Unsung Heroes

The Wacky Races

While lying in bed perfecting the art of being a couch potato (and trying to ignore my throbbing sinus), I watched The Wacky Races on one of the cartoon channels. I remember enjoying this cartoon immensely when I was younger. I would try so hard to immitate Muttley's snickering but failed miserably sounding like someone suffering from asthma attack.

*sniff* *cough*

I've finally caught my second-born's flu full-blast today. It was lingering over my head during the weekend. But alas, today I admit defeat. Welcome, sinus!

So here I am sitting on the couch with a blankie over my head and the one bad Apple on my lap, while Barney is playing on TV (those Backyard Gang kids never fail to annoy the hell out of me).

Posh steals the limelight

Tom & Katie got married? Tom, Katie & Surie wore Armani? Who cares? Our lady Victoria looks great!

Ho, ho, ho

Usually when it comes to events, my blog is normally the belated version. For once, today I am not on time but ahead of time! As the title suggests, it's we're meeting Santa today - Sinterklaas to be precise. Courtesy and thanks to the Dutch community. Instead of elves, he has good, old dependable Black Pete.

Sinterklaas

In the Netherlands and Belgium (and in some of their ex-colonies), Saint Nicholas' (Sint Nicolaas, Sinterklaas) eve is the occasion for gift-giving, when his alleged birthday — actually his name day, the day he died — is celebrated. In this case, roles are reversed, though, in that Sinterklaas is the one who gives the presents.

In recent years, Christmas (along with Santa Claus, a figure partially derived from Sinterklaas) has been pushed by shopkeepers as another gift-giving festival, with some success, although, especially for young children, Saint Nicholas' eve is still much more important than Christmas.

The Dutch always write his name as one word. The Americans, influenced by Santa Claus sometimes write it incorrectly as Sinter Klaas. The name Sinterklaas is derived from Middle Dutch Sinte Klaas.

In the Netherlands, in the evening of December 5 (and thus the eve of 6 December, his name day), Sinterklaas brings presents to every child that has been good in the past year (in practice to all children). In Belgium, children discover the presents on the morning of December 6. Sinterklaas wears a red bishop's dress including a red mitre, rides a white horse (called Amerigo) over the rooftops and is assisted by many mischievous helpers with black faces and colourful Moorish dresses, dating back two centuries. These helpers are called 'Zwarte Pieten' (Black Petes). During the Middle-ages Zwarte Piet was a name for the devil. Having triumphed over evil, it was said that on Saint Nicholas eve the devil was shackled and made his slave.

Although the character of Black Pete later came to acquire racial connotations, his origins were in the devil figure. This racialization is reflected in the reworking of the characters' mythos. Their blackness was racial, with Pete being an imported African servant of Saint Nicholas since 1850 (though some people say Pete was a slave who, when Sinterklaas bought him his freedom, was so grateful that he stayed to assist him). Today however, the more politically correct explanation that Pete's face is "black from soot" (as Pete has to climb through chimneys to deliver his gifts) is used. Traditionally Saint Nicholas only had one helper, whose name varied wildly. "Piet(er)" the name in use now can be traced back to a book from 1891. The frame shift to multiple Petes was more or less a result of the assistance provided by the Canadian army to the reception of the saint in 1945 Amsterdam.

Sinterklaas has a long white beard, holds a long gold coloured staff with a fancy curled top in his hand (a crozier) and carries a big book with all the children's names in it, and whether they have been good or bad.

Each year in November Sinterklaas arrives by steamer 'from Spain', and is then paraded through the streets of the town he arrives in (actually in every town of the Netherlands and Belgium), welcomed by cheering and singing children. His Zwarte Pieten throw candy and small, round gingerbread-like cookies (often wrongly called Pepernoten instead of their real name, kruidnoten which in english is called "spiced short bread") into the crowd. The children welcome him by singing traditional Sinterklaas songs.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas

Post-houmous (22/11/06): I've just realised what a boring and crappy entry this is.

Catch my drift?

The usual Friday night agenda continues. However the end of Kept last week meant that the night of American trash ended earlier. This time at a much diluted conclusion to Average Joe - what were the chances that she was going to pick the real Average Joe anyway? No surprises the Construction Worker won. Boo to you you superficial cow!

However, we ended up watching The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, which was more dignified in comparison - to my surprise it turned out to be a rather good watch. I was actually expecting it to be full of crap - what with no Paul Walker and all. But the Japanese actors more than made up for it - oh, and the cars too.

That Nissan 350 Z will be mine.

Tape Loop

Have you ever felt that your life is like one big, broken record?

Tape Loop
Morcheeba

Tape loop, keeps on turning round, forever,
Patience, love is coming 'round for your pleasure,
Wait now, no use trying to push, there's no need,
People, go against the grain, with their greed.

I've been here before, it ain't gonna work no more,
I've been here before, it ain't gonna work no more.

Focus, your mind will be strong, no distractions,
Soak up wisdom all year long, and then take action.

I've been here before, it ain't gonna work no more,
I've been here before, it ain't gonna work no more.

I've been here before, it ain't gonna work no more,
I've been here before, it ain't gonna work no more.

I've been here before, it ain't gonna work no more,
I've been here before, it ain't gonna work no more.

You domestic goddess, you

Before going to my yoga class, I managed to make some flapjacks. The last time I made one was when I was 15. So yes, it has been quite a while. By the time I came home from yoga, the flapjacks were cut and cooled - ready to be eaten.

The recipe has not failed me - yet. It got rave reviews from Laukong and my first born. This means a lot to me considering that I am the one person who is capable of ruinning instant noodles.

Yoga Bear: The Return of Shiva

Went for my second yoga class today. As was last week, there were only 3 people. This time I met a different lady. She was very good. She managed to do most - if not all - of the complicated positions (including the stomach-on-your-elbow-with-legs-hoovering-in-the-air position).

At the end of the class, it turns out that she is some yoga veteran. She told me that she does some yoga at home as well and offered me to join her on Mondays. I must have looked rather unconvincing and an obvious novice during the whole session. She told me that she can teach the basics to help prepare for a class like today. I think I will take up on her offer, which will start in 2 weeks' time.

*Picture source: http://webonautics.com/mythology/index.html

The Patriot Game

*Newsflash*

Found out an extremely shocking piece of news today. It was so incredulous that I didn't believe it when I first heard.

