Northern Girl gets mugged...

...by a boy on a bicycle.

So on Sunday afternoon around 3pm, I got robbed by this boy on a bicycle. It felt so unreal… one second I am waiting for a bus and occupying myself by reading something on my phone while listening to a podcast, and the next second somebody just grabs the phone and rides off. Just like that. By the bus stop. With CCTV. In broad daylight.

Against my better judgement, I morph into agbero Naija girl and start chasing the bicycle boy, screaming “my phoooone!!!” in shock, horror, despair, etc. As I am running after him and screaming all I can think of is ‘my precious phone… my bank details… just updated things on it… a gift from Big Sis… expensive… uninsured… how can this happen?!...just like that?!... just like that?!!!... no warning?… noooo!!!”

Bicycle boy is stunned that I am running after him and almost catching up with him, he panics and throws my earphones at me, then he jumps off bicycle and runs with it to try and gain speed. This encourages me. A part of me thinks I can still redeem my precious phone from this weak dummy… but alas, it is not to be. I’ve never been a good runner (in heels no less), so I tired easily. He must have noticed this, because he jumped back on the bicycle and rode off. I kept screaming, hoping the people further down the street would knock him off the bicycle at least. No such luck. UK tings.

So yeah, that's how I got mugged this past sunny Sunday. I’m still sad but a lot of people say I am taking it well. Do I have a choice? Well, I’d rather not dwell on it and get migraines as I replay the incident over and over (and over and over) and ask myself why I didn’t do things differently. I’m not going to let myself go there. 

The  irony of it all sef…. the night before, I lay awake having buyer’s remorse over an item that I felt I was being too extravagant on, so I decided to return it, hence my trip to this part of town where I lost my phone (a phone that was 4 times the price of the said item). The policewoman who later took my details  said, “this is not your day, is it?” after I explained to her that I was standing by this bus stop because I had gotten on the wrong bus before being directed to this other one.

I am grateful however, for some specific reasons:

1. I’ve been feeling rather invincible of recent. My Mum always cautions me on two things- keeping my phone safe, and not keeping late nights but I figured that she was being over-protective you know. I can’t be robbed or assaulted when I’m coming back from Uni at 9pm nau! Haba! I’ve had an instance where I think I was being followed by this guy one night but a car approaching deterred him. Did that stop me from closing from school late and walking home alone? You guessed it: no. So as cliché as it sounds, I’m going to say it: it could have been much worse. I keep thinking that had this not happened, I would have been  assaulted in the near future, which is infinitely worse! Maybe this is a coping mechanism to deal with loss, but maybe not. At any rate I remain grateful.
2. I have a confession: I am not a very empathetic person even though people tend to assume that I am. Unless I have been in a similar situation and can recall the emotions that I went through, I would always think at the back of my mind, ‘but you know you could have avoided it by doing so and so…’ while listening to you sob #sadbuttrue, shameface. For eg. someone terrified of a rotten tooth extraction would always get my sympathy, because even though I know that he/she could have practiced better oral hygiene, I can relate with the fear because I’ve been through it. I find it hard to sympathise when I cannot relate though, which is not good enough. While I was feeling dazed as I walked back to the bus stop after the mugging, some elderly ladies came to meet me and hugged me. I appreciated that. An elderly man offered his home for me to come into as I waited for the police to arrive. I appreciated that. I told him I couldn't do that because I had already given the police people details of my current position and he said no problem, he would wait for the police with me. I appreciated that. The policewoman who took my details asked me what I was doing before I got robbed. I told her I was using my phone. She kinda sighed. Had I insured it at all? I said no. I felt her silent judgement before she softly replied, “for such a phone… you know, there are so many ways to be insured; house, mobile…” I knew this too, but did not really appreciate that. She offered to take me wherever I wanted to go and tried to make me feel better about it. I appreciated that. If compassion and empathy do not come naturally to you, then just try to remember that it is very likely that victims of crime/assault/misfortune are already beating themselves up for being so stupid/naïve/clueless, and even if they don’t tell you, they may feel your judgement. They are at their most vulnerable, so just ditch the ‘told you so’s and 'it coulda  been different if's and focus on trying to get them to some semblance of normalcy because what has happened has happened, shikenan/dazall.
3. Sometimes you think you know how you’d react to something but you could be totally wrong. I never imagined that I would chase a thief lol. I thought I would scream and maybe faint. After all, it is ridiculous to chase a mugger who could be armed. You would think that all the years I’ve heard “don’t put up a fight/let the item go/your life is more precious” would add up to something…
4. And of course: keep your phone safely hidden at all times when in public. ‘Agbero’ theft happens in the UK too hehehe.

