Inside the Middle East

What if reality exceeds your imagination???

ultra morden city

     Season’s Greetings! This post should have come earlier but the issue was that I had so much to say and I know how lengthy post puts you off. Therefore, I had to do major reconstructions. I decided to skip the annoying pre-inside-the-middle-east tale featuring Nigerian Immigration, aviation security etc, story for another day. I'll quickly add that I've discovered over time that taking leave of work is not your right rather it's a rare privilege, story for another day too!

      So I came. I saw. And I wowed! Wow is the only all-encompassing word or sound to describe Dubai, adjectives won't do it justice. In this city the Arabs don't do anything by halves from the buildings to shopping malls to the beach everything there has to be record breaking. The attitude is the bigger the better. So keywords here are tallest, biggest, grandest, the first, the only, 7 stars, man-made or artificial. They say it's the Las Vegas of the Middle East. The city never sleeps, always alive and well illuminated at night. The generally acceptable language is English or more of bad English lolz. People are friendly. Arrived at the world's largest airport terminal, the Dubai  International Airport Terminal 3 - massive structure.

      Checked out sights such as the world's tallest building Burj Khalifa among other skyscrapers scraping the sky. Well constructed  innovative architectural structures looking so unreal and extravagant. The world's only seven stars hotel Burj Al Arab shaped like a yatch on an artificial island, The world's largest shopping mall Dubai mall that has a large Aquarium (kinda an aqua zoo) and an Olympic size indoor ice skating rink. It is not possible to to cover the entire mall in one day even if you are just window shopping. Beside it is the World's largest dancing fountain, watched the captivating rhythmic choreography of water, light & sound. Other malls visited are City Centre, Dubai Marina Mall and Festival City. I was at the Gold Souk (The Gold Market), home of the world's largest gold ring (Najmat Taiba). I was opportune to be at the world's tallest hotel JW Marriott Marquis Dubai Hotel. Breathtaking views at Dubai marina home of the tallest residential buildings. Witnessed the dazzling display of fireworks at the Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) on their independence day. Jumeirah beach boasts of clean and fine sand, the water is crystal clear and warm. And the sun shines everyday, talking about perfect! they say its artificial too. Others sights visited include Dubai Creek, Dubai Creek Park. Not forgetting the safari dessert sitting in a Toyota Land Cruiser that jumps through the dune, wild ride, dune bashing, sand skiing,belly dancing, camels, shisha and an Arabic buffet dinner. I had Ethiopia food, Chinese food, Texas cuisine thanks to Texas Road House & Buffalo Wings finger licking experience, how did I omit Paul's Financiers - yummy cake, The farm restaurant, Dubai sharwama *different from ours*. I can't leave out the velvet roar of Ferraris and Lamborghinis on the road or at the parking lot talking about luxury. Visited other emirates like Ajman & Sharjah even went to another country. Yup! Oman.

      I spent only a few days so I couldn't do everything I wanted to do, so many places I didn't visit and so many rides I didn't go on. Enjoyed my trip very much, looking forward to returning soon. Then I should have so much money that I can afford to waste it lolz. Money aids enjoyment *winks* ;) you gotta to try and make it to Dubai someday. And the post is still long, i didn't even say everything.

To Be or Not To Be

Some say natural hair isn't for everyone ... but it grows from your scalp! it can't get anymore "for you" than that - Abraham Lincoln

 

     Early this year I relaxed my hair in March, my next hair style was  full frontal fringe, there was no need to retouch the frontal part of the hair reason being that it was full closure.  Next, I decided to try kinky braids. I heard its better done when one's hair is due so I didn't  bother relaxing my hair. I loved my kinky braids. I got so many compliments on the hair. Customers at work were requesting for directions to where I got the braids done. Even my mom that hadn't braided her hair since forever went to get hers done just like mine. Somebody also asked if I was part of  "them" team natural. 

     Then I realized that I was accidentally transitioning. Maybe it was as a result of the compliments I recieved, I wore the hair longer than I should have. On the day I took the braids out it was war, couldn't comb my hair. Consequently I had to practically pour a bottle of ORS Conditioner on the hair just to detangle and comb it, plus I had to solicit the help of mum. After about an hour and some minutes we were finally able  to comb through sha. Though I was left with a banging headache and hair loss regardless of this I was impressed with the increase in growth. I left the hair fallow for the next week just wore a wig to work  during the period it wasn't easy trying  to comb through the hair that week still I wasn't ready to relax it yet so I braided the hair again.

     As previously stated I haven't used a relaxer since March and what's more I haven't decided whether to sustain the trend or go back to relaxing. Natural hair is hard work in all honesty I don't think I'm cut out for that. I read somewhere that there is a middle ground between relaxed and natural hair called texlaxed hair. Still weighing the my options sha. Maybe I'll just stay in between. Dunno sef...

