Thanksgiving, aso ebi, tailors etc

Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post, its kind to have people who care.
Chacha, thanks for the text, you are a darling.

Yesterday, I and one nice lady who gives me a ride to work were talking about tailors and aso ebis. The amount people ask to pay for aso ebis these days, na wa!
I mean, seriously, why 50k, 80k for aso ebi?! Is this me been too.... frugal?
My friend, who is married with 2 kids has this mummy figure in their church. The woman has really been good to them in lots of ways, you sha get it, she means a lot to them.
So mummy's son is getting married and the aso ebi is 70k and in lagos.
He has decided he isnt buying but his wife will buy, you know us Naijas with all those ties and how we feel indebted to people. So by the time he calculates the amount he will spend on flight, hotel accomodation, transportation within lag and aso ebi, you are talking about N200k. On one person's wedding! SHUO! We are not even talking gifts o. The guy is just a lawyer like me struggling to make ends meet and then he will throw 200k on a non-relative's wedding? Thats a tad too much and I so hold.
I like the idea of aso ebi but then, no be everybody wey u call come ur wedding get armed robber salary or be governor pikin. I tink people should embrain demsef abeg!

Speaking of aso ebi, its closely linked to tailors. E be like say d day wey dem do freedom for most tailors, dem swear for dem join.
To find a good tailor is not that hard. But from experience, i notice that once they sew about 5 cloths for you without too much dissappointment, the rest counting from 6 will be disastrous.
Take my Abraham for example, i gave him 2 materials for my friend's wedding, 2 months ahead of time with payment. Guy did not make my cloths o! He kept posting me. On the eve of the wedding (which was in ilorin), Abraham was neither in his shop nor had he made my cloth!
I did small were for him: I called him and said I will lock his apprentice up, break his shop and pack his machine and valuable customers cloths.
In short, he showed up and we had to carry him and his machine to my house to finish my cloth in my passage cos he didnt have light in his shop. He finished just one of them around 4am. And the trend goes on. I pray the new one will keep his sanity longer than Abraham.

Its thanksgiving, yay! Yeah right, like am in America. But i always love this period, it ushers in xmas. I feel chrismasy already.
There's so much to be thankful for. If i do a list, it will be very looooooooooooooooooooong! Just a few of the items on that list:

Journey mercies: You'll appreciate God more if you live in Naija and travel the Abuja-Lokoja route. Its a miracle everytime I pass thru that horrible road.
Job: Even tho my boss frustrates me a lot and make me cry, I still cant imagine life without a job.
Family: Love them, in spite of the little little annoyances here and there, its lovely to belong to a family.
Bubbly: Aww, what can I say...... He's God's personal sprinkle of sugar on my life.
Blog Family: Extra spice of life.
Friends: I believe so much in friendship and I've been blessed with good ones.

A whole lot more on that list, will take me the whole day.
God's been so kind. For all those little, big, known and unknown blessings bestowed on us. I am really really thankful.

So what are u grateful for this thanksgiving?

PS:

Still need the questions to answer for my 100th post. Keep them coming!

Today I let it all out... And it feels good

I spent a better part of my working hours today in writing an epistle to my father...

If you've been frequent on this blog, you might have known a thing or two about my family. Basically, its not the normal kind of family. My parents try to co-exist under the same roof, they hardly talk and just try to stay out of each other's hair. But of course, if there are loads of scores to settle between two people, minding their own business cant be that easy; there's always going to be clashes.

I grew up knowing the situation between them to be rocky and I never really enjoyed a close and loving relationship with my Dad. He's loving in his own way but very difficult and intolerant. Lots of issues that I have chosen to get past.

So Monday morning I open my box to find an e-mail, actually an epistle from him. It was actually written to an Uncle and then he copied me. Going into the details will take me the whole day to explain.
Anyway, i took the opportunity to express emotions that have been bottled up inside of me all these years.
Somehow I have always wanted to but then I calculate what it might result into: the accussations, ensuing epistles, plenty talks, more hostility when I go home etc and just shove it aside. My mum thinks its me being scared but its not, its just me managing the situation the best I can. At least I dont have to see him or talk to him that often and am grown now, its not like he's gonna flog me or deny me school fees.

