So, I needed to buy some facial exfoliator/facial scrub. I checked the stores and couldn't find any that I wanted because the options were very limited. Ladies know that you don't joke with your exfoliator. It a huge part of the skincare regimen. So, needless to say, it was a bit frustrating. That is one item I did not stock up on!! It was an oversight!
Anyways, while making arrangements to have some sent/brought over, I had to improvise and yup! I made some myself! I rememebered that I had somewhere at some point learned how to make body/facial exfoliator so without further ado, I got in the kitchen and wala! I had my very own homemade exfoliator! Now, the true test was in using it -would it work or would I have break outs big time! LOL! Well, it worked!! Yay! I must say, I just might have to package that stuff and sell it! LOL! I just need to find a name for the skincare line....hmm...Anyways, as they say "desperate times call for desperate measures" and sometimes you don't know what's in you till you are in a situation and you have to figure it out...uh oh, now I'm preaching! :)
Alrightie, later :)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Top Ten Things You'll Notice About Abuja
10. The air is different. I can't really explain it but it's just different.
9. Everyone uses their car horns. Sometimes way too much. All you hear is "pe, pe, pe!!!" Quite irritating.
8. There are not many, if any, skyscrapers like you would see in other cities but there are a lot of pink roofs. It's kinda cute. LOL.
7. The roads are actually pretty ok.
6. There are a lot of bad cars on the road that emit A LOT of exhaust fumes. Probably what adds to the air being different. Essentially polluted.
5. When it rains, it POURS!
4. The food is great! It taste like real food. Not all that over-processed stuff. The plaintain is plaintain! ALL ORGANIC baby! LOL.
3. The drivers are CRAZY!
2. You can't really find everything you are used to seeing in the stores so come prepared i.e. stock up on goods.
1. Naija is home and regardless of its shortcomings, it will feel good to be home :)
Alrightie, later :)
9. Everyone uses their car horns. Sometimes way too much. All you hear is "pe, pe, pe!!!" Quite irritating.
8. There are not many, if any, skyscrapers like you would see in other cities but there are a lot of pink roofs. It's kinda cute. LOL.
7. The roads are actually pretty ok.
6. There are a lot of bad cars on the road that emit A LOT of exhaust fumes. Probably what adds to the air being different. Essentially polluted.
5. When it rains, it POURS!
4. The food is great! It taste like real food. Not all that over-processed stuff. The plaintain is plaintain! ALL ORGANIC baby! LOL.
3. The drivers are CRAZY!
2. You can't really find everything you are used to seeing in the stores so come prepared i.e. stock up on goods.
1. Naija is home and regardless of its shortcomings, it will feel good to be home :)
Alrightie, later :)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Driving Situation!
Driving in this country is truly mentally draining. It is irritating, frustrating, and annoying!Everyone seems to be in a hurry for no apparent reason! It gets worse when there are no traffic directors conducting the traffic or when the traffic lights are not working. Something NEEDS to be done! When driving here, you have to pay attention to EVERYTHING. I don't know how people talk and drive here cos that's hard to do!
Nigeria needs a traffic revolution! They need to create a Driving Task Force or something that would crack down on the crazy drivers! Seeing is truly believing and unless you come here, you can't fully understand the frustration with which I write this!
Having a driver (chauffeur) is NOT a luxury in this country o! It is a necessity if you don't want to have to deal with the craziness on the road! Pay someone to handle it. Although, I have to say that even when you are a passenger, you feel the stress and sometimes react because people really drive crazy!
Phew! Which way Nigeria! We have a long way to go! This traffic thing is truly a trip (no pun intended).
Alrightie, later :)
P.S.: Please feel free to leave a comment...I know you're out there reading this :) No pressure though :)
Nigeria needs a traffic revolution! They need to create a Driving Task Force or something that would crack down on the crazy drivers! Seeing is truly believing and unless you come here, you can't fully understand the frustration with which I write this!
Having a driver (chauffeur) is NOT a luxury in this country o! It is a necessity if you don't want to have to deal with the craziness on the road! Pay someone to handle it. Although, I have to say that even when you are a passenger, you feel the stress and sometimes react because people really drive crazy!
Phew! Which way Nigeria! We have a long way to go! This traffic thing is truly a trip (no pun intended).
