The heart of a nation

P W D L GF GA Pts
Nigeria 3 3 0 0 5 1 9
Senegal 3 1 0 2 2 3 3
Ghana 3 1 0 2 2 3 3
Zimbabwe 3 1 0 2 2 5 3


I know that my obsession with the Super Eagles is a little bizarre/disconcerting but this ACN campaign is turning out to be one of the most exciting that I have seen in a while. I am so proud of my boys, and thank God that Obafemi Martins has finally broken his goal drought. But most importantly, I want to focus on the heart of the team. Once again, Kanu has shown us that he has the ability to pull the Nigerian team together simply by walking onto the pitch. The playmaker got the boys to step up their game after what was actually a fairly abysmal start. Most importantly though, the Eagles have shown the other African nations that it is never over until it's over. They continue to exhibit the determination and control required to achieve the desired result.

An honourable mention for the Zimbabweans who were impressive against Ghana they showed strength of character, and refused to come away from Egypt without something to show for their efforts. Their South African neighbours could do with learning a thing or two from them.

John, John!

All hail the newly crowned prince of Nigerian football. John Mikel Obi has ensured that my weekend will go perfectly well. All other African teams take note, the measure of a great footballing nation is ......Why bother telling you? Just watch Nigeria: Look, listen and learn! Nigeria 2 - Zimbabwe 0. Nuff said.

The Perils of Womanhood

This post will probably be a tad difficult for anyone who isn't a black woman to relate to, so apologies in advance. Why is it that hairdressing salons seem to be under the impression that we all have nothing better to do than spend hours sitting around twiddling our thumbs while we wait for them to make us look half decent?

Yesterday was an all-time low in the me vs hairdressers saga. I spent 6, yes I repeat 6 hours at the salon. Now if I was getting a facial, manicure and pedicure in addition to having my hair done it wouldn't have mattered. All I went in for was a relaxer and haircut! I arrived at 5pm and left at 11.30 at night. Shocking! What made matters worse was the fact that I had an appointment. I'm not sure why they even have appointment systems. They should just put up a sign "All who enter should be aware that they may never see daylight again".

What I find more bizarre though is that this ailment appears to be limited to salons catering specifically to black folk. Its catch-22, if I go to a salon generally aimed at the caucasian population then I can expect to spend an absolute fortune because "Afro hair presents unique challenges!" or so they say. If I go to a salon catering specifically for afro hair, then I can generally expect to sit around for hours while they chew the fat and occasionally get around to doing some hair!

I of course came out with hair so short, I feel like a freshly plucked chicken. Check the result out above!
No one said the pursuit of beauty was painless.

Nigeria 1 - Ghana 0

In your face! The Super Eagles nearly gave me a heart attack today when I thought they were attempting to have the audacity to end their game against Ghana as a draw. Luckily, and yes I repeat it was pure luck, fate determined that we were not embarassed. The rivalry goes back as far as I can remember, but I don't care whether we scraped the victory or not. All that matters is that we won and they didn't! Funny how these football rivalries work, all logic and reason seems to fly straight out of the window!

Alas, poor me...

Sinusitis has stilled my mighty pen (or keyboard!) for too long! In other words I've been rather ill, but I'm coming round now. Almost 100% again. It's been a fairly calm couple of weeks, with not much to report on the new developments front. The weather in NYC continues to behave schizo..frost one day..spring-type sunshine the next...torrential rain the next..can't seem to make up it's mind...it's a little like most of the men who pass through my life!

I seem to be missing the girls a little more than usual these last couple of days. I'm a litle more sensitive than I should be at the moment. Normally I can just take things people say about me in my stride, put them in perspective and move on. I have it on good authority that someone I thought was a good friend was speaking about me in a less than complimentary manner. It wasn't what was said, it was the way it was said. Without getting too caught up in the semantics of the whole thing, the general idea was that I am too deviant of the typical behaviour expected from a young nigerian lady of good social standing.

You know what though, just putting it down has made me gain perspective. To all those who think I'm too retro...too bloody right. I raise my index and middle fingers to you in salute!!

BUFFY
You are Buffy Anne Summers. You are very strong.
The leader of the Scooby Gang. Fighter. Friend.
Vampire Slayer.