According to the source - whose integrity I do not question - some big gun from our employer (a fellow countrymen at that) went on a "special" trip to the "choice" assignment destination that the majority of our countrymen tend to flock to. Apparently his agenda was to spread "word" to deter us (those working outside home) from having any funny ideas about resigning and not coming back home.

His message went along these lines - should we decide to follow our hearts and take destiny into our own hands (God forbid! Pffffft!), they will make sure that all doors will be closed to the individual back home. So I thought that's ok. Afterall if you resign why the hell would you want to go back knocking on their door anyway?

But here's the twist. They'll also make sure that the other companies (say the one that is currently employing you for the duration of your assignment) will not hire you as their permanent staff (by now of course, home would reject you also since you've just resigned).

The message is loud and clear: Leave the nest by all means, but consider yourself disowned by your parents. At the same time, I will make sure that nobody else is allowed to adopt you. And when you left out in the cold, don't come crying back to daddy either.

BASTARDS!!

I'm not being funny but who the hell do these people think they are? What really ticks me off is that these people just have absolutely no inkling of the bigger picture. It makes me wonder how they get to be so high up in the organisation. The way I see it, they have completely lost sight of the whole plot. I mean, for Pete's sake, we are a Global company. Gone are the days of multinationals. We are a sodding Global company.

What's wrong if people want to work abroad? What's so criminal about that? The way I see it, these people are putting Brunei on the map. Gone were the days when you mention Brunei people automatically think you still live on trees. We're still a long way from making our mark in this age of globalisation.

I just think that this whole approach is so completely wrong. It's just so unethical. You cannot force people to come back and work - well not like this anyway.

Yes, I admit there has been an unusually high number of resignations lately. And yes, the majority we really could not afford to lose. So, what's wrong with this picture? I've voiced this out before and I'll say it again here: If you don't want to lose your talented staff and yet you are, then you have to take a step back and find out the reason and do something about it. Retaining good people is key.

I remember asking a fellow colleague back home what were we doing about the sudden flux of resignations. The reply that I got (though I wasn't at all surprised) was that the resignations were no cause for concern. At the end of the day, in terms of pay and benefits the company was still in a very good position within the local context. Attracting new recruits should be no problem. After all nobody is indespensable. Makes sense now?

No. I didn't think so either. Cause for alarm still? I should think so. In my ideal world, this would be my solution:

Bruneians should be allowed to work abroad for an extended period without feeling their only option to stay out for a while is through resignation. The majority (trust me when I say this) just want to gain the experience and skills while working abroad. At the end of the day, they do want to return back home and bring in the skills and knowledge that have been acquired.

I strongly believe that you can be patriot and contribute globally at the same time. Whatever happened to the aspiration of "daya-saing bangsa"?

The other side of the coin also is that, most people get very, very weary of the false and empty promises given in order to coax people coming back. I have seen and heard so many examples of colleagues whom upon return from their overseas stint have lost their drive and their morales disappearing into the abyss. Most people get frustrated after being highly regarded abroad failed to get any recognition of their skills upon return by their own fellow countrymen. In return for their sacrifice of leaving home, they get back their old job as if they have never left.

So why do people choose to resign again? Go figure. Money isn't everything, you know.

The Madding Crowd

Had a bout of nostalgia tonight so decided to ask Laukong to join in the reverie. It started with "what is our song"? Laukong did really well and gave the correct answer - well, his ass was on the line anyway should he give the incorrect answer.

His correct answer was this (well done Babe...with lyrics that make you say "Damn", the Booty Man can):

If I Am - Nine Days

So you're standing on a ledge,
It looks like you might fall.
So far down,
Or maybe you were thinking about jumping.
Now you could have it all,
If you learned a little patience!
For though I cannot fly,
I'm not content to crawl!...
So give me a little credit,
Have in me a little faith!
I want to be with you forever,
If tommorow's not too late!...
But it's always too late when you've got nothing
So you say!...
But you should never let the sun set on tommorow,
Before the sun rises today...
IF I AM!
Another waste of everything you dreamed of,
I will let you down...
IF I AM!
Only here to watch as you suffer,
I will let you down...
So your walking on the edge,
And you wait your turn to fall.
But you're so far gone,
That you don't see the hands upheld to catch you.
And you could find the fault,
In the heart that you've been handed!
For though you cannot fly,
You're not content to crawl!...
But it's always too late when you've got nothing
So you say!...
But you should never let the sun set on tommorow,
Before the sun rises today...
IF I AM!
Another waste of everything you dreamed of,
I will let you down...
IF I AM!
Only here to as watch you suffer,
I will let you down...
So you're standing on a ledge,
It looks like you might fall...
IF I AM!
Another waste of everything you dreamed of,
I will let you down...
IF I AM!
Only here to as watch you suffer,
I will let you down...
The answers we find,
Are never what we had in mind.
So we make it up as we go along...
I won't mention tommorow.
And we won't make those promises that we can't keep...
I will never leave you!
I will never let you down!
I will never leave you!
I will never let you down!

By now we were on a roll. Here's more from our repertoire of "our" songs:

Evan & Jeron - Crazy for this Girl
Everything You Want - Vertical Horizon
Booty Man - Criag David
Bent - Matchbox 20
I Think God Can Explain - Splender
Runaway - The Corrs

Invasion of the Bus-Bonic Plague

Of all the days I did not bring my iPod to work, it had to be today.

On the bus ride home, I had the honour of being in the same bus as Mr. Cow (meet Mrs. Cow here). You know what they say about a marriage made in heaven. Well, I can now confirm that this is one (though I'm not sure about the heaven bit). Mr. Cow decided that he'd let the rest of the bus listen into his conversation. With a voice like his, I'm sure all the microphone companies would go bankrupt (Mrs. Cow has this very same talent).

Where was my iPod when I needed it?

My Name Escapes Me

5 Things I Miss About Brunei:
1) Pasar malam
2) $1.80 shops
3) Thien Thien Restaurant
4) Dim Sum
5) Hua-Ho Mall, Manggis

5 Things I Don't Miss About Brunei:
1) Gadong traffic jams
2) Shops at The Mall selling fake handbags
3) Spoilt rich kids driving daddy's cars
4) Spoilt rich kids while daddy's drowning in debts
5) Humidity

5 Things I Miss About Dubai:
1) Chanel
2) Villa Moda
3) Jimmy Choo
4) The Tagine
5) Yo! Sushi

5 Things I Don't Miss About Dubai:
1) Blatant discrimination against Asians
2) The Souk
3) The rush hour traffic jams
4) Bad drivers
5) Bad service

5 Things I Miss While Living in Nigeria:
1) Shopping, shopping, shopping
2) Sushi
3) Cinema
4) Hanging out at cafes
5) My dear, dear friends

5 Things I Don't Miss While Living in Nigeria:
1) Big city life
2) Working late
3) Work/life (im)balance
4) Which-side-of-the-family-do-we-stay-at-for-the-weekend predicament
5) Sunday is wedding invitation day

Everyday is Like Sunday

My first-born went swimming with Laukong while I and second-born watched on. It was 11 a.m. when we reached the Club pool, and the most I have seen expats there. We had lunch at the Club for a change. Usually Sunday means take-aways for us.