Body Betrayal

"Our bodies are always, necessarily down to earth. They and their comportment are not completely under our control. We try to present them with appropriate dignity, but we cannot be human and always be graceful… On such occasions we do best to cultivate an affectionate sense of humour, of the sort signaled in St. Francis’ playful address of his body as “Brother Ass”. I do not know if angels have (or need) the capacity to laugh at themselves, but holy people must…” Excerpt from Rodney Clapp’s ‘Tortured Wonders: Christian Spirituality for People, Not Angels’

I'm re-blogging this again (lazy, lazy me I know) but! if I add a few more details it qualifies as a new post, no? heehee. Okay, so I read Tortured Wonders some years ago and found it very refreshing because at that point in time I always seemed to find myself in one embarrassing situation or the other. One of my recurring 'body betrayals' was my public battle with Sleep. Enjoy! (*Long post alert though*)

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I came to the conclusion that night-reading and any other night-time activity was not for me a long, long time ago. This did not stop me from trying, though. In the end, I think it was the collective experiences I had that showed me the light. These are a few that I can remember off the cuff, I think they say:

JS2: In the Classroom-

Prefect walks into class all good and angry, warning the naughty JS2 students about the hazards of gossiping, making noise in class, and generally being unserious:

“In fact, wake anybody that is sleeping!”

The terrified students whisper to their sleeping mates loudly, "Wake up! Senior Nat. said you should wake up!" The loud whispers rouse all from slumber, except one. The girl sitting in front of the sleeping girl whispers louder. Nothing. She whispers louder still. Ahaps! You might as well be speaking pidgin to a stone.

Students seated next to her begin to whisper to the sleeping girl too- they don’t want to be punished for one girl’s misbehaviour- the prefect might be thinking that the girl is being rude. This equates to an even angrier prefect, which is equal to general punishment. Soon, the whole class is calling the girl’s name loudly. Nothing still. A-ah! Is there such a thing as the Spirit of Sleep? The girl in front now bangs on the girl’s table hard several times before Sleeping Junior puts up her head and attempts to hide the fact that she has been dozing by adopting the irritated I-was-praying attitude. The general class laughter INCLUDING the Prefect’s tells her that that trick is useless. Oh well, at least she tried.

JS2 still: In the Chapel-

“Whaaat?! Sleeping in the Chapel? You have no respect for God!”

“I was not sleeping!”

“Keep quiet! People saw you!”

Yes, people did. It would have been surprising otherwise, as I had slumped on the pew I was sitting on, resting my head on the back support. Funny thing was I didn’t think I was really asleep. I was hearing one or two things the Revivalist was saying. Didn’t that mean something? Obviously not. Sleeping ranked a little lower than making noise in Chapel, so I missed my classes the following day. I got a large portion of rubber grass to cut instead.

JS3: And the Place Went Silent…

“Pavement” in the girls’ dormitory was the No.1 reading spot. It was free from rats, and the cool Jos breeze kept one awake longer. When that didn’t help, a steady supply of gogo worked wonders. (Gogo = Gossip). It was JSC Examination time, and Intro. Tech was fast approaching, so we all gathered our buckets and pillows and assembled on Pavement, about 6 feet from the ground on one side, 3 feet on the other. I was facing the 6 ft. side, and this alone should have scared me, but I was drunk with sleep. I decided to give myself a 10 minute doze-break right there. Big, stupid mistake… I will forever have the scar on my upper lip.

