ROUTE 321

I met an old woman, who really put a smile on my face and got me thinking. I mean when an OAP decides to have a conversation with you, you listen (well thats how I was taught anyway). Even if you wanted to do a runner, it ends badly for you when u realise for example that your going to be riding the same bus with them for a while. Anyway, yes there was an old lady and this was our second encounter (not sure if she remembered our first) but I digress.. back to my story. It starts with the usual opening line 'hello dear, do you know if the bus just left' or 'sorry love, do you know what time the next bus is coming' (they assume you must be going the same way, which is why you are at the bus stop... not considering that u might be waiting for a lift, lover, friend).. moving on; you respond '10 mins' and thats when the flood gates open. The woman just went on and on... I mean literally in the 10 mins we were waiting for the bus (yes, I was waiting for the bus too) I learnt she was going to visit a relative - who by the way she really didnt want to go and see. I knew what party she voted for in the election and who she had always voted for, she told me about an incident on her last bus journey. This involved a naugty nine year old boy who 'she set straight', of course we talked about the weather and how she almost got ripped off by a taxi driver. He wanted her to pay twice the fare but after she informed him that she had 'people in the business', the cabbie agreed for her to pay a reduced fare. I bet the cabbie was more scared of her wrath and who she knew, that he just could not chance it!!!!
The bus did come (finally) and of course the conversation continued. She doing all the talking and me responding some what enthusiastically with 'oh ok', 'really?' (all the while trying to plug into my earphones discreetly but hoping that she got the message) - she did. She made the decision to let me enjoy my music but remained in my line of sight so she could say something if she caught my eye! Not only did she change seats thrice and still within my line of vision, she ensured that I knew when the bus was going to be heading back. I mean Bless her! she really was a sweet old lady. On the occassion when our eyes met, she told me she decided she was not going to visit her relative afterall and was just on the bus for the ride! Thats when it hit me, this woman was soo lonely that she needed to get out of her house, be out and about on a cloudy spring day with temperatures almost identical to winter and it saddened me. Why you might ask? well because most of us will get to that age and may or may not have to be out and about but will experience loneliness. I mean many of us are not her age (she was born in the time of WW2) and experience this already. For instance, spk to my old man today and he was doing almost the same thing, out and about (not in freezing temperatures), visiting family!!!!! Coincidence or a certainty?

nights at the museum

Right, I have not been on this page for a while and its because I have been busy!!!!!!!!!! graduation very soon and I need to keep my focus tight like a braid!!!! however I do have time or should I say try and make time to breathe every now and again.
I never knew attending an 'adults only' science museum could be sooo much fun... firstly, big up to the staff of the science museum as well as the sponsors.. they run a wicked show... but before I keep on singing their praises, I think it will only be fair to say one, two or three things about the evening.. firstly and most importantly its FREE!!!!!! yep F R E E... secondly u get freebies from whoever the sponsor of the event is, thirdly we get to play with all the gadgets and of course the bubble show is a MUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but on a more serious note, it really was a good evening as you can tell and it just goes to show that we are all just grown up babies really... if you do decide to attend one, check out thier website, it is a sponsored even held once a month. p.s the silent disco is a very good way to end your tour!!!!!!!!!

Pandora's Box

I am caught between a rock and hard place! the feeling is not a good one at all... there are a lot of things on my mind that I need to say and many actions to take but as Senge infers everything is a cause and effect.. to put my thots into action means i will be opening Pandora's box! however not doing anything is suicidal.. this past few weeks have been emotional... too much going on... of late, I feel like I have been living another life, more like an out of body experience... I am loosing my hair and I am all skin and bones but there still no light at the end of the tunnel... argh!!!!!!!!!!!!
The noose getting tighter and I feel like I am going to snap any minute now... I need to keep the worries on the inside right??? easier said than done ....

wind of change

Berlusconi wants to run for a third term and the whole of Europe cries out in outrage! so what if the man has had bare issues- sex scandal(s), mafia connections and of course not having the interest of Italy at heart. Its the voters voting that need the pep talk and not the man. After all, democracy is for the people, by the people or is it... Beppe Grillo begs to differ. He has been banned from going on T.V for about 20 years, but you know what they say ' when you need to say something, you will always find your voice', I prefer the pidgin version 'person wey wear shoe, know where the thing the pepper am for leg'.
According to him, Berlusconi is irrational, old and Italy needs a wind of change. when I was watching the documentary, I was thinking 'hmm... interesting, it seems the western world is having leaders comparable to their African counter parts'.. I mean only in Africa will a president be in power for more than 20years and not even be considered old nor irrational. The feature ended with the presenter saying 'only Italy can a man facing such controversial issues and accusations survive so long. My response was 'welcome to my side of the world'....

crush on route 142

ok, how many people out there think that the bus drivers for tfl are hawt????
trust me, I think they are... what, manz are fit still!... trust me they come in different shapes and sizes and I mean in a good way... I think I find it particularly amusing when your desperately hoping that he notices you or maybe you catch his eye in the mirror and then there is that knowing smile cos u both know ur thinking' he aint bad u know'....
Neil, this one is for you...