Alrightie, later :)
P.S.: Please feel free to leave a comment...I know you're out there reading this :) No pressure though :)
Friday, September 12, 2008
The Mall
I went to Ceddi Mall yesterday. You know, just wanted to check it out. See what's popping. Yeah, it was interesting. It's not a very big mall. Just three floors. Free parking. They have a Swatch store, Wrangler store (huh?), Nu Metro, Nike store, boutiques, accessories store, make-up store (where MAC eyeshadow is approx. 4300N = $35!!). Anyways, it's certainly a good start but there's always room for improvement.
Alrightie, later :)
Alrightie, later :)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Is it me or is it just Abuja?
So, before I left Chicago, I was always complaning about the weather and why in the world it was cool (or sometimes cold) in August! Geez, like, it's suppose to be hot and humid! Anyways, it's Chicago and there ain't no telling what the weather would bring.
Anyways, it gets chilly in Abuja, fa. Can you imagine? I didn't know it could get that cold in Nigeria. Abi, is it just me...I don't remember it getting that cold in Lagos back in the day, but then again Abuja is further north. So, I guess I can't completely escape the cold weather even though the coolness in Abuja can't compare with the brutal cold approaching Chitown. Now that is one thing I will NOT miss about Chicago, the WINTER!
Alrightie, later :)
Anyways, it gets chilly in Abuja, fa. Can you imagine? I didn't know it could get that cold in Nigeria. Abi, is it just me...I don't remember it getting that cold in Lagos back in the day, but then again Abuja is further north. So, I guess I can't completely escape the cold weather even though the coolness in Abuja can't compare with the brutal cold approaching Chitown. Now that is one thing I will NOT miss about Chicago, the WINTER!
Alrightie, later :)
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Tantalizers
So, I didn't get my pedicure yesterday cos friends stopped by and we gisted and caught up. It was so nice to see them and it didn't even feel like it had been almost 10 years since I saw them. Anyways, we hung out in the evening at a couple of spots. It was interesting...
Oh, did I mention that the day I got to Naija, I went to Tantalizers? Lol. I had fried rice and chicken but man, I was craving a true Naija meatpie! They didn't have any meatpie so I got a sausage roll instead. It was good :)
Alrightie, it's like 1am and I need to go catch some snooze but I'm still on Chitown time. I should get over it soon.
Later.
Oh, did I mention that the day I got to Naija, I went to Tantalizers? Lol. I had fried rice and chicken but man, I was craving a true Naija meatpie! They didn't have any meatpie so I got a sausage roll instead. It was good :)
Alrightie, it's like 1am and I need to go catch some snooze but I'm still on Chitown time. I should get over it soon.
Later.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
After so long...
It was just 3 months shy of 10 years since I left Nigeria when I decided to pack my possessions (and sell those I couldn't take along) and move back to Nigeria. I had no idea what to expect. My dear friends in the Chi (Chicago) told me to be in for a culture shock. Afterall I hadn't been back to Nigeria in almost 10 years, not even to visit! (I know that is crazy).
Anyways, my long trip (long because I had a 12-hour stop over in London!) began on a Wednesday. Some great friends escorted me to the airport. It was quite an emotional scene. My best girlfriend in Chitown was holding out and had vowed that she would not cry but couldn't hold it any longer when she had to leave for class and we hugged for a long time. I thank them all for making me feel so loved (thanks guys!).
Anyways, I arrived in London the next morning, mentally but not physically ready for the 12-hour stop over. I had been packing for about a week or two prior to my trip so needless to say I was exhausted. Over the 5+ years I was in Chicago, I had accumulated A LOT of stuff. I couldn't believe the amount of stuff I had in my apartment. It was quite unreal. I spent about 7 out of the 12 hours of the stop over sleeping. I walked around a little bit. I couldn't wait to for the wait to be over so that I could head on to Naija.
Finally, after a slight delay it was time to board the plan for Abuja! By this time I was tired and still quite emotional from already missing my friends. Then I saw them, my fellow Nigerians beginning to make their way to the boarding gate. It all looked strange and familiar all at the same time. During the flight, it was your typical scene, Nigerians acting all funny, not listening to the attendants, not being respectful of their neighbors seating space, etc. Overall, it was an ok flight.
Fast forward through immigration, I was waiting for my luggage and the horror story my friend had told me about how BA has a tendency to loose luggage began to flood my mind. It seemed like the belt had gone round once and I didn't see my bags. Oh boy, I started thinking of all the nice stuff I had bought and how it would not even be funny if they were lost. Anyway, I had prayed and I trusted that I would get my bags. Sure enough after waiting a while, I spotted one bag and subsequently the remaining two (yes o, I had to pay $160 for the extra bag!!).