I landed on the concrete with a big 80lb thud, and the strange thing was that I was still asleep (according to people). The girls were so stunned; some began to laugh… until I stood up.

“Jeeesus!!”

When they began to jump down so fast I was surprised. What? I was vaguely conscious of the distinct taste and smell of blood… kind of magnetic, numb. Odd.

“Heiii! See her mouth!” one of them wailed.

What’s wrong with my mouth?!

Something, definitely. Some said they could see my teeth through the deep slit; some said the amount of blood was horrifying. Call me morbid, but I wanted to see for myself. They didn’t permit me to look at the mirror; I was sent to bed instead. Needless to say, I would be the topic of the gogo that night.

I was taken to the school nurse, she gave me injections. My mouth was so swollen I resembled a lasar rat. I got funny stares everytime. “Stop looking at my mouth!” I was always joking. I stopped eating in the dining hall. I was always asked what happened by staff and student alike. It was two weeks of drooling while sleeping and eating with the tiniest of spoons. (But all of the events that happened to the Queen of Embarrassing, are they not written in the Book of Replessness?)

SS3: You Would Have Thought…

I had just smiled at my longtime Crush. He smiled back, and I was so satisfied. I proceeded to wave to my other classmates as we parted ways that satisfying Wednesday evening. Life was good.

We had gathered for the weekly prayer meeting, and the speaker was one of my favorites, a tough, extremely talented Technical Drawing teacher. He was sure his students had water in their brains, but he was still a decent matter-of-fact man. He always went straight to the point – “I wonder whether we think the Gospel is too simple for us, that we have to add our own rules…” I still remember him saying.

As my Crush and I went in opposite directions, he to the boys’ side and I to the girls’ as the Chapel seating arrangement dictated, I felt that the prayer meeting was going to be inspiring. I noted that a good number of junior boys were seated on the last two rows of our side. (This was only tolerated because there was no space on the boys’ side). I and three of my fellow prefect girls decided to join them. They created space for us with so much reverence. I like that, Dictator Me thought. Time elapsed. TD teacher was still expounding. I got “sleepier and sleepier”. I put my head on my lap and snoozed. A sterling example of prefectship indeed. I must have gone into REM sleep, cuz the next thing I knew was I was sliding off the pew in terribly slow motion- I couldn’t help it. My head connected to the floor, kwos. Imagine a Muslim prayer stance- head on the ground, rear-end up.

Not again.

My fellow prefect girls gasped. Humiliation filled me fast. The junior boys giggled, then broke into full-blown laughter. Girls in front wondered what was wrong. They turned. Story was broadcast terribly fast. Boys - on the other side of the aisle – turned. My fellow prefect boys came over to see what the commotion was all about. Commotion in God’s House. They too, heard. My Crush. He too heard. He came over.

The humiliation was complete.

“What happened?” a pref. boy asked, concerned.

“I don’t know…” I managed. The little dignity I had left forbade me to run out of the Chapel. I turned to the boys and told them not to laugh mock-seriously. I then shrugged in what I hoped was a nonchalant manner.

During the closing worship song, one of my mates sitting many rows ahead came to me and whispered in my ear, “shey you know you have burnt your rep?” Yes, I know. Reputation was everything, and mine was burnt to a crisp.

The next day, one of my teachers called me aside and asked me, “Were you so tired?” “How did you know?” I asked, horrified.

“I always know,” he replied, eyes twinkling. He walked away, leaving me glued to the spot. A repless prefect. Who would have thought?

