Out of India - Peace of Mind

Hehehe….I am lauging like someone who just downed half a bottle of blossom hill white wine. I wonder why? Guess its no surprise because I have just downed half a bottle of blossom hill white wine.. lol..

18 days or so since my last update. SUE ME IF YOU CAN CATCH ME!! He he he


Where did I leave off during my DIU chronicles? Oh aye.. I got called to the rig and was there for a few more days before my boss pulled me back out to land. I got to Mumbai on a Wednesday and then I was already booked on a flight for Manchester via Abudhabi on Saturday evening. 8/8/08.. OLYMPICS MANIA!!.. I was at a house party with a bunch of Chinese people who were totally ecstatic that china was hosting the Olympics. I must say that china did really put up a show which centuries would talk about. The lighting of the Olympic flame was sooo crouching tiger-hidden dragon-like… totally awesome. I can soo see the contingent from the London 2012 planning committee sitting in a corner with their hands in their heads wondering how the heck they are going to pull off the opening ceremony for London 2012. I guess they need to get to work and start recruiting all unemployed teenage mothers who are going to do the baby-pram-march at the beginning of the show LOL.. now I am being really cheeky.

I left Mumbai a day after the start of the Olympics. Flying through abu-dhabi was a disastrous decision. For starters, the airport is just too small for the number of people passing through it. The Duty free shopping is pitiful compared to Dubai and I could not even find a chair to sit.. tchiew.. totally disastrous. I finally got to Manchester after a 7hrs flight only to find the lady at immigration being a total bitch. Wetin I do this woman? (what have I done to this woman) I have a valid visa and all and she’s treating me like I have committed an offence? She’s telling me to be applying for visitor visa and all? She berra get off my case. She needs to be targeting the people who are trying to smuggle themselves into the country with fake passports and stuff instead of molesting me with my very valid Nigerian passport/visa despite the notorious reputation which my country men currently hold the world over. Anyways.. God will take charge of this situation.. just because I hold green passport does not immediately incriminate me. I am as legit as my grandfathers proverbs!

I got home early Sunday morning..(home being Manchester…) it’s popsise’s (daddy’s) birthday and popsie so happens to be in Manchester at the same time. We had fun celebrating daddy’s birthday before he flew out to Naija(Nigeria). My lil but not so lil brother flew out to Naija shortly after this and its only me left in the Queen’s own country.

I decided to visit Glasgow to see my friend Kenny. I’ve been here a couple of days now and its totally awesome. I am starting to feel like I am a very boring person now. Notting hill carnival is fast approaching and I will be there next weekend.. Monseiur Raffik just told me he is in Frrrance and he will be in London. I am looking forward to meeting my brother from another mother! He has been a true inspiration

OHH>> and my boss confirmed my promotion.. Hallelujah to the heavens.. I am so happy.. after all the torture and ass licking/wiping I had to do on the rig.. God dey sha!

I am wondering whats up with me these days.. I’ve been bicycle riding around Manchester like a true british scally…never mind my Nigerian roots. Really.. You see me in my track bottoms with hood biking it like no man’s business.. I am totally loving it at the moment..People look and think..”that babe is looking totally gangsta rough! Lol” I am trying to fade into the background as much as possible. I used to love the lime light but being in india with all the constant eyes being trained on me.. I really don’t want to be a part of that kind of attention anymore (thank you very much) I return to India in a few days. Deep down inside.. I am scared of what the future holds. My heart skips a beat whenever I think about the challenges in India and I start to doubt if I can handle it. I think I am being scarred emotionally in that place. But I think I have to do what I have to do.. no?

I finally went to church yesterday for the first time in almost a whole year! I was so at peace with myself. Really, I was really touched by the worshiping and I think I will be buying some Christian CD’s before I return to India. I need something spiritual to keep me going otherwise I may just loose my mind. This post is starting to take on a random angle so I will just stop right here. I am wishing everyone out there their hearts true desires….