Grumpy old women is entertainment at its best... It involves literally women who have come of age and are going through identity crisis! these women moan and groan about various things ranging from how they have become their mothers, to 'empty nest syndrome' - when their children go off to university or leave home. They express themselves 'colourfully' and not too seriously (well thats the idea). I am not a grumpy old woman - yet, but I can feel their pain!
The world must really be scary when you realize you have become the person your parents warned you about!

Giving thanks

At work on the weekend, I had my first experience with a text phone and to say it was scary is an understatement!. It was hard work but my heart went out to the intermediary on the other end! her typing skills must be like 300 words a minute. I have to admit it tested my ability to communicate effectively to the max! but I am proud to say as a professional, the litigator in me kicked in and before long I was given them the facts about their accounts. It was still difficult because the conversation is prompted by 'go ahead'. For lack of wanting to sound slow, (trust me I am not, I be naija) it was difficult but I managed it.
I can not begin to imagine how people who require such services feel, i guess we have to be thankful for technology and the innovation it brings to make our lives easier. We really should not take things for granted at all... I remember a prayer from school:
some have food but can not eat, some can eat but have no food, we have food and we can eat......
be thankful....

I have tried to experiment with audio blogging and I have decided it might just be the remedy I am looking for. After all I am not a writer, author nor journalist... besides I don't think I will be fulfilling my blogging responsibilities to the fullest- blogging is real business!
And so I just might be speaking more than writing in the hope that it catches your attention and maybe, just maybe instill some kind of emotion.

Dub, lost kingdoms of africa & chinese new year

It never ceases to amaze me how the Chinese embrace their culture so openly and in turn we non- Chinese enjoy and celebrate with them ( even when most of us don't know what the year symbolizes lol!)- year of the tiger????
The lost kingdoms of Africa- a BBC feature that explores the heritage and culture of Africa, made me even more proud of my 'africanness'. Yes it might be considered sad that I have to view my roots through the eyes of a westerner, but sometimes an alternative view is needed to see clearly! In the museums of the western world lie artifacts from home that have been stolen or should I say 'taken' from the people because the white man didn't believe that works of such beauty and intellect could be produced by a people better known as barbaric.....
To be honest I have never really explored what my roots has to offer, I mean of course we did study our culture, people and heritage in school but learning by African standard was for future prospect(s) - go to university, get a job (preferably white collar), get married and then the cycles starts all over again with the next generation. learning about who you were was more related to your tribe and defined by where you grew up, the school you attended, family and friends around you etcetera. If you happened to migrate to a new location with people who are disimilar, you were not really encourages to get to know them as such, there was the underlying rule- safety in numbers & sticking with your kind. it is a rare and wonderful feeling to know that even if we who are Africans take for granted what we have, the world still appreciates and pays homage to a history so rich and colorful.
Any one reading this must be thinking i am having a 'rootz moment' and you are not far from the truth. It might be because I find myself subconsciously assessing myself or maybe i try to see how things are connected, I mean after all everything is related- 'cause and effect' or is it??? take DUB for example. what is DUB you might ask? well my dear reader I will try to educate you on what I know. DUB is a genre of Jamaican music that started all kinds of music. Its history goes as far back as the 60's in a time where the talent of a man was determined by the work of his hands. where music and its instruments were made from broken down equipment by legends such as 'scratch'- who for the love of the music and the purity of the sound; made it possible for we the ones after them to still have respect and derive joy from it. Many a DJ still use it for meditation, try to incorporate it into their sound but like my people say ' if e no be panadol, e no be the same thing as panadol'. simply put, DUB can not be created the way it was back then. These DJ's agree that hip hop as we know it now rap and thing evolved from DUB. You might disagree with this but the concept of rapping over a track came from MC's 'toasting' over a track that had been dubbed..again I am in awe of how strong the history of our people really is. for more info on DUB, visit http://www.uvm.edu/~debate/dreadlibrary/bush.html
I leave you now with a quote that is really dear to me- 'to thyself be true'... so easy to say and yet so hard....

beginners blog

its supposed to be simple this blogging concept or is it? I mean its sharing your thots, views, fears, aspirations with no one or an ever growing audience (If your lucky). I should have tried this a long time ago but my fear was not knowing what to blog about. I am not a 'qualified' blogger but then who is. Its just random rantings after all, so hard can it be?
I was told long ago, to be able to write well is to write what you know (or was that a line in a movie)? anyway I am going to apply that here and write what I know. This could be random rantings, emotional words, dark thoughts or perhaps things with no meaning what so ever. I think I should make this my online diary that will allow me say all the things I want to say but still give me the sense of anonymity... I shall stop here for now hopefully I will be back with a witty piece of writing or nothing at all.....