University: 200 Level- NOT Eye Candy

“Wake up, let’s go and read now,” my friend and room mate pleaded. We had planned to read in the Lecture Hall that evening, as there was no light in our room. I decided to get some sound sleep before then (I was tired of the jolt of fear that coursed through me whenever I felt my head had bobbed off dolo-style in the Hall).

I groggily put on my clothes and we were off. We walked to the hall in silence. She was looking around for any available space when she noticed that the guys sitting by the door- about five of them- had stopped talking and had started staring at me… strangely. And more people were turning to stare. I was unaware, being somewhat irritable still. I was just standing at the door, waiting.

Well she turned to look too, and it was at this point that she understood. She gracefully walked back to me and whispered in my ear with the trace of laughter in her voice, “I want to tell you something. Outside.”

I humbly followed her out without a word.

“Oh I’m so sorry,” she began, erupting in kind laughter now.

“What?” I asked.

“You wore your shirt inside out”

“Oh,” I said. Is that all? It wasn’t a big deal.

Only that I was comic-relief to people in the hall that evening, standing morosely, with a shirt that had shoulder pads sticking out oddly, and hair that needed some combing. It just wasn’t... gangsta. Yes, I did it again.

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p.s: Atilola's interesting tag caught my attention. I didn't think I would have read up to 6 of the books but surprisingly, I have...yay tings! They are:

1- Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen (read this years ago when I was proper bored and didn't regret it).

2- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis (and if they added the other books from the series I coulda boasted of more books read *sulks*)

3- A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens (bah, kinda humbug!)

4- The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett (too melancholy for my liking sha...)

5- Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden (quite interesting!)

6- Perfume, Patrick Süskind (weird, intriguing book!)

I've also read The Thing Around Your Neck, Burning Grass, I Do Not Come to You by Chance, African Night's Entertainment and some others so that makes more than 6, lol

p.p.s: I watched Hope Springs and thoroughly enjoyed it! I didn't think I'd love a film about old people's love so much but I did... thanks so much Ginger! Because it has been ages since I enjoyed a movie so thoroughly (it made me light-hearted and smiley throughout the day honest!), I haven't stopped raving about it to my housemates (and anyone who cares to listen heehee). Although I agree with some people who pointed out that... oh wait that would be a spoiler. Never mind. Touching, humorous movie.

Learning Tings

<Coughs> Like most humans, I am constantly learning and I thought I should share some stuff. I admit that these aren't ground-breaking but they've reached home in my heart though:

If platitudes suck, your presence does not
Mini-2012 review: I got most of what I hoped for in 2012 but I wish it were so for the people in 'my world'... loved ones died so painfully, relationships ended, school failures, fertility issues... some experiencing just one disappointment while others experienced them in series... I struggled with how best to relate with them. What could I possibly say- 'this pain will make you stronger?' (True, but seriously?). 'Things can only get better?' (I tried that line on one of my people and we were both devastated when things got so much worse). So yes, platitudes suck but making sure that you are there for hurting people helps, plus helping out with things they would not be able to do at that point, like laundry, cooking light meals, keeping them warm, praying, buying essentials, etc.

I am beginning to really understand that being 'good' does not provide insurance against evil. I guess we are to pray against all evil as well as ask for the strength to face evil when/if it comes our way.

'Feel your superstar'
I'm learning to own myself lol. I mean, own the bad/far less than perfect aspects of myself. I fell into some mild depression for a few months over this one. What helps is reading about how God decided to befriend us at our most unlovable state. So to borrow from Neyo's song, I'm letting Him love me until I learn to love myself hehehe. And then I am discovering that doing things that grow my skills helps so much, even when doing it afraid. I am also learning to enjoy my life in ways that are pleasing to God (meaning: having fun in ways that don't distress others; learning to save money while spending ("investing") in things that make me and others joyful, and being more thankful).