See Jamb Question

Na so he see me for road one day, He come dey ask stupid questions. Have I met you before? Is your brother Paul? Did you go to my school? Does your daddy play football?

Yea i know I went AWOL since the last post and for that I would like to apologise. Life has been crazy, hectic, new, exciting and weird.Quite a number of  posts went stale in my head. Sorry about the long silence

Few days ago, after work I picked up my phone from  where I abandoned it all day and saw that I had several unread messages demanding my attention. The numbers of messages from  my high school group on WhatsApp caught my attention (cause the turn up had been low lately) but on this day participation was higher than usual. Well the subject of discussion  was "So what's your favorite song of the moment?". Someone mentioned "jamb question" was on replay amongst others. I had never heard the song then ( please don't look so surprised I know it should be stale for some people by now but you know what they say better late than never). The title was catchy so I promised myself to look up the song but never did. 

In the early hours of the morning today, I coincidentally came across a post  by one my favourite bloggers titled "Simi is Bae! Jamb question has been on replay" with the YouTube link to the music video and was like "this song again". Quickly, I downloaded it full of expectation. People! it didn't  disappoint. I love the 80's or is it 70s theme (I don't know sef), the location, the costumes, the colours, the concept, Simi's voice, the dialogue, the  hilarious lyrics. That dude Falz, he wont kii sombory honezly plus his yoruba intonation used in the rap at the end. Favourite lines were "does your daddy play football?", "did you ever go to Redeem?" "did you ever spoke with him?" lolz. Anxiously waiting for the rest of the video....

                                                  

Every "Ifem" has a "Ceiling"

I finished reading "Americanah" few days ago. It was a long read. Americanah left me with mixed feeling particularly with the ending,*Lolz* maybe because I began to dislike the lead character - Ifemelu. My dislike for her crept in half way into the book and even more at the end. She started of as a sweet and intelligent girl along the line ended up being a judgemental and selfish being. *sigh* She is truly an "Americanah", both strong and weak, both prickly and vulnerable. She is just different.This is honestly the first Nigerian love story i have ever read.

Though I ended the book not liking the turn out of events, its a suspense-filled page turner. It  shows the author's narrative, descriptive and captivating power to hold the attention of its readers keeping them interested and entertained as they read It also shows that one doesn't have to like the protagonist in a book to actually like the book. I love her style of writing.

Obiwon's "Obi Mu O" started and she sat still and silent as the words filled the car. This is that feeling that I've never felt… and I'm not gonna let it die. When the male and female voices sang in Igbo, Obinze sang along with them, glancing away from the road to look at her, as though he was telling her that this was really their conversation, he calling her beautiful, she calling him beautiful, both calling each other their true friends. Nwanyi oma, woke oma, omalicha nwa, ezigbo obi m o. 'Americanah' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

That happened in chapter 52 of the book. Reading about two people-Nigerian like myself for that matter - in love and singing along to Bracket's "Yori Yori"  and Obiwon's "Obi Mu O" *smiles* what can i say "Soulmates".  It was written with such detail that activates the imagination and allows one relate to reality.

While I was reading I could actually feel the love there. After I finished with the book I immediately YouTubed Obiwon's "Obi Mu O" and also downloaded the audio version of the song and it has been on replay since then. What is it about this song o! I have always loved the song but it had been long since I heard it. Very lovely song. Igbos representing. Powerful lyrics. Strong beat. I was listening dance to it at work and my colleagues were also feeling the song with me too. Lolz.

It was a good story despite my "beef " with Ifemelu.         

The Reason Bread Doesn't Last...

Dear Peanut Butter, thank you for existing. if somebody tells you that you are putting too much peanut butter on your bread, Stop talking to them because you don't need that type of negativity in your life.

     Can't remember the age i fell in love with it as it has long been a guilty pleasure. The whites "ndi bekee"would call it peanut butter (creamy) and Igbos call it ose oji (chunky). I hate garden eggs but i love garden eggs with ose oji. Idon't really like bread but i love bread with peanut butter. You get the gist??

     I bought Skippy (a peanut butter brand) as a change from the regular butter we use at home. It was amazing the rate at which bread was consumed and also the rate at which the peanut butter jar was emptied. It was indulged in various ways we could think of - eaten with bread (toasted, spread in between the bread or spread on the outer part of the bread), biscuit, garden eggs etc. Sometimes i found myself scooping a spoonful of peanut butter straight out of the jar and licking it.

   The bread never passed a night in the house. Even when you didn't feel like eating bread because of Skippy you find yourself eating  bread. The day Skippy finished, the bread stayed days in the house without anybody touching it. My little sister went round asking everybody if they wouldn't eat bread and we all laughed.

I wonder if my fondness and near obsession for peanut butter is shared.