Otherwise, the day was uneventful (unless you count when I puked all my lunch out just as we were walking back home from the Club). We spent the rest of the day watching telly, and I, of course, on the Internet.

Busy bee me - but not quite the social butterfly

I decided to make more effort in transforming my social life from one of virtual (Internet about sums it up) into reality (where the real people live).

So I have invited my first-born's friend along with his mum and sister over for lunch. Play-date for the kids; girly-time for the mums.

In the afternoon, my first-born had a birthday party invitation. So the whole family went. It was nice to be out and about.

Late in the afternoon a friend dropped by with the family. As usual it's always nice to have their company.

So here I am a busy, busy bee after an unusually busy, busy day.

Fit - C'est moi?

I never thought I'd see the day when me and exercise can be in the same sentence.

Thursday Yoga. I cannot even begin to tell you some of laughable (and painful) moments. I'm surprised how I managed to keep a straight face after praying to Shiva and all.

After sending Laukong for golf this morning, I went cycling around the camp (well...I made a few short cuts here and there. At one point got laughed at by a community worker when I stopped for a drink of water. Note to self: Must work on a more credible dishevelled look).

Black Hole Sun

Civilisation is finally and slowly rearing it's ugly (but most welcomed) head. Yesterday the TV started coming on. Today the Internet. Hooray, hooray. However still no telephone. Well, you can't always get what you want.

So today, back to my Friday night gig:

Outback Jack (why did you let Mere-de out you foolish bastard?);
Average Joe (what took you so long to figure out that whatshisface was a himbo?);
Kept (what? Seth? You've got to be kidding me?);
Survivor South Africa (why is Lezel still in?);
Survivor Africa (when is Meti going to be voted out?).

I just love my Friday night splurge of American-invented trash.

God bless American trash.

I invented Post-Its

Since the colossal thunder storm last Sunday, we've had no TV, no telephone, no internet.

I'm cheating. I'm writing this from the office. Complete misuse of company time. But desperation calls for desperate measures. And I'm getting Internet withdrawal symptons. Talk about living it rough.

So since we were so desperate for entertainment, we had to look through our collections of DVD's. Somewhere in the pile I found a movie I have not watched in a long time - Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion.

My High School Reunion Soundtrack:

1) What Is Love - Haddaway
2) I've Got the Key - Urban Cookie Collective
3) Looking Through Patience Eye - PM Dawn
4) It's My Life - Dr Alban
5) Just Another Day - Jon Secada
6) Would I Lie to You - Charles & Eddie
7) Stay - Shakespears Sister
8) Angel - Jon Secada
9) I Miss You - Haddaway
10) Come Undone - Duran Duran

Starlight, star bright...

Wish list (not necessarily in ranking order):

• Hermes Birkin bag - 35 cm in Togo leather Bleu Jean

• Bentley Continental GT

• Cartier Pasha C watch

• Ideal weight of 55kg

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

It seems the theme of this week is "better late than never". We had a "raya open house" invitation today by the Malaysian community. Apart from eating too much food (so much for the [pass few weeks' weight loss), had a pretty unevenful day.

Trick or Treat

I know, I know...it's gone past the 31st of October. But today I went for the Kid's Halloween Party with my first born. This was his first ever Halloween party and he's been looking forward to today since last week. Of course being a working-mum means I barely had half an hour to get ready and prepare make-ups and stuff for my first-born.

Here's what his "costume" consisted of:

1) We managed to get the driver to buy some cheap sparkling fruit juice yesterday. Basically, we just needed 2 corks. As for the drinks? We decided to toast amongst ourselves (much to the pleasure of the driver, nanny and the cook) a "Happy Thursday" - whatever that may mean. As for the fate of the 2 corks, they were stuck on either side of my first-born's side of the forehead.

2) My first-born suffers from eczema. So recently the nanny introduced this clay-like liquid that she spreads on my first-born's body and face. Because of the "badak-betampang" effect this has (or rather a-rat-fell-into-a-sack-of-flour effect), the nanny only puts this on after the bath before bedtime. So in my "have-just-conjured-pure-genius" moment, I instructed the nanny to put extra clay-thingy on my first-born's face today. Add a "stitch" or two on each cheeks (courtesy of my M.A.C. black eyeliner) - hey, presto! Halloween make-up to the M.A.C.s (no puns intended).

3) Found an old, black Hard Rock Cafe, HongKong T-shirt of mine amongst the rubbles in a black plastic bin bag. Put it on my first-born inside-out. Plus black pants.

So, there you go - instant Frankenstein. As easy as 1, 2, 3.

Guidelines + Flexibility = Value Added Service: How low can you go?

We had a visit from our top boss today. The main message is how we can add value to the business in the service we provide. How, inspite of due processes to be followed, we should NOT be seen as "policing" the business but as enablers. Now here's a thought:

Scenario 1:
Issue: One girl got interviewed and passed with flying colours. Added bonus, she also happens to have great potential. Company in a great big hurry to recruit her because her father has been making phone calls and putting pressure on the system.

Due process: Receiving department wants to review all their critical positions and would like to resource their vacancies en masse rather than piece meal.

Actual outcome: Her recruitment got fast-tracked and she is due to join any day now. Her receiving department had no choice or say in her hire.

Scenario 2:
Issue: One guy is getting transferred to a higher job. His boss wants him promoted on transfer. Top past years' performance.

Due process: His promotion proposal has missed the boat for the bi-annual promotion round.

Proposed solution: To put his promotion application on hold for the next round which is 2 months' away, but backdate his promotion effective on his date of transfer.

This is what I want you think about - both scenarios have bent the rules somewhat. Fine. However, which one actually gives value-added service? Answers on a postcard.