Which Character from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I'm feeling.....

Blissful. Happy. Relaxed. Today is a good day for me, for some reason I'm feeling uber-content. It's a strange reflection of my general frame of mind that I can't help but think that this feeling is too good to last, and that something is waiting right aroung the corner to shatter my idyll.

It's been a fairly uneventful day thus far(of course its 10.30am, so that's probably speaking too soon!)consisting of me sitting at my desk toiling for "THE MAN". Monday saw my return to the kitchen for the first time in ages. K came over for dinner so I made coconut-jollof rice for the first time. Even I was impressed with the outcome. It was also my roommate, Debbi's introduction to Nigerian cuisine. I think she took it pretty well, there was minimal sweating involved!!

Yesterday, I went to Bliss, a local bar after work with the visa section crowd. It was interesting noting that dynamic again, I haven't done that for a while. I had to step out of myself for a little while and observe the group interactions. It was almost like watching the National Geographic channel. 'Observe the girls preen as they coyly push their hair behind their ears and giggle at everything the boys say.' This mating call was of course answered by the two young men(in a true reflection of todays world, women outnumber men 3-1 in the visa section!)as they puffed out their chests and and threw their heads back. It was at that point that it happened. I couldn't control it. A huge cackle of laughter escaped my mouth, and it was all downhill from there. I laughed so hard, I started crying. End result: Efe calls cab and goes home where it takes her a further 15 minutes to calm down and stop laughing. Post Script: Half of the visa section will probably never talk to Efe again!!!

Movie of the year already?

brokeback mountain
Originally uploaded by dedicatedshopper.

When going to see a movie about gay cowboys who fall in love one doesn't necessarily expect to come out with valid life lessons. I went to the movies for some controversial entertainment and came out a changed person. "Brokeback Mountain" is skillfully directed, and incredibly heartfelt. It is an incredible testament to the prowess of the actors that after their initial encounter you stop viewing them as two guys. They are simply two people in an impossible situation trying to make it work. I began to recognize issues faced in heterosexual relationships, and in spite of the fact that their relationship is clearly hurtful to everyone around them you cannot help but hope that they will somehow make it work.

I came away from it all with a renewed sense of the importance of living in the now and ceasing the day. I urge you..buy your tickets now!!

Becca wished it...

trad
Originally uploaded by dedicatedshopper.

so here it is. Another picture of my sister and her husband on their big day. I realised that posting the picture of them in their western attire was probably not entirely representative of the experience. Besides the outfits are just so beautiful!

It's funny, as a youngster I always appreciated western clothing more than anything else. I wouldn't be caught dead in any traditional Nigerian garb. Being forced to don iro and buba was serious punishment to me! Looking at my sister's outfit though, it rivals anything to be found on the catwalks of Paris or Milan. Which begs a serious thought, why is Nigerian haute-couture not being exploited and pursued more aggressively? And I don't mean catering purely for local audiences, why is this incredible art form not being sold to the rest of the world as bonafide fasion as opposed to kitschy afroccentric gear? Lagos Fashion week 2006?

Sniff....sniff!

yems & efs
Originally uploaded by dedicatedshopper.

Today I got some of the wedding pictures from sis, and the first one i opened was this one of me fitting her with her veil on the wedding morning! Sniff, sniff...I kinda can't believe it's over. It's a little sad..but I'm extremely relieved. It is however nice to look back at the pictures and remember how extremely happy she was on the day. Its also incredibly depressing to look outside and see how grim the weather is....and remember how fab it was on that day!

Not much new going on, I found out today that I may be off to San Diego early next month, England in the middle and Houston/Austin at the end. With trips to Chicago scheduled for next month, the old travel itin is looking pretty full eh?

New Year...new leaf...new vices?

2006...New slate? What will make this year so different from last? Hard to tell, although you suposedly start as you mean to finish. If that is true, then I'm in for a far more relaxed and laid back year than the last. Last year, I greeted the arrival of '05 in a massive warehouse in Manchester with Keji and her band, larging it to the sounds of Groove Armada! This year, I opted for the more sophisticated approach and saw the new year in quietly with my roomate over a glass of red wine. So here's to 2006.....who knows whats around the corner!!!!!!