a Sunday morning with only one more day of the week ahead of you, yet you also fall asleep at night knowing that tomorrow is a new beginning. Not to mention that Sundays are a great excuse to utilize restaurant’s brunch deals and appreciate everything just a bit more ☺️

This week, while mostly chill without too many outings or extravagant events, has been filled with so many smiles and has re-instilled an inner calm that I hadn’t felt in a while. I feel like I do too many life updates with depressive and sentimental notes, so today, I decided to share one that focuses especially on happy things that did happen this week and even happier things I’m looking forward to next week (only a nights sleep away!!)

7 HAPPY THINGS THAT HAPPENED:

This week was my first as an official middle school graduate...so even though it’s summer vacation, I’m technically a high school freshman now! #classof21, where you at?

I finally started packing for my two month trip abroad in China!!

Went all-out on Thursday with an athleisure mini shopping spree. New Nike merch, anyone?

My laptop started working normally again ahhh

Started bullet-journaling (once again) and it's working quite productively -- minimalism really is better.

Spent a gorgeous, albeit humid, day at the park with one of my closest friends while also getting to know some mutual friends better!

Baked mini pizzas and made homemade noodles with my mom and lil sister. Turns out flour, although not permanent, is a pain if your wardrobe consists of mostly black!

7 HAPPY THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO:

Being a part of my town’s 4th of July Parade + festivities!

Fireworks -- need I say more?

Less humid weather after a week of high dewpoints and short tempers...FINALLY.

Traveling to China, somewhere I haven’t been to since I was 4 years old!

Going on a plane for the first time in 10 years (let’s ignore the fact that it’ll be16 hours of nonstop flight...)

Seeing my grandparents and relatives for the first time in 10 years (again, many firsts-in-a-decade next week!)

Taking plenty of pictures + beginning my first ever travel vlog!!

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[marketingadvisorvietnam]

A weighty love for a Vietnamese woman weighing just 20 kilos

Marketing Advisor đã viết bài trên http://www.ticvietnam.vn/a-weighty-love-for-a-vietnamese-woman-weighing-just-20-kilos/

A weighty love for a Vietnamese woman weighing just 20 kilos

No encounter with 31-year-old Nguyen Thi Van is uneventful.

Most people are awed and enchanted by her unbreakable, can-do spirit.

No one can testify to this better than 51-year-old Neil Bowden Laurence – an expert in telecoms, cyber security and cybernetics working for the Australian Government – who gave everything up so that he would not lose her.

Struck by the wide grins plastered on Van’s Facebook wall, he commented: “You have a very nice smile;” “You look so beautiful when you smile;” and so on.

Neill often carries his wife when they go out or simply go for a walk. Photo courtesy of Neil and Van.

Van was not above engaging in a bit of flirting.

Busy as she was, as the director of the Vigor of Life Center in Hanoi, which provides vocational education, training for people with disabilities, and owner of a graphic design company, she had time to spend on herself.

“I had seven boyfriends before I met Neil…so it was normal for me to playfully drop romantic hints at men,” Van said, tongue firmly within cheek.

It is not normal that a person paralyzed by spinal stenosis, which compresses the small spinal canal and shrinks the whole person, boasts of her amorous conquests.

But Van is not an ordinary person. She has never restrained herself from doing that a modern woman would do, whether it is dyeing her hair, going bar hopping and pursuing the men she liked.

One time, she posted a Facebook status: “Having tea alone, join me if you are free.” The post caught Neil’s attention, who responded: “Can I?” Van replied: “OK whenever you come to Vietnam, I’ll make tea for you.”

Much to her surprise, Neil booked a flight to Hanoi, asked for her address and made it to her place, to meet a woman who would never walk, needed a constant caretaker, and weighed a paltry 20 kilograms.

“Typically, visitors to Vietnam will go sightseeing and enjoy the food, but he was different. He always said: “I come to hang out with you”. I thought to myself this guy must be crazy because nobody would be like that,” Van told VnExpress with a big grin on her face.

In the three weeks that he spent on his first visit, Neil paid close attention to her and what went on around her. One day, he offered to help her stand up comb her hair.

“He offered to buy stuff for my room, but I did not allow that. He cleaned the kitchen spotless and fixed all the broken electrical appliances in the house. He showed everyone in the house how to clean it quick and neat. He knew that I did not like the paint in my room so he repainted all four walls,” Van said.

“For the first time, 12 years after my divorce, I felt a real vibration in front of a special girl like Van,” Neil recalled.

After three weeks in Vietnam, he returned to his hometown. But just three months later, he returned, indefinitely this time.

Neil spent most of his time tending to Van, engaging in numerous projects with her, and teaching English for free at her center.

After three months of living together, Neil said he wanted to take care of Van for the rest of her life. Van’s heart skipped a beat but she quickly returned to reality and gave Neil a critical analysis of her situation and life in Vietnam. She wanted him to think twice before committing himself.

“He said that after divorcing his ex-wife, he’d had his fair share of affairs with other women, but when he was with me, he felt happy. I saw the sincerity in him. It is not that there is something wrong with him, it’s just that what he values in life different from others,” Van said.

A shock and a life-changer

After spending time together, Neil thought he had captured the heart of the little woman, but was shocked at what she said.