Time's fun when you're having flies

Can't believe it is already Wednesday. I could have sworn it was still Tuesday. They kid you not when they say time flies here in Nigeria. To think that you live such restricted life here. What else is there to do? The ironies of life.

Toothless Wonder

Great big milestone achieved today. Laukong discovered today that our second-born has his first tooth. Upon closer inspection, we saw this cute white tooth on its way out of swollen gums. The tooth is on the top front on the right side. It's just so cute. Now our next challenge would be to keep his mouth open wide and long enough for us to take a photo as evidence.

One Bad Apple

To my great annoyance, my MacBook has join the RSD bandwagon. For those of you who are not familiar with this disease, RSD stands for Random Shut-Down. What is it? Well, it's just THAT. My MacBook randomly shuts down for no apparent reason and without warning. Strangely (and most irritatingly) it has a penchant for doing this when you are doing some important tasks like downloading photos or writing blogs before saving.

What I find most strange is that, this started happening not long after I watched a segment about this problem on Sky News. I'm beginning to think that I shouldn't have watched it. It has somehow jinxed my MacBook. To think that it took me so long to convince myself that I should buy a MacBook (of course, Laukong sponsored it for my birthday this year), and this is what Apple has done to repay me!?

I am so disappointed in Apple. Looks good. Rave reviews. But you know what they say about one rotten apple...

The Bees Knees

According to this medical feature in Yahoo! there is no scientific proof that cracking your knuckles or the likes does harm to your body. The article also says that there is no known reason what causes the cracking noise. It speculates that the sound could be caused by "popped" air spaces in the bones or something like that. Hmmm....interesting.

That reminds me, apart from religiously cracking my knuckles every minute or so, my knees are cracking involuntarily. I'm starting to notice that my left knee has been quite painful lately. The cracking has been happening for more than a year now (the legacy of my kite-surfing days that just wasn't meant to be - got my left knee's cartilage ripped permanently), but the pain is something new.

My days as a surf-chick is definitely numbered. But there's no harm in fantasising surfing with a certain dude called Paul Walker in Bali (sorry Laukong).

My Personalised Apple...

...also known as "What-Happens-When-You-leave-a-4-Year-old-With-Your-Laptop-Who-Has-A-Penchant-For-Creativity".

Bugger-Boo

Bugger-roo. Have been going insane without Internet connection last week. Conviniently during the long Eid (Eid Mubarak btw) weekend. But my flu also turned full-blown in the same weekend. So did nothing but stayed in bed. It just hit me that the Internet just about sums up my social life here.

So my first Eid in Nigeria (and third year in a row away from home), was most uneventful.

Work only started on Wednesday, so it was a pretty short, but hectic, week. No Queen Bee for the rest of the working week. Talk about sheer bliss!

Much to my happiness yesterday, I have finally found the biscuit that I have been searching for for the past almost 2 decades. Well it was not the exact biscuit, but it was the closest I have found in years. I don't know if you remember it (most people I speak to don't know what I am talking about). This biscuit comes in a big, blue tin. The logo is of a Dutch woman with rosy red cheeks. The last time I saw one was in the mid-80's, only for it to disappear without trace. Apart from the Jacob's Cream Crackers and assorted cookies, - of the Danish sort - this is what you'd normally expect to receive from friends and family in the, unfortunate, event that you get admitted to hospital. Without sounding insensitive, I used to look forward to this whenever any relatives get hospitalised. That's the inner-workings of an 8-year old's mind for you.

Stupid Girl

Silly, silly, silly me. I could bitch-slap myself a million times over and over again. I have just realised after a gazillion people have visited my other website that I have not restricted access to my private online photos. I can assure you there were no incriminating photos, but I felt my privacy was invaded nonetheless. Arrrggh!! I could head-butt myself.

Why, why, why? Did I not set up the privacy settings in the first place? I'm usually very careful about these things. That's a hard lesson for you to learn today. So much for anonymity. Hrrmmmph!!

Jane's Addiction

Hi my name is PBB, and I'm addicted to this. Try it! Once you start, you won't be able to stop. I don't why I haven't found this earlier. These are my incriminating evidences so far:

Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Exhibit C
Exhibit D
Exhibit E

*Hint-hint: You can vote and rate the designs.

God Save the Queen

Surprisingly (rather pleasantly I must say), we have not been graced by the presence of royalty today. Queen Bee did not turn up for work, and I couldn't be bothered to play the concerned colleague to ask of her whereabouts.

I spent the whole day - literally, as I missed lunch and took the 5 p.m. bus home - tidying things up, i.e. responding to 3-day old e-mails (lost count how many) and closing issues before the 2-day (hoo-ray!!) public holiday next week.

The Royal Tenenbaums

Last day of the workshop - thank God.

I can now more or less confirm that there is something fundamentally wrong with this "beloved" colleague of mine. She is not only a "hit and miss" person but she's also a real, right, royal, pain the arse.

As I was looking at her (couldn't help it, she was sat right opposite me - lucky me!!), I couldn't help but notice the resemblance. Have a look --->>>>

At this rate, I was really getting into the hang of having evil thoughts - hey, it kept me awake. So I challenged myself if I can think of anything else (visually) to describe this vile excuse of a woman...

...and here's another one I came up with (and I don't mean it in the good sense)... --->>>>

...and another! In time for Halloween too! Trick or treat!! You wicked witch of the East, you! --->>>>

Then I realised...wait a minute. What's this I see here? She has a partner in crime...and this is how she looks --->>>>

...But I'm sure by tomorrow I will wake up with a feeling of deep remorse.

And no, it won't be for our reigning Queen Bee, but for her partner in crime. She is a nice person and I shall be guilt-ridden. But who knows, she may just be a better actor than her Royal-Effing-Highness.

Alas, tomorrow is but another day ~ cue: evil laugh.

Rude Awakening

As the title suggests, I had one for the following reasons:

The Cardigans

• I was planning on wearing my favourite cardigan to the workshop. The room was so cold yesterday (4 air-cons in one room!!) that I thought I'd better be prepared today.
• I woke up and looked for the cardy in it's usual place (hanging by the bed). I couldn't find it.
• Then I had this horrifying thought that the maid had put it in the washing machine and then the dryer.
• So I ran (for dear life) to the laundry room and much to my (shock) horror, my cardy was tumbling in the dryer!!
• My EURO300 cashmere cardy!!!!
• I quickly switched off the dryer expecting my beloved cardy shrunk to the size of a newborn.
• Thank God it was not!
• Turned out that the dryer had only just started since the cardy was still damped.
• Luckily also, it managed to survive the washing machine. The maid must have set the washing machine on cold wash.
• There must be a guardian angel out there! Thank you! Thank you! Thankyouverymuch!