Ok this is all for now. Sorry it's not a happy-ish post oh. I've been waiting for weeks before updating to see if I can write something informative or at least light-hearted but just concluded that I might never update at the rate I'm going so please bear with me.
Thank you for reading, checking up on me and updating your blogs. May you receive fresh doses of grace, strength and love this 2013 :)

Some Nigerian Food Taboos

Hmmmm... kwana dewa (plenty days) inactive from Blogger fa, I feel guilty because reading your blogs always improves my sanity and I haven't been reciprocating :( :( I'm currently back home, enjoying warmer weather, catching up with friends, trying to dodge playing with the cute nieces and nephew, eating all the things I missed sorely. Sorry for the long silence fa. Today I'm re-blogging about a few Nigerian food taboos as written by Mabel Segun, in her book Rhapsody- A Celebration of Nigerian Cooking and Food Culture.

In Yoruba culture every lineage has its food taboos which members must observe strictly. The penalties prescribed for breaking a taboo are sometimes deliberately drastic in order to frighten people into complying with the prohibitions. These penalties include sterility, a breast that will never produce milk, a child who will forever crawl, and- death. But in reality, many of the prohibitions are commonsense rules meant for the good of both the individual and the community.

She categorized the taboos, and I’ve picked only a few (I don’t really know if I’m breaking any copyright laws oh! (scratches head). But I won’t tell if you won’t). It’s informative, though:

1. Yams must not be kicked. (Yoruba)
Penalty- The culprit will become lame.
Real Reason- According to Yoruba legend, Yam was once a man, hence it should be respected. Yam was the most popular staple food in the country before the introduction of manioc. Kicking a yam tuber might break it and this would speed up deterioration. In any case, this is not a clean habit.

2. Salt must not be trodden underfoot.
Penalty- The soles of the offender’s feet will ooze water. (Yoruba)
Real Reason- In ancient times, salt was so scarce that it was exchanged for slaves and therefore should not be wasted through being spilt.

3. Women must not cook late at night. (Igbo)
Penalty- Evil spirits will put a spell on the food.
Real Reason- To prevent women from neglecting the welfare of their family by keeping them hungry.

4. A man may not eat in the home of his wife’s parents and they may not eat in his home. (Hausa)
Penalty- It will prevent the wife from bearing children.
Real Reason- Probably to avoid friction between the two families.

5. Yam must not be peeled inside the house. (Yoruba)
Penalty- The inmates will quarrel
Real Reason- Houses in ancient times were dark inside because they had no windows or had very tiny ones and someone coming from outside might slip on the yam peels and injure himself/herself (which, of course, could lead to a quarrel).

6. A wife must not allow her husband to see her eating. She must first cook his meal and serve it to him in the open courtyard and later retire into the house to eat with her daughters and young sons. (Hausa)
Penalty- Community censure
Real Reason- It is said that she might open her mouth too wide and so anger or disgust her husband.

7. A child must not eat a chicken’s gizzard. (Edo, Igbo, Yoruba)
Penalty- He will not grow.
Real Reason- The gizzard is reserved for the head of the family or household since it is considered a delicacy.

8. A child must not squat to eat. (Yoruba).
Penalty- The child will never be satiated.
Real Reason- Squatting encourages farting, and this would cause pollution at mealtimes.

9. A woman must not eat too many kolanuts (Igbo, Yoruba)
Penalty- She will have an ‘abiku’ (Yoruba) or ‘ogbanje’(Igbo) child, that is, a child who dies young and keeps on reincarnating and dying again, thus causing its mother great misery.
Real Reason- Traditional Nigerian societies did not know the cause of infant mortality but believed that a woman who ate too many kolanuts would not feel hungry and so would not be well nourished or healthy enough to bear strong children.

10. One must not put a live duck in an overturned pot.(Yoruba)
Penalty- It will turn into a snake.
Real Reason- To prevent it from suffocating. Since snails are kept in this manner or under an overturned mortar for a few days but do not die as they can hibernate, some people might be tempted to keep more delicate creatures in the same manner.

