sweet november

‘What a difference a day makes
Twenty four little hours…
…What a difference a day made
And the difference is…’

er… the difference is ME!

*Singing & Dancing*
‘...As you see me so
Edumare don bless me oh...’

I’ve changed but yet I’m still me. The clock struck 12 midnight a few minutes ago and thus rang in my birthday. My only tradition for years, on the day, is popping on a destiny’s child single called ‘birthday’ from their first album…

*Singing*
‘It’s your birthday you have to do nothing’… er… except go to work!!!

Good Shepherd thanks for all the mountains you've moved so I could have another today.

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who stole the car?

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orisirisi

I love the fact that as human being we have the free will to choose to do something. This is usually preceeded by some consideration of the merits (or demerits) of numerous options before selecting a course of action.

I remember a quote from one of Neale Donald Walsch's books... ‘Every decision you make—every decision—is not a decision about what to do. It’s a decision about Who You Are’. I guess that's why the thought process behind the decision is also an important one.

Making a choice is itself a problem as the there is no way to always determine all the actual resulting outcomes it causes. So all causes have a beginning… actually, in truth, all causes are the beginning because for every cause there is an effect.

On Tuesday night, I instinctively chose to pick up the ringing phone in my hotel room as I was aimlessly surfing the internet. On the line, was one of the Principals I worked for; however, he wasn't calling to discuss tomorrow’s meeting, instead he wanted to know if I would say yes to his gesture which was supposedly innocent but actually sheepishly disguised.

His choice: Engaging in pretence to get me into a comprising position…

My choice: Pondering the rationale behind his stupid behaviour after my initial repulse…

I politely declined as I had already watched the film ‘The Departed’.

Maybe he thought I would eventually depart from my senses and that is why he chose to continue in hope; after all hope is the quintessential human delusion... or peharps he was under the illusion that if he persisted I would realise that I had no other choice but to agree to what he was proposing because as my Principal Consultant, he was the one with the authority.

My reaction: Indignation!

His reaction: Embarrassment!

Can someone please give a valid reason as to why in hell I would leave my hotel room for a married man’s room to perch on his bed at 10:45pm under the pretext of watching a DVD?

No… I didn’t think so!

Mscheeeeeeeeeeeeew!!!

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la saucisse

I was 14.

On a school trip.

Somehow sex seemed to be everywhere.

The night before, we had come across soft porn on television in the hotel room. I recoiled in horror, thinking I must be in the wrong picture... only for me to look out of our balcony to see two gay men having sex on theirs.

C'est Paris. C'est la vie.

Luckily, the next day was going to be all about Euro Disney (or is it Disneyland Paris now?)... it was strictly PG13 stuff... Mickey Mouse... Minnie Mouse… Daffy Duck… Snow white and the Seven Dwarfs… Goofy… Cinderella… Belle and the Beast… but in truth I was just excited to see Looney Tunes’ finest… Bugs Bunny…

On our way to the theme park, I suddenly found my gaze drawn away from the chatter of girls around me.

I looked out of the window.

I’m not sure what I expected to see... definitely not a man driving erratically near our coach. At first I was afraid. Then I was confused. I kept wondering why he kept throwing glances at coach full of pubescent girls and laughing hysterically; the apparent cause of his bad driving.

A small gasp escaped from my lips as he took one hand off the wheel and lowered it. I knew now that it wasn’t me that was crazy, just him.

Vidya saw my expression and stopped, mid conversation. ‘Girl, what’s wrong?’, she questioned as she leaned over to nudge me. Then she was staring too. Others that had observed our abrupt silence, got up to look out of the window; only to be confronted by the same feeling of disbelief and discomfort.

Which was due to?

The simply fact that the man had whipped out his wiener… and then proceeded to knead his soft sausage... moist.

Jigger, fellers.

It was the first time I had seen one in real life… reddish/purple… swollen… & erect...

I turned my head away. My throat felt dry and tight as I swallowed hard.