The "Survivor" Cardigan

Coldcut

• Once I got over the shock and trauma of my cardy, I realised that I have come down with a flu.
• Darn! The panadol I took last night didn't seem to be helping.
• So had to spend the whole day sniffing in the classroom and tissue stuffed up my nose (much to my colleagues distress).

High & Dry

• Apart from trying to avoid nasty liquids dropping out of my nose, I was also having trouble trying to keep drool from dropping out of my mouth.
• The topic du jour was just so dry and boring.
• At one point I thought I was in a Maths class. To think I had thought about specialising in remuneration. Pah!

Sesame Street was brought to you by the words:

• Arithmatics - Now that's one word I have not heard in a long time. Who uses it in this day and age? Whatever happened to Maths?
• Dichotomy - According to Yahoo! Education:

di·chot·o·my (d-kt-m) KEY NOUN: pl. di·chot·o·mies
Division into two usually contradictory parts or opinions: "the dichotomy of the one and the many" (Louis Auchincloss).

Evilution

No, no need for spell check. You read correctly. Saw this on Sky News, and it triggered a theory that I have had for a long, long time now. So here's an opportunity to go into the inner workings of my (sometimes) weird, almost psychotic, mind:

Aliens are actually us. Yes, us. As in us humans. Supposed alien encounters are actually humans visiting us from a very distant future. Much like the theory in the Sky News article, humans will evolve (in many, many years to come of course) into physical beings that are so different to our current form. If we can agree that we will evolve into this (below right pic), I can offer some explanations as to why we will evolve into such beings:

1. Big head - you can thank technology for this. Technology requires us to use our heads and brains more than any other part of our body that we have literally become "big-headed".
2. Skinny body - yes, gone are the days where you ask an unsuspecting member of the male species, "Does my butt look big in this?" Partly due to reason for "big head" our bodies do not require much food as physical activities (or movement for that matter) will be to a bare minimum. Food would have been a great scarcity which we would have overcome (mad cow diseases & bird flu were just brief introductions).
3. Big eyes - due to global warming (should have voted for/listened to Al Gore) and other climatical inconsistencies, Earth has gone back to the dark ages - any chaos theorists out there? So our eyes have grown bigger in order to absorp what little light is left to see. An inconvinient truth indeed.
4. Barely there nosetrils - for the same reson as "Big eyes", our noses have evolved because of the lower oxygen content in the atmosphere. So you might want to hug a tree literally the next time you see one.

The Way It Is

...Spoke too soon. Here I go again (Hey! That's an 80's song too!!) still clinging to my era of choice. Can't seem to fast forward myself to the future (or present time, if you prefer).

My second-born is showing signs of recovery. However, my first-born's temperature remained on the high side. So Laukong brought him to the clinic again. Got a shocking update when I got home from work that he was given cold shower at the clinic! WTF! I was so shocked that the thought was almost laughable (I think at one point I did burst out laughing save for the missing punchline).

Started the first of my 3-day workshop today. Content-wise the workshop was very good. However, my (immediate) teammates remains a rather dodgy topic. I'm sure there's something funny going on. But I really can't be arsed to think about it at the moment. So I shan't indulge you with my thoughts on this for the moment. To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of all this. My experience through our daily interactions so far have been cases of "hits or misses". So it's rather difficult to anticipate or predict what these people are thinking (or saying about me behind my back, if I'm honest).

For now that's just the way it is...

"Standing in line marking time
Waiting for the welfare dime
'Cause they can't find a job
The man in the silk suit hurries by
As he catches the poor old ladies' eyes
Just for fun he says "get a job"

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
Aw, but don't you believe them

They say hey little boy you can't go
Where the others go
'Cause you don't look like they do
Said hey old man how can you stand
To think that way
Did you really think about it
Before you made the rules
He said, Son

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
Aw, but don't you believe them

Well they passed a law in '64
To give those who ain't got a little more
But it only goes so far
Because the law don't change another's mind
When all it sees at the hiring time
Is the line on the color bar"

~ The Way It Is

The End of the Innocence

Today marks the end of my 80's hits theme for my blog.

Am contemplating whether I should extend it. But decided nah!

However there's no stopping me from making reference to the 80's again some time in the (very near, I'm sure) future. I don't know why, but there is something about the 80's, in musical terms, I mean. I am practically stuck in a time-warp when it comes to music. Why don't people make songs like they used to before?

Today remains the end of an era - a glorious one at that. But we can also count our blessings for the end of the "bad hair-day" era also. Good riddance to hairspray and shoulder pads, I say.

"Remember when the days were long
And rolled beneath a deep blue sky
Didn't have a care in the world
With mommy and daddy standin' by
But "happily ever after" fails
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales
The lawyers dwell on small details
Since daddy had to fly

But I know a place where we can go
That's still untouched by men
We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
You can lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence

O' beautiful, for spacious skies
But now those skies are threatening
They're beating plowshares into swords
For this tired old man that we elected king
Armchair warriors often fail
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales
The lawyers clean up all details
Since daddy had to lie

But I know a place where we can go
And wash away this sin
We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
Just lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair spill all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence

Who knows how long this will last
Now we've come so far, so fast
But, somewhere back there in the dust
That same small town in each of us
I need to remember this
So baby give me just one kiss
And let me take a long last look
Before we say goodbye

Just lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence"

~ The End of the Innocence

Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

My second born started to have runny nose also. But my first born seems to be on the road to recovery. At least he is eating, which is more than I can say for his eating habit for the past few weeks.

Made breakfast for the family, which is as "domesticated goddess" as I'll ever get. Then read a virtual Sesame Street book on the Internet with my first born. We found a story about Elmo going to the doctor's, which cheered up my son immensely. So we talked about his own experience of going to the doctor's yesterday. I reckon he thinks he's "one-upped" Elmo because he got to ride on an ambulance.

The rest of the day was spent indoors - well, the kids played outside for a bit with "Laukong". I decided to stay indoors out of laziness which seems to be my theme of the day.