After all the checks, etc. I waited a few minutes and then spotted the fam. My mom and one of my brothers (the other one is in Jand). It was a great reunion! The drive from the airport was nice. Of course we saw some crazy drivers, pulling all kinds of stunts on the road. I really wish I had a camera because the scenery was quite nice. We got home, I saw my room all prepared (thanks mom), we talked, etc. Since it was early in the morning, my mom got ready and went to work. My brother and I continued gisting and catching up (hadn't seen him in years). I was so excited to be back in Nigeria. I was really tired but couldn't get myself to sleep because I was excited and was taking it all in. Spoke with some friends from Chicago, sent some emails, checked my Facebook. Told my brother to contact his friends so we could hang out since it was a Friday. Anyways, we ended up not hanging out because by the time two friends were ready, it was quite late and needless to say I was fast asleep.
The next morning, I was awakened to the sounds of praise. A neighbor was getting ready for a naming ceremony and they were setting up canopies, chairs, tables, while the music played loudly. Aww, it was so sweet. I hadn't seen that in years. Plus, they were songs of praise to God. It was a nice way to start the day (praising God).
Today is Saturday. I'm going to get a pedicure and catch up with a friend or two later in the day. It's good to be home.
Alrightie, till next time.
Anyways, my long trip (long because I had a 12-hour stop over in London!) began on a Wednesday. Some great friends escorted me to the airport. It was quite an emotional scene. My best girlfriend in Chitown was holding out and had vowed that she would not cry but couldn't hold it any longer when she had to leave for class and we hugged for a long time. I thank them all for making me feel so loved (thanks guys!).
Anyways, I arrived in London the next morning, mentally but not physically ready for the 12-hour stop over. I had been packing for about a week or two prior to my trip so needless to say I was exhausted. Over the 5+ years I was in Chicago, I had accumulated A LOT of stuff. I couldn't believe the amount of stuff I had in my apartment. It was quite unreal. I spent about 7 out of the 12 hours of the stop over sleeping. I walked around a little bit. I couldn't wait to for the wait to be over so that I could head on to Naija.
Finally, after a slight delay it was time to board the plan for Abuja! By this time I was tired and still quite emotional from already missing my friends. Then I saw them, my fellow Nigerians beginning to make their way to the boarding gate. It all looked strange and familiar all at the same time. During the flight, it was your typical scene, Nigerians acting all funny, not listening to the attendants, not being respectful of their neighbors seating space, etc. Overall, it was an ok flight.
Fast forward through immigration, I was waiting for my luggage and the horror story my friend had told me about how BA has a tendency to loose luggage began to flood my mind. It seemed like the belt had gone round once and I didn't see my bags. Oh boy, I started thinking of all the nice stuff I had bought and how it would not even be funny if they were lost. Anyway, I had prayed and I trusted that I would get my bags. Sure enough after waiting a while, I spotted one bag and subsequently the remaining two (yes o, I had to pay $160 for the extra bag!!).
After all the checks, etc. I waited a few minutes and then spotted the fam. My mom and one of my brothers (the other one is in Jand). It was a great reunion! The drive from the airport was nice. Of course we saw some crazy drivers, pulling all kinds of stunts on the road. I really wish I had a camera because the scenery was quite nice. We got home, I saw my room all prepared (thanks mom), we talked, etc. Since it was early in the morning, my mom got ready and went to work. My brother and I continued gisting and catching up (hadn't seen him in years). I was so excited to be back in Nigeria. I was really tired but couldn't get myself to sleep because I was excited and was taking it all in. Spoke with some friends from Chicago, sent some emails, checked my Facebook. Told my brother to contact his friends so we could hang out since it was a Friday. Anyways, we ended up not hanging out because by the time two friends were ready, it was quite late and needless to say I was fast asleep.
The next morning, I was awakened to the sounds of praise. A neighbor was getting ready for a naming ceremony and they were setting up canopies, chairs, tables, while the music played loudly. Aww, it was so sweet. I hadn't seen that in years. Plus, they were songs of praise to God. It was a nice way to start the day (praising God).
Today is Saturday. I'm going to get a pedicure and catch up with a friend or two later in the day. It's good to be home.
Alrightie, till next time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)