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Hmmm... the things that one hears in public places. There I was just minding my business about how the heck I'm gonna pay off my rising debt crisis. Dont you just hate it when you have to be forced to look at those unopened envelopes just so that...
Now this is a question that has me wringing my hands. Not in the manner that one would assume when questioned by officious looking persons pretending to be overly friendly whilst they pick your brains over your application for a job you've just signed...
What the heck is going down? You spend aeons revising to pass the goddam exams only to find that you are categorised as being over qualified or just lacking in the experience in the advertised post you go for! Just a while ago I was toying with changing...
Ok. I'm back after what one sista in the members list has called my leave of abscence to be that of going awol. Lemme just hope I'm not going to be taken to task over that - sometimes, its refreshing to listen to what others have to contribute...
It’s definitely a black thing…
A colleague of mine’s daughter is going to be a year old this week. The first thing I could think of asking her just to make conversation mind, was what she was planning on doing for her in a way of marking this event. I was surprised in fact that she stopped to talk family with me – usually polite exchange is the order of the day albeit we are the only black faces in the unit as well as being both Africans. Mind you she’s from Ghana and from dealings of past – persons from this side of the continent tend to take themselves to be of slightly better standing than from other parts of the African continent. Though this is not the reason for the limited social polite exchange we often have at work – just a case of both not ‘clicking’, that’s if you get my meaning.
Anyway her reply to my question made me see her in a different light and actually I found similarities in our personalities – we are both strong and possibly opinionated which is not necessary a good recipe for friendship…
She told me she wasn’t holding a party for her daughter’s first year mark-up simply because her daughter was too young to understand and appreciate all the commotion, which would end up making her irritable if anything. Also, she simply didn’t find utilising her finances towards such a celebration to hold water when she required investing in her kids’ long-term private schooling – she’s got two children. To say her response didn’t get my attention would be an understatement… Still, (and very difficult I have to say on my part) I remained silent allowing her to elaborate.
She went on to expound about a recent party a month back involving a member of her extended family. The couple had splashed out over £5.5k for their child’s first birthday. There had been three very large cakes to rival most wedding cakes, this had been estimated to have cost just under £2k. The remainder of the costs had been towards the cost of hall hire, entertainment (DJ) decorations, catering and hire of a limousine to ferry the couple and child to the venue. This cost hadn’t taken into account the cost of clothing for both the child and couple btw… and they changed three times during the event. Throughout the event, the child in whose honour the party was for – was far from looking pleased aside from the initial possible 10seconds on arriving at the venue looking admittedly like an angel…Possibly royally not in agreement to being kept awake beyond her sleeping time not to mention the amount of people all wanting to get their hands on her cheeks in addition to the noise from the sound speakers!
The party was down to commence at 2pm, the reality was it started at 9pm. That is to say that’s when the hosts arrived at the venue. At 2pm, the hall was just being decorated with food etc, and by 6pm, a hint of what was to come was slowly beginning to take effect. In all this – most guests were oblivious to the real person’s age to which this party was in aid of as the booze that was flowing around in addition to the ‘muchomo’ plus all varieties of fish and meat chunks, you’d be hard pressed to find a child of one year tucking into. That is unless you wanted social services putting a damper on things with arrests of child abuse anyway… Mind you, I got give it up to these guys, you can not say you were not fed as an adult anyway!
Then came the fashion parade… (At times I’m surprised there is still gold left to be mined), according to my colleague – you were not dressed if your headgear didn’t block out the light to create a shadow and didn’t try to eclipse 50cents. I guess the headgear is all about wanting your beer to remain cool on a hot day! The dress code was such that you had to hold an account with D&C in handbag attire not to mention the shoe department. It couldn’t be those one by that Chinese fella ?Jimmy Choo – I’ve yet to come across sistas from Africa willing to chop off one of their toes to accommodate those shoes! In any case, my colleague has long been given up on as she’s not sport to joining in on these casualties of fashion/dress wars which leave nobody untouched I have to say – even the guys are caught up in it!
Listening to her narrate her birthday party experience, I couldn’t help agreeing with her to what she was saying and felt a bond to her I never had before. I’d long given up and considered myself just cynical to such things – besides most have given up on converting me stating I’m a lost cause to the western attitudes.
Seriously I cannot get my head around the way we do things as Africans in general! We can spend so much money just to impress persons with external shows only to wake up the following day without a penny to even put fuel in the flashy car we drive!
At least I’ve discovered a kindred spirit in my Ghanaian colleague…albeit we still have issues – I’m a bimbo in her eyes as she’s a fully pledged scientist. Which makes me wonder… are people overlooking the brains behind those who choose to market themselves as bimbos?
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It's a well known fact - we are obsessed with the topic of weather over here in the UK and I can truly understand why following yesterday's witnessed show of it. No sooner had we put away our winter coats and boots, gloves and scarves in preparation...
Hair! Be it short, long, curly, wavy, thin, thick or whatever; us ladies love our hair. Being a slave to hair can be comical if not serious business. You learn patience you never knew existed outside child rearing almost parallel to the same financial...
The topic for weather is threatening to burn holes in the tongues of people here. The snow fell for just one day in my area chosing other parts of UK to bestow it's prowes. However this one takes the prize. Talking to a friend he imparted something...
I've skipped the routine of the week and cut to the chase for Friday's events... Having made the children sleep in their uniforms (Yes I did do this once upon a time) for Thursday so that I can for once try and make it in early to the office stuffed...
Whoever wrote that bull about it being better to travel hopefully than to arrive has never done a school run. Looking back, this was the order of my school runs! The children start to fight about who gets to sit in the front. Solve battle by ordering...
A little while back when this blog thing on ugpulse was opened up, one of the members very aptly let us into the daily workings of his life back in Ug and made me envious to the hilt! Well I thought why not take to the pulpit and share what gives in certain...
I wasn't going to blog about such a tedious experience, but found sitting down listening to a weblinked ugandan radio station left me torn between pointless surfing and muted TV. Most of you prolly look back the last festive season leading up to the...
Back to that time of the year when wherever you look, tinsel, jingles or bright coloured baubles are gleaming to outshine each other. Someone asked a question at work the other day - when should one start putting out christmas decoration? I wasn't...
I realise the tubes are electronically driven but I really hope that the drivers are not blind or just sat there for reassurance show (btw this is not intended to offend visually impaired persons), as some of these tanoy announcements are made inappropriately, either in virtually empty carrying carriages or in over-filled ones!...
I do not believe we all should follow suit like clones, but rather that we listen to our hearts and do what comes naturally to us without conforming to the expectations of all that can constrain us. We only get one chance at life without any replays....
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