"Welcome to where time stands still
no one leaves and no one will
Moon is full, never seems to change
just labeled mentally deranged
Dream the same thing every night
I see our freedom in my sight
No locked doors, No windows barred
No things to make my brain seem scarred

Sleep my friend and you will see
that dream is my reality
They keep me locked up in this cage
can't they see it's why my brain says Rage

Sanitarium, leave me be
Sanitarium, just leave me alone

Build my fear of what's out there
and cannot breathe the open air
Whisper things into my brain
assuring me that I'm insane
They think our heads are in their hands
but violent use brings violent plans
Keep him tied, it makes him well
he's getting better, can't you tell?

No more can they keep us in
Listen, damn it, we will win
They see it right, they see it well
but they think this saves us from our hell

Sanitarium, leave me be
Sanitarium, just leave me alone
Sanitarium, just leave me alone

Fear of living on
natives getting restless now
Mutiny in the air
got some death to do
Mirror stares back hard
Kill, it's such a friendly word
seems the only way
for reaching out again.

~ Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

Doctor! Doctor!

I'm afraid this will be another blog entry in "retrospective" of yesterday. But being one that does not like to dwell on the pass too much, I will just share with you the highlights.

Had some guests come over for a change. It was a nice change. The wife is a fellow Bruneian. They've just arrived here this week.

By afternoon my first born had a temperature. He was coughing and had runny nose since the night before. So we decided to bring him to the hospital. But due to the travel restrictions, there was no way we could drive him to the hospital ourselves. So much to my son's delight inspite of his fever, we had to call the ambulance.

We were at the hospital for least 3 hours, albeit unnecessarily. He had to have his blood sample taken to ensure it was not malaria. Thank God it was not.

"Laukong's" friend came over for dinner. I think that's our social scene sorted for the rest of the year. 2 groups of guests in one day. Staying at home for the rest of the night means we missed the "Bollywood Hollywood" event. Although I'm not sure we'd be missing much.

Everybody's Working for the Weekend

Friday at last! I thought you'd never come! I had a business lunch today by means of invitation from my Legal portfolio. I've never been surrounded by so many lawyers in my life. Unfortunately it was too short. Just when food was served, I had to run off and catch the bus back to the office. So ended up having my lunch packed. Never a dull moment here in Nigeria, like I always tell you.

I managed to get myself nominated to the workshop mentioned previously. The circumstances behind why I was not nominated in the first place is still a mystery. Though I'm not one to start conspiracy theories, I'm inclined to think there's something completely whack about this.

Otherwise, work today was rather pleasantly uneventful which is always a good start to wind down for the weekend.

Weekend starts, as always, with my weekly dose of Kept followed by Survivor South Africa and Africa. Slavco got sent home today. So 2 "divas" are out for 2 weeks in a row. I honestly thought that Jon might get the boot this week. I was not that impressed with his "hosting" abilities, if you can call it that. I was shocked that Gary Rhodes is capable of being such a "meanie". It looked like Hell's Kitchen.

Anyway, I'm tired now. And uninspired. It's been a hard week. Tomorrow will be a brand new spanking day, I hope.

Money, Money, Money

I almost had another bad day today - well it seemed to be on it's way there again this morning. I started off working on some data that needed to be submitted latest today. So as I was almost finished, the PC suddenly switched-off. We had a power-cut. I should have:

• Guessed this was coming when I noticed the air-con had switched off a few minutes earlier (later I discovered from "laukong" that normally when there's power-cut, all PC's had a lag time of 10 mins so people have time to save their work. Apparently not this idiot.).
• Saved the work I was doing every 2 mins like every other paranoid office Dilbert (trust me when I say I normally do this, but somehow today, by means of sod's law, I didn't).

The power-cut lasted over an hour. By which time not only had I got to know one of my colleagues better, it was time to run off to catch the lunchtime bus. And so my work for the afternoon was all cut out for me. As I suspected, the so-called auto-recovery system did not work. I had to re-do everything that I did in the morning.

After work we had a security briefing in camp. It was the usual dreary story about how they don't foresee the security situation improving anytime soon, possibly until after elections. Not to be outdone, the Q&A session as usual was inundated with "concerns" raised by the (non-working - I realise I'm treading on thin ice here) spouse community. I shall not diverge into the details, but the kind of "issues" that were brought up just puts me to shame.

A notable mention goes to this one lady who should have come with a disclaimer as her views were soooooo not representative of us ladies. Of course, I could be accused of being bias, because she's in my K.I.V. file for being a real cow (uncannily she resembles one too). I'm not normally this mean about people, but she managed to piss me off during one of the rare occasions I was able to do the school runs. I was sitting around with all the other mums waiting for the school door to open. She started introducing herslf to literally ALL the mums except for yours truly. I must have had a tickertape on my forehead to warn her not to come near me. Or perchance I was not white enough for her fat arse? Which would be very strange indeed as she's not exactly white either. Come to think of it, what the hell is she? She reminds me so much of people in Dubai - but that's another story.

Anyway, to tie in to the title du jor with today's events - in recogntion of the drastic change in lifestyle that us poor, little EXPATs have had to endure for the past few months and many, many more months (possibly a year) to come, our allowance has been increased! Hooray! But euphoria aside, let's not also forget that no money in the world can ever be in place of security and safety. So let's also count our blessings as well as pray for the safety of our future.

"I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay

Ain't it sad

And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me

That's too bad

In my dreams I have a plan

If I got me a wealthy man

I wouldn't have to work at all, I'd fool around and have a ball..."

~ Money, Money, Money

The Sun Always Shines on TV

I had such a bad, bad, bad day today.

1) It started off with heavy rain. One of the heaviest I've seen since arriving here. The full blown thunder and lightening effect included.

2) Almost missed the bus because my driver was late. So "laukong" had to send me to the bus pick-up point.

3) Onboarded another EXPAT first thing in the morning. After he left, our manager asked who he was. Then I told him that so far so good, except for one issue (boy, did I pay handsomely for opening my mouth). The guy is currently staying at the company guest house in 2 separate rooms from his family. So I told him this was not practical for a family with very young children. So the manager asked what salary group he is in. And by this time his voice had raised by a few decibels enough to wake the dead in Ghana and Gabon. Then almost shouting (or maybe he already was, but I was too paralysed and mortified to notice at this point), he said well he's not entitled for a small temporary house since those houses are meant for managers and others of immortal status. Me as an HR person should know about this "policy"!? WTF!?

4) In the bus on the way home for lunch, a fellow EXPAT colleague asked me if I was going to this HR workshop that is scheduled next week. Obviously I've not heard. So he offered to come to his office to check for more details after lunch. Turns out from the particpants list, that ALL my immediate colleagues have been nominated to go except for...yours truly.