“What will happen when I leave?” Neil asked Van. She answered: “I will still go to work, still have friends and still flirt with boys.”

Neil asked again: “Next time when I visit, will you still welcome me?”

“If my house can accommodate you or if my new boyfriend approves.”

The very next day, Neil submitted his resignation and sent Van a message: “Wait for me, I will quit my job to be with you.”

In early April 2018, Neil officially departed his hometown to start a life with Van in Hanoi. They registered their marriage two months later.

Explaining why he quit a good career to live in Vietnam, Neil said: “When I first met Van, I saw that her work changed the lives of many people around her, even the most unfortunate found it extremely meaningful. I was doing my job for 15 years and I couldn’t help as many people as she did. So I wanted to be her support. When she’s in good health and helping a lot of people, I feel that I’m also indirectly helping them.”

Neil likes his life in Vietnam and loves his wife’s grin. Photo courtesy of VnExpress/ Phan Duong.

After getting married, he bought a new house and Van bought new furniture. They rarely have conflicts but vigorously debate each other on various topics.

Van told VnExpress that she used to nag him about how he pushed her wheelchair at top speed and even carried her up the stairs without asking for help.

“I had to sit down and explain to him if he kept carrying me around like that, people around us will not feel the need to feel help people with disabilities. The more he does this, the less they would support the construction of pedestrian walkways for persons with disabilities. This will further distance the disabled from engaging in social life,” Van said.

Now Neil walks much slower with Van’s wheelchair and always asks people around for help in front of a staircase.

Since he began sharing a home with Van, Neil doesn’t get enough sleep. Every hour or so, he gets up to turn his wife over, since she cannot do so on her own.

While he was prepared to do anything for her and she appreciated his dedication, Van decided to hire a caretaker to ease his burden.

“I don’t want to become his burden. Besides I still have my agency,” Van said.

She’ll get what she wants

Director Le My Cuong, a filmmaker and Van’s close friend, told VnExpress: “She is a special disabled person, because she lives like a normal person. Van is confident, ambitious, a go-getter who, once she has her eyes on something, will achieve it, step by step.”

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[kansascityhappenings]

Troopers buy plane ticket to help stranded woman get to Florida after school shooting

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NEW YORK – Jordana Judson lives in New York. But when she heard about the Florida school shooting last week, it hit close to home.

Judson, 23, graduated from Florida State University, which had a school shooting a few years ago. She also is a 2012 graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 students and faculty were killed last Wednesday.

Her family friend Meadow Pollack was among them. After she heard the news, all Judson wanted to do was go home to South Florida and be with her family.

“Everyone (in the community) knows somebody involved somehow,” she said. Pollack, 18, was the sister of Judson’s brother’s best friend, and Pollack’s dad has been a father figure to Judson’s family. “Meadow’s dad helped raise my brother.”

Judson didn’t find out until last Thursday, the day after the shooting, that Pollack was killed. She immediately knew she had to get home in time for the funeral, and for a candlelight vigil Thursday night.

But she might never have made it if it wasn’t for two generous New York state troopers.

‘I just got out of the car and I started crying’

Judson, who works in public relations, began searching for flights online, hoping it would be a quick and affordable process. It wasn’t. Thinking that dealing with the issue in person would be easier, she drove to LaGuardia Airport.

She didn’t even pack a bag. But in the time it took her to get to the airport, the only remaining seat on the flight she was looking at had sold.

“I just got out of the car and I started crying because I realized this (flight) was the only thing separating me from New York and Florida,” she said.

On the way into the terminal Judson ran into the troopers — Robert Troy and Thomas Karasinski — who noticed she looked upset. They offered to help.

She explained her situation and that she was trying to buy a last-minute airline ticket to Florida. She wasn’t sure she or her family could afford it.

Judson went to the ticket counter and called her mother in tears, trying to find a way to make the flight work. And then Troy and Karasinski showed up again.

“I’m on the phone with my mom,” she said. “And I look up and they were handing over their credit cards.”

The one-way ticket cost more than $600. Judson told the officers they didn’t have to do it.

“It’s already done,” one of them said.

In a phone interview with CNN, Judson said she has volunteered for several community organizations in Parkland, worked with special needs children and taught dance classes for kids who could not afford a studio.

“I spent my whole life giving back,” she said.

So maybe good karma can explain what the troopers did for her.

‘A selfless act of humanity’

Her JetBlue flight landed about 4:30 p.m. in West Palm Beach. The vigil in Parkland started at 6.

Judson made it in time.

Asked Tuesday about his efforts on her behalf, Karasinski said that as a state trooper he’s never paid so much out of his own pocket to help someone.

There was no discussion between him and Troy beforehand, he said.

The two officers decided on the spot to split the cost of Judson’s flight and help her get home to her family. They just figured it was the right thing to do.

“I can guarantee that any other law enforcement agency would do the same thing if they were in my shoes,” Karasinski said.

Still, Judson said she was floored by their generosity and compassion.

“It was just a selfless, great act of humanity that they didn’t have to do,” she said.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports http://fox4kc.com/2018/02/21/troopers-buy-plane-ticket-to-help-stranded-woman-get-to-florida-after-school-shooting/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2018/02/21/troopers-buy-plane-ticket-to-help-stranded-woman-get-to-florida-after-school-shooting/