Mabel Segun is also the author of children’s book, My Father’s Daughter (which I haven’t come across yet but am sure will be a v. nice read) and books for adults such as Conflict and Other Poems. “She has a varied professional career that includes teaching, broadcasting, editing, public relations and a two-year diplomatic appointment as Nigeria’s Deputy Permanent Delegate to UNESCO.”

As an aside:
Is it that the people back then were too stubborn to handle the “real reasons” behind these rules or what?? If you’re curious about what people were like before-before, Ellen Thorp’s Ladder of Bones will come in handy. It gives the pre-colonial history of Nigeria, dating back to 1853.

As another aside: Don't forget that God is in charge :) :)

Elevensies...

Whew! I love me some tags; I always enjoy reading about your interesting habits and personalities, so thank you Dammy and Cee for tagging me in the Elevensies :) :)
And sorry it is sooo late!


Toh, ga nawa (Toh, here's mine):


Things to do:
1. Post the rules.
2.Post 11 things about yourself
3.Answer the questions by your tagger
4.Create 11 questions and tag another 11 to answer them
5.Note: no tag backs and also notify the people you tagged
6.Let your tagger know you answered their questions.


11 Random bits about me:


1. I always make sure no one is looking at me when I put a pinch of salt in my oats (because some people say it's weird/gross).


2. I avoid listening to slow music as it easily makes me sad. Same for movies, as I figure that life is/can be sad enough already. So I watch lots of comedies (not the annoying Adam Sandler kind, no offence), and the more upbeat the music the better. Someone said people like us who do this are "passively numbing [our]selves" sha. He has a point but I'm still not going to listen to sad stuff hehehe.


3. I take a lot of random pictures, and conclude these sessions with self-shots where I make silly facial expressions.


4. I worry a lot, and this worries my sister a lot :)


5. I am getting very fond of KLove Radio Station-- they play really amazing music.


6. People say I have an innocent face. I never thought this was a good thing (especially in my JS2 when one of my teachers who believed I never made noise in class  lashed me 13 times -when he gave others only 2 strokes- when he saw me standing and talking one afternoon).


7. Like the author of this interesting post, I have always prided myself on being anti-boy crazy... which is not necessarily a good thing.


8. Was a horror fan, now no longer one (to my sister's relief lol)


9. Hmmm... chai bai kare ba har yanzu?! (e never finish up till now?!) Ok good... I love Hausa Language but suck at speaking it. Sad because I am a Northerner :(


10. I love to discover things I have in common with people.


11. At last!!! I tend to take things way too seriously. You know it's bad when your parents, who are supposed to pull your ear and say "my pikin, as you are going to school, read your book oh!! Mmhm" instead say "find time to relax, kin ji? (you hear?)"


Phew! Was fun though. 




Dammy asked:
1. Money or love ..which would you choose?  Aww must I choose??? :( Hmm, I'd go with love in theory, and hope for the best.


2. If you had the chance would you change your career, if yes to what? I've always entertained thoughts of acting; in secondary school I was in an acting group and always felt more alive :)


3.If you could go anywhere right now,where,why and with whom will it be? I would be at home with each of my siblings and parents like the old-old times 


4.Favourite color? Depends on what item the colour is on/in, but let's say pink and purple


5. Craziest thing you ever done? Stood in front of classmates at the peak of my shyness and said "Classmates? I just want to say 'how far?'"  (ps: they actually clapped for me after... awww bless them)


6.If you could become a genius right now in what field would it be and why? Psychology


7.What did you have for lunch? a delicious, peppery chicken wrap :)

8.If you could change one thing about yourself ,what would it be? Probably my habitual apathy towards God?


9.If you could make a change in the world right now,what decree would you pass?  Less fighting, more peace


10.If you could trade places with any celebrity right now, who would it be? Oh, to be Toby Mac for a day... I want to know/experience what gives him so much energy and zeal


11.What gift do you want for your next birthday?(you never know who might be reading...*lol*) Hmm.... really nice perfume? Thank you in advance, Dammy lol!