Well, I'm inclined to think that there must be some reasonable expalnation to this. Or perchance I've been forgotten? Since I had a meeting almost immediately after lunch, I only managed to e-mail my boss about the possibility of him nominating me. By the time I came back from my meeting, no response of my e-mail. By now it was already late in the day for me to start a conversation. Also as you will see below, this would be the least of my worries. TRUST ME.

5) With the promotion process almost coming to a close for those in managerial positions, I handed over my portfolio's submission to my colleague who collates all forms. Then she told me that it's ok for me to go to our manager (yes, this is the same manager in item 1) direct for him to sign the papers off.

Naively (again - I have to be more vigilant than this next time. My memory seems to have failed me.) I went to his office thinking all would be a breeze. Another hard lesson awaits me:
First thing he said was that my submission was late (he might possibly have been shouting already - again my memory has failed me).

> The deadline was closed last week! (Oh no, here we go again.)

> Why was it late? (The trap has been set.)

> Did your boss not tell you when the deadline was? (I'm falling.)

> Where is he? (So close yet so far away.)

> Let's go and see him now! (I can start to see my life flash before me.)

> He should be advising his staff and coaching them! (Are you there, God?)

Suddenly the penny dropped and I decided, "No, today is not a good day to die." So I told him that it was not necessary to go outside and confront my boss (I'd like to think that Mr. Manager here had enough feeding for the day to tide him over until after winter and hibernation). I knew the deadline and it was the customers that were late with their submissions. Absolutely nothing to do with my boss.

Managed to calm him down somewhat and (at great risk- and foolishness, now that I think about it) told him that I am now beginning to dread coming in to see him(!!). (I must say - there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity). Much to my surprise (and quite possibly the Grim Reaper's), he told me that I should not feel that way. I should know that I am always welcome to come and speak to him. The more I see him, the less I should be dreading him. SAYS HE. I imagined in my head (had to bite my tongue while thinking this) the perfect retort would have been, "That's alll!"

6) Just before logging-off, I saw an e-mail from Russia about one of their staff coming to work here. By the amount of BOLD fonts in her e-mail it was really the icing on the cake that I needed to end my day. Unfortunately it far too late for me to retaliate lest I missed the bus home. I forgot (must get my memory upgraded soon) how rather "brusque" (to put it nicely) the Russians can be. I should have known better and this shouldn't have come as a surprise to me. 2 years working in Dubai supporting them virtually in Russia has done nothing for me apparently. But I was certainly caught off-guard. So spent the entire bus journey home mentally drafting my response (while being poked at the ribs by this super horizontally-challenged American lady who didn't even have the courtesy to acknowledge my presence - I certainly "felt" hers. I didn't realised that such people are capable of having such bony elbows). Of course as my luck would have it, the traffic jam was worse than usual. So by the time we reached the housing camp I was almost ready to jump out the window from claustrophobia.

Item 6 I expect will...to be continued...after I send my response tomorrow.

Alas, positivity and humour (+ tons of nicotine) remains my anchors to get me through another day in paradise.

"I reached inside myself and found
Nothing there to ease the
Pressure of
my ever worrying mind
All my powers waste away
I fear the crazed and
lonely
Looks the mirror's sending me these days...

...Please don't
ask me to defend
The shameful lowlands of the way I'm drifting
Gloomily
through time
I reached inside myself today
Thinking there's got to be
some way
To keep my troubles distant..."

~ The Sun Always Shines on TV

Buffalo Stance

For lunch the cook served me rice and some beef stew. For once the beef was as per the standard texture that I've been used to before coming to Nigeria. The last time she served beef, my jaw ached for days. She may as well have served the beef with the cow's teeth, so I can use them once all my teeth have fallen off as a result. I've got a feeling that people just don't eat cow or cattle meat here. They probably eat buffalo.

Speaking of buffalo (ox to connect to where I'm gettng at), I just saw in someone's blog a really cute cartoon that has the following quote: "I am not stubborn. I am merely correct". That is just so true. If only you can convince the whole world that. It's like I have this saying when the whole world seems to piss me off, "Aku saja yang pandai di dunia ani" (I am the only smart person in this world).

Anyway, I digress.

"That's the girls on the block with their nasty curls,
Wearing padded bras,
Sucking beer through straws,
Dropping down the draws,
Where did you
get yours?"

~ Buffalo Stance

Introspective

I've decided that this week's entries will have titles of 80's hits/albums that reflect my day. Unfortunately I have missed yesterday. So this will be in place of Monday.

I was having a discussion the other day with "laukong" dearest about how people here in Nigeria seem to use big words in everyday life. Example: "genesis" in place of background; "harmonise" = synergise; you get my drift. It gives me great pride to say that I have just sent an e-mail to someone using one of these "big" words. Another point for me for assimilating into the community. The word in question is "retrospective". You shall be paid your new salary in the November payroll in retrospective. Wow! viz-a-viz (another "big" word!)... this blog entry is written in retrospective of yesterday's. Hah! I'm so on a roll here!

Sesame Street was brought to you by the word "retrospective". I rest my case.

TGIF

Highlights:

• Got the onboarding checklist approved and ready to be implemented.
• Onboarded my first EXPAT.
• Ricardo got thrown out in Kept - beats TGIF.
• TGIF celebration in the office.
• The cook managed to cycle all the way to the grocers. AND back!

The truth about Roni...

...she's a sweet little girl - except she's not so little anymore.
Her mommy wonders where she went wrong.
Now that Roni is a little girl no more.
Now that Roni is a mommy herself.
Her children wonders why mommy is so sad.
Her mommy does not want her anymore.

The truth about Roni...
...she's a sweet little girl - except her chilren are not so little anymore.
She wonders where she went wrong.
Now that Roni finds a man.
Now that Roni has a family to herself.
But her children wonder who their daddy is.
But his family does not want them anymore.

The truth about Roni...
...she's a sweet little girl - except she wants to be that little girl.
She knows where she went wrong.
Now that Roni is a little girl no more.
Now that Roni finds herself alone.
Her children know why mommy is so sad.
Nobody wants their mommy anymore.

The truth about Roni...she is that sweet little girl.

Inspired by Roni (Bobby Brown) and life ~ puteribelibelah

Whatever happened to...?