It took me a lot to forgive my Dad for some of the things I held against him. I hated him and then later I just simply made him irrelevant in my life.

But all that's changed now. God could have a lot of sins to hang over my head if He chose to but He doesnt so I ought to be able to forgive anyone. Even my Dad. Plus when you refuse to forgive someone who has wronged you, somehow, you empower them.

Now I love him and pray for him but dont get too close so we dont have issues.

But today, after lots of prodings and encouragement, I wrote that epistle and expressed myself, without being rude. I dont know what it will cause but I want to believe its the best thing to do.

Last week I and Bubbly had the biggest row ever, out of anger we considered breaking up. It was so scary but thank God we settled the issues and are back again.
I know I want a very successful and happy marriage, I dont want to go thru what my mother went thru or put my children in such difficult situations. I may not have emperical knowledge about marriage but I sure do know it can work if both parties determine to make it work, with the resolve to both give it the sacrifice and tolerance it needs.
I also know it takes very little and almost irrelevant issues to destroy a marriage that has all the potentials to work.
Sometimes I get scared and wonder if mine will go down that way too. But most of the time, I assure myself that it wont because I want it to work and Bubbly is not my father.

I am relieved I did that epistle today.

Abacha Barracks, 100th Post...

silly silly silly image uploader, it did everything the wrong way!!!

I will explain in the post....

Ok peeps, wats good? wats really really good? How was Sallah? Please those of you wey suppose "post" us sallah ram make una no forget or else i will come knocking on your pages one by one.

Was a nice break, save for the cold/flu I had, I dont know how i managed to catch a cold again, its so annoying. Was sleeping and dozing and all the effects of cold and actifed just set in. Arrgghhh!!!!

In spite of the cold, tuesday evening was fun. Bubbly and I went out with this lovely family, young couple with their baby. They took us to Abacha barracks for some lovely roasted fish and chips.

That brings me to the pictures. The first is the AFTER while the second and third are actually the BEFORE states of the delicacy. It was WONDERFUL! Fish with pepper and onion sauce, potato chips and lime to taste, hmmm!!!!!

If you live in Abuja and havent been to Abacha barracks, you never chop life for Abuja o, lol.

They are well versed in the art of roasting fish in that place. Maybe I will go learn and get my own space. We shall name it Omotee's spot and you shall all patronize me ......hmm, nice idea

Managed to eat 2 pieces of fried ram yesterday, the cold is really dealing with me. I just hope my colleague wont catch it now, I've been sneezing and blowing on everything in sight today.

Just to share the Abacha Barracks experience with ya. Let me know when you're in town so we can enjoy some fish (yeah, we know who''s paying right?!) lol.

And oh!

If i am correct, this should be my 98th post and will make sure next week God's willing I reach my 100th post!

Its something to celebrate I guess, most people do. I am ignoring (and enjoin you also to ignore) the fact that I should have reached my 100th a long time ago. I stumbled on someone who has about 1900 or so posts and i was adequately dazed - 1000 posts!!!!!

I'm hoping it will be fun. So considering the fact that I have absolutely nothing to blog about in my 100th, except I get some sort of epiphany (imagine, I know someone whose name is Epiphany!) am going to do what most people seem to do - I will answer ANY and EVERY question you guys ask me. Ask me anything and I will answer.

Disclaimer:

While not refusing to answer any question, I reserve the right to answer the questions the way I want to, in other words, I am not confined into a YES OR NO format and for the purpose of that post, everything I say is true. At least, truth by Omotee's definition.

Tanks so ..... let the questions begin from your comments on this post!

I am excited already!!

PS:

I shall upload a picture of me. Yes I shall.

PEACE!

Yay!!! He has done me well!

God is good
He has done me well
Oh my soul
Rise up and praise His name....