And Cee asked:

1.       What do you do in your spare time? Watch series and some movies, write, talk with some people

2.       What one thing are you most proud of? My research skills (they're not great oh! But I'm happy to say I tend to ferret out the most random bits of info heeheehee)

3.       What is your ultimate dream vacation? I don't have one, honestly... but I think the place must be sunny and have water to swim, so let's say a beach

4.       What are you most looking forward to in the next year? A correct job is one...

5.       Most important thing you are saving up for? Chai... saving up for rent ne fa! :( :( iKid, iKid... or not...

6.       Have you ever rescued someone? What were the circumstances? Not yet, but working on it <determined face>

7.       Who influenced you the most when you were a child? My Mum!

8.       Who influences you the most now? Still my Mum (cuz she has faith in me) and my siblings (cuz they are cool people  heeheehee)

9.       What is the most daring or dangerous thing you’ve ever done? Please refer to Dammy's #5

10.   What person in history would you most like to meet? Not sure yet...

11.   What would you love for your next birthday gift? (I just might surprise you ;) Well, perfume again? Can't have too many.

 Almost everyone I know seems to have done the Elevens already, and tag backs not allowed (shucks!) so please permit me to ask any commenters:


a. What activity nurtures your spirit/energises you the most and why?
b. What are the top 3 things that vex you?
c. What would you say is your biggest accomplishment thus far?

"Things that make you go hmmm..."

Lately the issue of black dudes marrying white ladies for papers has become a hot topic of discussion that I easily tire of following after a while, after all, it is their life abi? But I've never really thought about it from the woman's point of view-- not until today when someone told me about her good friend from Eastern Europe who got married to a West African man who, as far as she and her other friends were concerned, was not as committed as she was to the relationship. What I found surprising was the fact that the lady who married him (let's call her Mata for simplicity's sake please)-- Mata was very much aware of the fact that he married her so that he could remain in the UK, but she was (and still is) really in love with him so it didn't matter to her. Sha sha, what is the moral of this story/gogo? I dunno; it's just something that is making me go "hmmm..."


I was reading StandTall's article about accents and the tragedy of self-hate, and I can't help but remember different instances where people tell me, "ah you are not trying at all oh, instead of you to change your accent and talk like them [Brits]." Then you meet them really fake people who start blowing funeh for you after spending what, 4 years in the UK? Haba mana! It's one thing to become integrated into a new culture, it is another thing to sell-out.
I'm thinking that as long as we are careful to pronounce things correctly, we should be happy with our accents, fullstop.

Meanwhile, UK life has taught me to respect time! In fact I've become such a grinch with my time! And I've also learnt to read the fineprint oh!! I can recall a good number of instances where I saw deals too good to be true--- most of them were. Hmmm... bottomline, advertising can be seriously fake-business so make sure you read reviews, reviews and more reviews before committing to anything, be it a computer, spa package, trip or hotel room.


I totally loved Myne's heartfelt post about what makes a woman a good wife, especially as I've been um... having my self-doubts lols. To put it in perspective, my housemates all know the wedding dresses they are going to wear, interior decor, first aid for kids, how to cook up a storm, romance and sha you get. Me? I'm trying to get myself into that mode oh (operating word--trying). Her post was really timely; while I won't stop trying to learn about these things, that quiet worry that follows me around is less clingy now that I know that Myne and other self-confessed unconventional good wives are doing okay :)


Something you wouldn't catch me saying at an interview: "Em well... I think team work is over-rated. I tend to do things better and faster when I'm working on my own, so... yeh!" Don't get me wrong, I don't mind working with people, but it's just that most of the times I've had to work on projects with people, there are some major slackers that just don't pull their weight and drag the rest of us down in the process. I'm remembering one group coursework like this that about 6 of us were working on. No scratch that, two of us were working on... don't worry I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say, I just think the whole team spirit thingy is over-rated sometimes, shikenan... which isn't a good thing to think esp. as I have a job interview for a customer service role in a few hours time... no pressure... they set us up to be less than honest in these assessments, methinks.
"Oh I love working as a team, absolutely!" Hmmm...