Alison Moyet
Bros
Chesney Hawkes
Dead or Alive
Edie Brickell and New Bohemians
Fergal Sharkey
Go West
Halo James
Indecent Obsession
Jets (The)
Kool and the Gang
Limahl
Modern Talking
Nelsons (The)
OMD
Pebbles
Queensryche
Richard Clayderman
Sabrina
Toto
UB40
Vixen
Wendy James - Transvision Vamp
(e)Xtreme
Yazz
ZZ Top

Me, inside and out

Me on the outside

When I look in the mirror I see someone who is in desperate need of a haircut (and quite probably make-over).

To look at me you'd never know I've kite-surfed, and sang in a band.

At first sight, people assume I'm a bitch and unfriendly. Truth is, I'm a pretty shy person and don't usually make the first move to say "hello" to people at parties. Big groups freak me out.

My giveaway gesture is I slouch. I've been dong this for as long as I can remember. I wish could tell you it was because of my height. Unfortunately, I do this to hide my boobs. Minimiser bras still have along way to go.

I'm glad no one can see me when I get all dressed up for nothing. It's my way of de-stressing.


Me on the inside

I'm truly myself when I'm at home with my family and with my close friends. I'm a classic introvert. But when I'm with my loved ones, I can be pretty goofy, funny and entertaining - much to my husband's amusement, I'd like to think.

I knew it was love when I saw myself growing old with that person.

If they made one, I would like an off-button to stop me thinking about things that bother me during the day. I have this habit of carrying the world's burden on my shoulders.

My secret insecurity is laziness. I'm scared of being complacent in everything I do. Conformity scares me too.

I get myself out of a low by having some "me" time.

I hide the fact that I admire Victoria Beckham. Deep down, I am superficial.

I believe in karma because what goes around, comes round. Don't really want to go into details. But patience is a virtue, and don't be mean to people.

If I've learned one thing it would be to not care too much about what others think of you. I wish I had realise this so much earlier on in my life. Don't look to others to endorse your actions. Be true to and love yourself.

Template stolen from eve magazine, September edition.

Talam dua muka gone Scarlett

We got our driver to buy us a local Nigerian CD. The singer is called 2 Face. It's quite a good CD actually. One song actually featured Beenie Man (!). So that's our cultural assimiliation done for the day. No "wahala".

Just flipped through the October edition of British Vogue with Scarlett Johansson on the cover. What's the big deal about her anyway? It just occured to me that she is highly over-rated. Have you noticed that apart from the red-carpet, her dress sense is really nothing to write home about? Of course I could be biased. Afterall her current beau, Josh Hartnett, comes from a backlog of "future husbands" carried over from my days as a singleton

(Brad Pitt, you're still top of the list. I forgive you for Angelina. Never was in Team Aniston anyway).

Hopefully darling "laukong" will not be reading this blog. But since I know how "kaypoh" he is, I'm sure I will have some explaning to do (*sheepish*). But no worries, Babe, you shall be paid handsomely.


Scene+Heard:
Feeling a little bit nostalgic. So am currently listening to Belinda Carlisle. Just realised that she actually has a good repertoire. Why did it take me almost 20 years to realise that? Has it really been that long since "Heaven is a Place on Earth"? Am I really that old? I rest my case.

Random rumblings

Got a call from a dear friend who lives in Gabon. It was so nice to hear from her. It always is. She was calling from The Hague and she has shopping plans for the weekend (wish I could join her). We managed to swap blogs. Saw a lot of elephant photos. I guess people weren't kidding when they say you can have tea with elephants in the garden. The elephants were so cute! Must make a point of visiting her in Gabon. Sadly, I have yet to experience any elephant sightings here in Nigeria.

Random happenings:

1) Our bus got left behind and had to play catch-up with the rest of the convoy. Apparently the driver was a "Graduate Development Trainee".
2) Saw a vulture on the office roof top while on a fag break.
3) Had a meeting with the Legal Director and noticed that the corridor to his office had fancy carpets.
4) Found out one of the blogs I've been "kaypoh-ing" (admittedly) belongs to a friend's ex-husband's current wife.

It's just another manic Tuesday

Work, work, work after a nice long weekend. And so the story goes. Had to skip lunch because my meeting lasted until about 2:30 p.m. Lost my appetite by then. But soooooo needed the fag.

The office suffered black-out for about 30 mins. I was told that it was NOT a common occurence. What a disappointment!



Key words today: Aperture; exposure; wide angle; shutter.

Kodak Moments

It was unusually sunny this morning, and I had a sudden burst of inspiration when I saw a red flower in the garden. So I decided to take some photograhs.

All these photo takings have brought me back in time to Dubai where I first got bitten by the photography bug (of course it didn't hurt that I got my first camera there either).

To date I am still using the same camera which is the Sony Cyber Shot. So next on the Christmas list shall be a camera upgrade. Heh-heh.

So darling husband, if you are reading this, you should get the oh-not-so-subtle-hint. Does Leica V-Lux I sound good to you? You shall be paid handsomely. Heh-heh.

Happy Birthday Nigeria

Got a sungkai invitation last night at another one of our Malaysian colleagues' house. Am starting to feel pressured and obliged now to reciprocate somehow. The curse of not having the ability to cook means we might never get to return the favour. Oh well. At least we - well husband actually - contributed teh-tarek last night.

Today is a public holiday. 1st October is Nigeria's Independence Day. There will be a big party planned next weekend at the Thisday Music Festival. Check out the article below to find out who will be there:

Beyonce To Play Nigeria’s Independence Day
by Andrew Tijs

September 27 2006

Superstar Beyonce has agreed to headline Nigeria’s first annual Thisday Music Festival.

The inaugural festival is a celebration of the West African nation’s independence from the British in 1960. The two-day event will take place in Lagos on October 7. And Beyonce isn’t the only high-profile US star to play the show. Hip-hop and R&B royalty will fill out the bill, which includes Jay-Z, Ciara, En Vogue, Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes.

In a press release, Beyonce said "It's a great thrill to come to West Africa for the first time to celebrate Nigeria's independence. I feel blessed for this opportunity for my all-female band and me to appear on stage with some of the world's most talented artists and share the universal message of peace, hope and beauty that music brings to all of us."

The name of the festival comes from Thisday, one of the largest African-owned media groups on the continent, publishes newspapers, magazines and online.

Source: www.undercover.com.au

Not quite 24 hours

Not quite an eventful Saturday but I do need the rest. Started a 24 Season 5 marathon - well, almost. Watched it until disc 3. Will have to continue tomorrow. Other than that, nothing much to update today.