Saturday, January 27, 2007

Yes, Yes, I'm a slacker....I know!

Nkem tagged me ages ago, but I've just managed to pull my finger out. So here goes:

Four Jobs You've Had in Your Life

  • Upper Crust Dogsbody - I had the indescribable pleasure of working behind the counter/in the kitchen/wherever I was needed at the Fenchurch Street Station Upper Crust. It was a vital moment in my education, for it was there that I learned that the boiled eggs put in sandwiches do not come from inside a shell , they come from inside a bag filled with some dodgy aqueous solution with a scarily long shelf life.
  • Call Centre Monkey - I have had the pleasure of this mind-numbing, soul destroying job with far too many organisations to bother going into detail. I like to think it made me a better person, but I know that is just reaching!
  • Immigration Specialist - I worked in Immigration until about a year and a half ago. Lets just say that being on the other side of that counter totally changed my perspective.
  • Trade & Investment Associate - My current role, I'd tell you more but then I'd have to shoot you....

Four Jobs You Wish You Had

  • Singer - Not necessarily of the world famous variety, but just well known enough that I would never have to do anything else for a living. All those nights of hardcore partying put paid to those dreams
  • Writer - I was certain for a long time that I was going to be a writer, but life intervened. That is one ambition that I may yet realise.
  • Buyer for Harvey Nichols - Imagine getting paid to feel the pure satisfaction that comes with spending copious amounts of money...but without that sour taste the bank statement usually leaves in your mouth.
  • Minister of Education for Nigeria – I haven’t quite worked out what my policies will be, but I know that one of them involves ensuring every child is issued a library card at birth….there is nothing more off-putting than ignorance.

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over Again
· All the President’s Men – Always fascinating, even though it was made before I was born. This movie always makes me consider journalism, what could be more satisfying?

· Lord of The Rings – I will not even bother to break the trilogy down and choose favourites since it is one movie and therefore only as great as the sum of its parts. Suffice to say even though I have seen it at least 50 times, it never gets old.

· 25th hour – In my opinion, the most engaging heartrending and profound piece of work ever delivered by Spike Lee. Besides, I find Ed Norton to be the most dynamic actor of his generation.

· A Bronx Tale – If I was making a list of greatest movies of all time, then this one wouldn’t be on it. But In terms of watching over and over again, I never ever get tired of this movie. I’m not sure if it is the music, or the fact that it is a coming of age tale but for reasons that I cannot explain I love it.

Four Cities You’ve Lived In

  • London – I believe I have gone into detail on numerous occasions of my love affair with London, so no need to get sidetracked here.
  • NYC – Not sure if I love it or hate it, it definitely depends on my mood. One thing is for sure, there is nowhere else on earth like it.
  • Lagos – I mention Lagos because I firmly believe that it is more than a city, it is definitely a state of mind.
  • Offa (Kwara State) – I could have mentioned some of the more exotic cities where I have taken residence, but it feels right that this section should be rounded out by the city known as “the home of sweet potato”

Four TV Shows You Love to Watch

  • Heroes – Undoubtedly the coolest thing to happen to American television in years. It is every comic fan’s dream come true and yet it manages to be so much more.
  • Buffy/Angel/Firefly – I group all these shows together because I pretty much love anything that comes from the brain of Joss Whedon so if I had to list them separately there wouldn’t be any room for ‘owt else!
  • The West Wing – Two words…Josh Lyman. There is no point in extolling the virtues of the West Wing, if anyone missed it the DVDs are a must have. Always brilliant, always challenging and sorely missed.
  • Prison Break – Because Wentworth Miller can go on the run with me any day.

* State of Play deserves a place of honour because it was the most fantastic drama I had seen on the BBC in a long time, but as it was a miniseries it didn’t quite fit the criteria.

Four Places You Have Been on Holiday/Travelled to

  • Barcelona – Simply awe-inspiring.
  • Barbados – Possibly the most expat-populated piece of square footage ever known to man.
  • Dijon – My mate went to school in Dijon for a while and lived with a French family, fun was definitely had.
  • 48 US States and counting – Hawaii & Alaska are yet to feel the force of my presence. Somehow I get the feeling that Alaska may not be ready yet.

Four Websites You Visit Daily

  • BBC News – Can’t start the day without the word according to Auntie.
  • Wikipedia – I love doing random article searches, plus I am a free-association whore, so Wikipedia is the air that I breathe.
  • Television Without Pity – Their tagline is “Spare the Snark, Spoil the Networks”. Pure genius. Besides, I am a forum whore so of course I have to get my fix.
  • Empire Online – With my passion for film, that was pretty much a given!

Four of Your Favourite Foods

  • I want to say plantain, but it is more specific than that. It has to be dodo or there is no point. As a kid, my tagline was “No dodo, No hunger”. Not much has changed, nuff said.
  • Carnitas Burritos fresh from Chipotle. Accept no substitutes.
  • Pork soup dumplings, made fresh from the Excellent Dumpling House in Chinatown. Mmmmmmmhmmm.
  • Oddly enough I love Spinach, I really hate egusi, but efo riro is a thing of beauty.

Four Things You Won't Eat

  • Sweetcorn - Easily the most disgusting poor excuse for a vegetable out there.
  • Chocolate Ice Cream - I'm sorry but it just tastes too gross for words.
  • Mushy Peas - I will never cease to wonder whose bright idea it was to come up with such nastiness.
  • Tuna (of the canned variety) - It absolutely stinks, foul.