At our destination, I tried to push his image to the back of my mind as we were given instructions of when and where we were to meet periodically throughout the day. Soon I was completely distracted of all thoughts that had nothing to do with fun as we hurried to queue for ride after ride; completely intent on enjoying every attraction at the theme park.

Before long, we realised it was time for lunch. After deciding where to eat, we made our way into the food counter. My nausea re-surfaced at the sight of the menu. Not one to miss a thing, Vidya started laughing as she collected her order and said ‘What up prune-face? Aren’t you going to order? Go on... I dare you’. Then just before she took a big bite out of her ready meal, she continued in her best René accent, ‘allo allo… ze flashing knobs... is zat's vot it's all about?’.

I eyed her and hissed.

Then I turned back to the counter and ordered. ‘Les frites, s'il vous plait. C'est ça’.

Hotdogs were simply off my menu…

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remember the time

In my hotel room in Manchester, I hear that Michael Jackson is in hospital... suffering from cardiac arrest...within minutes Sky News changes it breaking news to say there is an unconfirmed report from TMZ that he is dead.

I sit up in disbelief. I'm feeling weak... sick to my stomach... just like the time I found out that Princess Diana had died; another person whose end was tragic... in my mind both gave so much in life.

My phone rings... it's Niata calling from Nigeria, crying.

My blackberry starts singing again... and again... and again... I check... more new messages about Michael Jackson...

On facebook I see only one new status update... then I see another... then another... I add my own status update to facebook... more and more are updated as each minute passes.... many saying RIP MJ... some saying MJ is just in hospital... others saying don't kill him with your mouth... and one saying he's not dead until CNN says so... so I start to hope again... why? because it is the quintessentially human.

Then LA Times confirm he is gone...and finally CNN do too.

I keep watching the news; then memories of him...HIStory... his songs... come flooding into my mind...

I remember watching Thriller through my fingers as a child and being scared shitless... I remember Billie Jean, Beat It, Wanna be Starting Something... I remember trying to do the moonwalk after watching Motown 25 and failing miserably. To be honest, one of the actual reasons I started learning ballet at the age of 9 was because I wanted to be an En Pointe dancer... there was nothing cooler than being able to stand up on your toes... it was MJ's signature move!!!

I remember Bad... especially, how badly I wanted to be like Tatiana Thumbtzen who featured in his music video for The Way You Make Me Feel. I remember trying to spot the stars/celebrities littered in his Liberian Girl music video... all the time forgetting that I hadn't seen Micheal Jackson until the very end. I remember his other songs like Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana, I Just Can't Stop Loving You and of course that famous anti gravity lean in the music video for Smooth Criminal...

Please who can forget his epic song We Are the World?... not me... never me...

What about his songs from the Dangerous Album?... Black or White ... OMG, I remember Maizah trying to teach a whole bunch of us at boarding school the dance moves in the music video Remember the Time. I remember Naomi Campbell in In the Closet as well as Michael Jordon in Jam... I remember waiting endlessly to watch the UK music video exlcusive of Who Is It on TV and then thinking chai... na wa for billionaire's boys club escort agency o!!!... I remember re-playing his song Will You Be There… I played that song over and over again in my dorm room in school so I could learn the lyrics.

I remember crying to his Heal the World song... I remember his song Gone Too Soon. *sighs* ... at only 50 years old... isn't that just the truth?!

I remember the amazing visual effects in the Scream music video when it was released... just watching Janet Jackson and her older brother left me in complete awe... funnily enough, I only just watched that same video on some music channel about 2 weeks ago and still thought it to be awesome.

I remember smiling as I watched Michael Jackson's Scarecrow Ease on down the Road with Diana Ross's Dorothy in the film 'The Wiz'.

I will always remember the time I found out that Michael Jackson died.

RIP Michael Jackson... your legacy lives on... know your music was the greatest... it touched so many... the man in the mirror made that change... I'm forever your fan... even though you are gone and I can no longer Rock With You... know still... You Rock My World.

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