Lots of love

Tolantino

A Lot can happen in 3 weeks (Part 2)

PLS READ PART 1 BEFORE READING PART 2

Lol.. see me breaking down gist like I am writing nollywood script. Ok.. so here is part two. After my Colaba runs during the weekend, I was already fretting over my promotion. I should have had it by now but things are not going to plan. My boss is telling me there are a lot of things I ought to know which I don’t know and this is frustrating for me because I don’t feel like I am getting enough exposure here. But that aside, on that fateful Wednesday morning, I arrived at the office as normal. I was studying, I wanted to please my boss and I was also running some general errands in the office. That was how Mr R called me and my flatmate. Shuwo! What have we done wrong? Mr R then opened his computer. He showed me that I have 7 days off and about 21 vacation days pending. He said that I need to take those days off ASAP. He even suggested that I go back to my apartment for the rest of the day as he does not want to see me in the office. I asked if I could come to the office the following day, Mr R said to take 7 days off. Say what! Take 7 days off? Na beans? Me I cannot siddon in inida for 7 whole days. I will go mental. All of a sudden.. I had a revelation.. what if I could go to London and Manchester? Afterall, I haven’t seen my people on that side since I left in October. I quickly checked with travel desk.. kia kia they booked me on BA leaving Mumbai for that evening.. I wanted to faint.. I was overcome with excitement. One minute I was studying OIL CD in the office and next thing I am on a plane heading for Heathrow. I cannot even begin to describe the joy when my people saw me. It was a really good surprise. No sooner had I landed that I’d started wakaing around london. Infact.. I waka to the point that my trainers snapped. Oxford circus, west end.. come and see sales.. shopping.. everything dey there..I was in a dream o.

Posing on the Jubilee Line

Sharp sharp.. I headed out to Manchester to see my people. Some places will never change sha! I reach Manchester and I was welcomed with cold freezing rain. Thank God I took my Monsoon umbrella along with me from Mumbai. I sha did all the doables in Manchester and then headed back to London.. I waka some more. I met with friends from school whom I haven’t seen since boarding school days.. friends form Uni who are now working in London and also, I hooked up with aloted, a fellow blogger. It was awesome sha cos she is one of the people with whom I share names and we both have something else in common.. she was also an adult braces wearer..

Rocking the Natural Look in Manchester(Village Girl)

Thugging around the street on my brother's bike. Its true what they say.. you can never really forget how to ride a bicycle. I taught myself to ride at 15 and I haven't ridden since then. But three days ago, I got on the bike and I was riding with my eyes closed after falling off twice!

So.. yesterday evening.. I was back at Heathrow terminal 4 (A plane was heading for Mumbai and it had my name written on it). On reaching Mumbai early hours of Sunday.. I didn’t feel up for the 1.5hrs drive from the airport to my place in Thane. Instead, I stopped in Bandra at Dee’s place(with luggage,dutyfree shopping and all). My people, its so nice to have someone with whom you share cultural ties in Diaspora o.. speakless of a place like India. We hugged like long lost sisters..(even tho I was away less than two weeks.. lol) I filled her in on the gist.. apparently.. the guys in Bandra are having Brunch and Shiri was cooking.. fantastic.. I left my suitcase, grabbed one bottle of duty free red wine and went to join the party. It was totally awesome meeting new people there that Shiri had invited.. I found myself discussing US politics and economic downturn with another American girl.. Heck what do I know about that shit.. Kuch nahi (nothing) But it was fantastic fun. Around 6pm.. I went back to Dee’s and took my suitcase and then set out with Dee’s driver for the long-traffic-jammed-drive to thane. I was just slipping in and out of consciousness in the car. The sleep was gripping me tight.. I didn’t get home till 8pm.. So here I am on my bed. Its already 1.36am O! and I am still waking up for 6am.. lol.. the things I do to myself sha. This blog must be todate by force because I could get to the office and my boss can spin me 360 degrees again. All this has happened to me in the space of 3 weeks! Unbelievable.. and if I have surely learnt a lesson here.. to never ever ever ever procrastinate updating my blog. I will be going to the office tomorrow.. I wonder what the following weeks will have in store for me..