You can cover your bases as an employee, but when wahala comes, if the top shots are looking for a scapegoat, they are not likely to nominate themselves. I read about the 2007 National Rail accident that killed one person and injured 86, about 28 of whom were seriously injured. The train derailed, you see, and I thought to myself 'mehn the track maintenance man is sooo fired for life' and in deed he was fired (but I dunno if it's for life). What made me go 'hmmm, sad!' was the fact that the dude had sent emails complaining to his bosses that he and his team were obviously over-worked, having to monitor so many tracks what with the Company's target to increase rail services. When the worst happened, did they take this complaint into consideration? Sadly, no. Hmmm... may God forbid bad thing!


I so don't want to fall ill at this point in time, what with all the deadlines I'm now facing. I was to travel somewhere with my housemate, but one thing-one thing led to many things and we had to go separately. My people, help me thank God oo, because the story might have been different if I had followed the original plan, because now the poor girl is battling with chicken pox! (Kneels down and says a prayer of healing for Housemate and a prayer of thanks for Self). Hmmm, the Lord doth answer prayers (because one of my major prayer points before starting my current job was that I didn't want to fall ill at any point. Is He gracious or what??!)


I had almost 800, but it felt more like 8: So a while ago I went on a mad facebook deletion rampage and wiped off close to 500 people. My sister said this was very rude of me, but I explained that I didn't see the point in having so many 'friends' who couldn't be bothered to reply my message or generally be 'alive'. Besides, a number of people are of the opinion that the ideal number of 'friends' you can actually maintain relationships with on facebook is 150. Do you agree with my Sis? Did I do something really rude, or is the facebook friending thing just over-rated and anything goes? Hmmm...


Lately I've gotten hooked on comments people make in Yahoo! articles.  An article talking about how shops like Poundland, Poundstretcher and 99p Shop have become so popular with rich, middle and low-income consumers since one can get things far cheaper there. One commenter goes, "Marks & Spencer is going to buy Poundstretcher and they are going to call it Stretch Marks." Lol! don't know why it cracks me up so much.

Thanks for reading all my lengthy randoms. Now I shall continue saying "hello how far" to my housemate from a safe distance. Could you say a prayer for her too? Thanks, and happy weekend!!

That feeling...

That exhilarating feeling when you hear your current favorite song playing and you cannot help but smile as you remember how your friend Leelo (not real name, lol) danced to it...


That vexed feeling when you realise that you just wasted your time and money on a super-rubbish film (side-eye to Wrath of the Titans... the only part I liked was then end bit, when Perseus' son said to Helios,

"Helios, I read that you were a great disappointment?"
"Aye, that's right-- I'm great."

Let's see... 99 minutes of my life gone? Check. Opportunity cost of a dress or shoe on sale? Check, Check...


That heavy-hearted feeling when you finally admit to yourself that that dude you were starting to really like has lost interest in you...


That amazing feeling that makes you warm when you reconnect with old school chicas and you just 'click' again because you get each other, your friendship dating back to years ago, when you were more lively and hopeful and less tainted by the ugliness that life can sometimes be...


That sweet, exciting feeling you get when you catch some cool dude staring at you...


That joyous feeling you get when you help someone who cannot help you back...


That awful, awkward feeling when you hear two people you know quite well doing "bad-thing"...


That satisfied, successful feeling you feel when something that has been confusing you finally clicks...


That delicious feeling when you've learnt a new dance move-- at last...


That peaceful feeling you get when the Word you've been avoiding speaks one sentence that makes you realise that He is actually talking to you... to you... y. o. u. Peace, be still O my soul... awe-ness...