Four Things You Wish You Could Eat or Drink Right Now

  • Pepper Turkey Gizzards - freshly prepared by my mother is the only way to eat them.
  • Suya - Not the crappy variety that people in London try to come up with, the real deal...newspaper and all.
  • Fish & Chips - As soon as I left London, I developed an intense passion for fish 'n' chips.
  • Ribena - Impossible to get out here without paying through your nose for it.


Four Things In Your Bedroom

  • Guitar - I have both an acoustic and an electric sitting there gathering dust, I haven't played in over a year!
  • Fight Club poster - Like I said, it's an Ed Norton fixation.
  • Taz - I have a stuffed Tasmanian Devil toy. It is one of those version that vibrates and says stupid little phrases, it has amused me on many an occasion to the dismay of all those who are forced to listen!
  • DVD Box sets - I have box sets of virtually every TV series that I consider worth watching, hours of endless amusement!

Four Things You Wish You Had in Your Bedroom

  • Floor Length Mirror - That would be amazing, fewer trips into the hallway.
  • Walk-In-Closet - My closet is in the hallway, which is the single most irritating thing in the world.
  • Sound system with all the bells and whistles - Instead I have to make do with a crappy boom-box.
  • Plasma screen TV - I think it would blend in much better!


Four Things You Are Wearing Right Now

  • Ugg Boots - I wear them all the time, even when I don't have much else on.
  • DangerMouse T-Shirt - I am very attached to it.
  • Shorts.
  • Alice Band - Always fashionable, even at home!


One Place I'd Rather Be Right Now

  • Lagos - Just for one night, to see someone special.


One Fictional Place I'd Rather Be Right Now

  • Neverland - I'm pretty sure there are no bills to pay there.


Four People You'd Really Love To Have Dinner With

  • Wentworth Miller - He doesn't have to say anything, just sit there and look pretty.
  • My grandfather (on my dad's side) - I could really do with being enlightened.
  • Siobhan (my boss from my first call centre job at the Halifax, i can't remember her last name.) - purely to gloat and to clarify that her predictions that I would never amount to anything couldn't possibly be further from the truth.
  • Barack Obama - He would probably be a phenomenal conversationalist.


Four Things You Are Thinking Right Now

  • I have no idea what I'm going to wear when I go out tonight.
  • I could really do with a slice of pizza.
  • I should really go and pick up my laundry.
  • The next payday cannot possibly come soon enough.


Four of Your Favourite Things/People

  • La Familia - I hate being so far away from them all the time. Could really do with seeing mummy right now.
  • My girlz - Bessie mates are definitely among the best things to ever happen to me.
  • Oxford Street - On a Tuesday morning when most people are at work and I can shop till I drop.
  • Barnes & Noble - My favourite thing to do is to hit a bookstore and spend hours browsing, reading, buying, whatever.


Four People You Tag



12 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Babe, You said it urself!! U r a slacker!!! Most of us did this meme tag AGES ago!!!! Did mine in October - I think.

Upper crust dogsbody, call centre monkey - u do have a great love of previous jobs u've had hence the vivid description. LOL!!

What?!?!?! Sweetcorn is lovely!! I adore it!!

4:57 AM  
Blogger Marin said...

Nice blog; nice post and I like the nice descriptions.

Like Calabar gal said, most people have already done this meme. By the way, do you know why its called a meme?

1:34 PM  
Blogger Monef said...

@ calabar gal - You know what they say, better late than never and all that! As for the descriptions about my jobs, I never realised how traumatised I was until I started writing! Everybodfy thinks I'm weird for hating sweetcorn, I hate cucumber and watermelon too!

@marin - I know original concept of a meme referred to a way of thinking or unit of information being transferred from one mind to another. So for internet purposes it is a disambiguation.

9:29 AM  
Blogger uknaija said...

I second the suya thought- newspaper and sliced onions- and me worrying that the mallam's sharp knife will slice off my finger as I try to steal a quick piece before he finishes slicing it all up

11:59 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy New Year...

I agree with calabar girl.....(kettle/pot)

7:51 AM  
Blogger c0dec said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

4:01 PM  
Blogger c0dec said...

why do we like and hate the same food?!! my mum told me the first time she fed me egusi as a kid, i spat it out. and i hold the record back in my undergrad as the guy who ate the most plantain in one seating. holler!

oh and yeah, "heroes" rock! - so much that i even blogged it.

4:09 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Longest wish-list/done-that-List I have read since the getting an American visa became a mirage....

4:49 PM  
Blogger Monef said...

@aba boy - Happy New Year to you too oh..long time!

@uknaija - i dreamt about suya last night:)

@c0dec - a 'dodo' person is a corrct person in my opinion!

@omoibadan - I'm Nigerian, I can't help but waffle. It is in my blood!

2:37 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Mine's done! I stole some of your favorites (Suya! Yummm...)

12:16 PM  
Blogger Nkem said...

Well done! What is it about guitars and lack of strumming. I have one just sitting there as well...

11:38 PM  
Blogger Olawunmi said...

you know that i got tagged and did this meme when the earth was still a child right? lol.

sweetcorn is fabulous. mushy peas and tuna suck!!!

how are u?

9:57 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home