Make una sing with me o!

This testimony might look small to you but its BIG in my sight.

You know how house rent is in Abuja now, ok, just in case you dont know, its as if you work for your Landlord, at least for lots of people sha.
I try to save some of my salary every month in order to meet up for rent but somehow this year, there have been lots of expenses, trips etc and somehow it didnt look like i would be able to pay my rent on my own.
Things were not looking good outside too, at least from the people that can help. I just kept praying and hoping that something, a miracle will happen before the end of this month when my rent will be due.

I have this bad habit, when i have a need or a problem, i pray and trust God but i go ahead to make my own plan B which just sounds like: just in case God doesnt get up to it, i will save my ass somehow.
So i dumped that habit and God just surprised me.
This morning, i got some money and after paying my rent, i will have more!!!

I'm EXTREMELY happy and i just know this end will end on a good note.
And for you reading this post, something really wonderful will happen to you before the month runs out!

Have a great week yáll and for our muslim folks, happy sallah. Post my meat o!

My Boss is a ******!!!

Happy New month people.

Its feeling christmasy already init? or is it just me?


About that title, hmmm, after this post/rant, you can put the appropriate word/phrase.

Last Saturday was one of the most annoying days of my life, literarily.
You know when something's not going nicely and there's not one thing u can do about it? yeah, thats how it was.

I'll give u a little background info. Bosslady is actually a family friend, so while the work is professional, there's lots of unprofessional duties assigned to me that i have to do, unfortunately so. I am a Legal Assistant, Personal Assistant, Registrar, Daughter and lots of other duties that i dont even know how to describe. And i cannot complain.
You know how in Nigeria, your merits arent the only thing to get a job, connections matter too. Thats how i got this job. Thats not to say i dont deserve the job or anything. And i dont get special favours or anything. She is bloody meticulous and my work, like everyone in our office is 2ce that of our counter-parts. Anyway, u get the idea, i no fit complain.

So in that vain, last friday she said we'll be going somewhere together on Saturday. Some occassion. I was to be at her house for 7am and i was. Amidst my cramps and all.
For the life of me, i could not have imagined we were travelling out of town - some village in Kogi state, 4 hours trip!!!! As in, it did not tally with my saturday plans at all. i imagined at worse i'll be done with her by 4pm max. I must have been dreaming a very silly dream.

I was mad, angry, livid (same meaning i guess). I yelled and ranted and raved at her. In the confines and comfort of my mind of course. That was just bloody unfair. She had no reason, absolutely none to not tell me where we were going. Haba! I am a frigging adult and that does not come within my scope of duties.
She has this thing of being Jamesbondish with her routine - she doesnt really tell people she's travelling or where she's going - I get it and i honestly dont mind. As long as am not going with her. But in this case, I was in the picture, i damn well deserved to know I was going out of town.
I know there must be some reason for it, I just dont know what yet.

So, typical me, i ranted a bit to Bubbly, swallowed my anger and just tried to enjoy the trip. Read and slept. It was someone's 80th birthday. We took off around 4pm and didnt get back to Abuja around 9.30 pmish. Traffic at Kwali and Gwags.
Another shocker - We didnt eat! Yep. My stomach was empty save for some stupid digestive biscuits we had on our way back. I had to eat it cos i had to take cataflan for my cramps.
I know and pray and have faith that that kind of day will never come back again. It was just wrong.

Bubbly was so mad. He's been mad at her for a while now but thats a different book entirely.....Some political/family issues......

He is asking me to consider another job but i believe when its time for me to leave, i will leave, not just bcos my Boss is a ...... feel free to fill in the gap.
There's a reason i took this job, and i considered that it might not be easy. Until that reason is fulfilled, am not letting anyone frustrate me out of it. Not even boss lady.

Enough rants already - Phew! Good thing i let that out eventually.

So this is wishing y'all a nice wknd thats free of crap and crappy people.

PS:
Dont forget to title my post!

Ciao!