Sunday, November 11, 2012

3 Years already . . .





Dear Dad,

We'll be marking the 3rd year since you physically left tomorrow. Some people say "smile he has gone to a better place and he is still with you." Maybe in another 50 years if I'm still around, I'll finally accept this but right now as each day passes, when a memory is triggered, all I can think of is how it could have happened.

How and why were you taken so soon is something I'm still bothered about, you were in my book, the very best of my world and you can't and won't be replaced.

So I hope you're good and when you take time to look down at us, your thoughts are that you bred a fine bunch of children and you have grand children who still know and say you love them.


In the time you've been absent, there are times I feel you'll be behind me if I just look back, or times I feel I can hear you whistle a tune you particularly loved. These times are precious, I know for certain you're not too far away. But on days when I'd like to share my worries, my victories or some moment I feel only you would be the best recipient of the words I'd like to utter, at moments like that, nothing makes up for the fact that your smile will only be conjured in my imagination and your voice listened to in my head.

I miss you dad, 3 years down hasn't made it any less painful that your gone.

Rest in Peace.  

Friday, November 2, 2012

Spotting Miss Trunchbull

Feeling totally exasperated and with a mounting dark mood after accomplishing only one of two tasks and thinking of the possibility of having to do a return trip all because our dear Government came up with this brilliant plan to ban Okada's, I did not give up on my trek but branched to refuel so I could live to trek again.

I walked into my favourite joint which should actually be avoided for health reasons, but which I walked into nonetheless today. Placed my usual order ' A Colonel's Meal Please.' I think its just adequate and not too filling, I still get off with the feeling there's still hope for my diet with this order.

Im beginning to tap my fingers, the chips which should have taken 4 minutes to arrive is stuck in traffic. That's odd I like KFC for their professionalism, I like to think there's a standard manual for service they must all abide by. This branch obviously werent schooled in Customer Service and Fast Serving.

A woman walks in, she's tall, not huge but big and easily dwarfs me. She orders 2 bowls of rice, 1 pack of french fries, 6 pieces of chicken and one bottle of water. It's an eat in order and it's obviously for 2 or 3 people. I stare eeked her order is been put together before mine, not funny at all. The service guy who took my order maybe seeing the look on my face, gets mine ready. I leave, not waiting to the usual confirmation of an order.

The woman sits opposite from me, she has everything on her tray. Then she starts with one bowl of rice and is soon done. A chicken goes next and then I look to the door to see if the person she was waiting for was coming in. Her body language seemed to say that much. Then the chips went next and at that point, I decided I had to sit through this to see what exactly would happen to all that food.

Yep. She finished it all up and at that point I began to wonder how she pulled it off. I mean there has to be some sort of bell that goes off in one's head when food is being gobbled isn't it? So she gets up and leaves and she's suddenly become way bigger than she looked before and all I could think of was ALL THAT FOOD ONLY FOR ONE PERSON HABA!

Ah Lagos!

I finally came to the conclusion based on first hand experience today the the Lagos State Government didn't really think through the implications of the ban on motorcycles aka Okada's.

As i tried to get from one end of Victoria Island to the other today, staring at the emptiness of zipping 2 wheeled previously considered menaces, I muttered unwholesome expletives under my breathe when a kind gentleman pointed out that going around the Island was nigh impossible without a car.

So it boils down to the fact that our dear Governor did not take into consideration the fact that some areas on the Island don't really have bus routes and the main mode of transportation were these bikes who now scuttle about like frightened mice.

We can all joke with the fact that the trekking we now experience, is some form of exercise, I totally agree, I felt the calories burn as I walked the strip of Akin Adesola only to branch off on Adeola Odeku when I spotted that Finger licking joint.

Sigh! An enjoyable zip and weave through traffic and having the hair on my neck rise just as we manage to maneuver out of a close shave is now history, but at what cost? Yes Okada's should be controlled, curtailed, nipped whatever it will take to bring order and discipline to their lot, but to have them off streets where they are truly needed isn't and hasn't been an obviously well thought out plan.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Uche Umez: Literary Africana: Abubakar Adam Ibrahim

Uche Umez: Literary Africana: Abubakar Adam Ibrahim: Abubakar Adam Ibrahim has been described precisely as ‘a writer to look out for’ by Helon Habila, the author of the magnificent Waiting fo...

Uche Umez: Literary Africana: Richard Ali

Uche Umez: Literary Africana: Richard Ali: In his review of City of Memories by Richard Ali, the literary critic and columnist, Ikhide Ikheloa, considers Richard as "perhaps the mos...