Living & Working in a Pressure cooker

Hi Guys,

Have you ever felt like you are under tremendous pressure? Have you ever felt like you have been thrown into the deep end and there are only two options, sink or swim? Well, that's how i feel now and its not funny.

You all know that i just started working in  another company for about a couple of months,right? Even though its still advertising, its mobile advertising and i am a new business development and client relations executive. The client relations is a bit familiar because i worked as an account manager at my former employer's for a couple of months. However, the new business development part which is just a fancy way of saying 'SALES' or worse my nightmare ' MARKETER' is not funny at all! To make matter's worse my line manager has tendered his resignation, so am all alone. Its a small company, so the workforce is below 30 and the mobile advertising unit i work in, is even smaller. Basically we were just two on the sales team and now its down to one,ME! I almost collapsed when i heard the news because the pressure for two will be on my very fragile narrow shoulders and i am beyond terrified. I have been told its a huge opportunity to prove myself and a step to bigger and better things. I think its the shortest route to High Blood Pressure.

Now do NOT get me wrong. I love a challenge and i am just plain grateful to have a job but i am also a realist. I do not have more than 3 months sales experience in B to B. My selling accessories and cloths do not count and now i have to be the 'Lead' so to speak. The fact that your boss tells you that he does not see ' enough aggressiveness' in you does not help your confidence. Even though he makes it slightly better by saying' he thinks you will do well and you should NOT underestimate the depth of responsibilities that you will have to carry'. How does this help, i ask you? So i guess, Its swim baby or drown and join the job market.

On to more fun things, i attended an old friend's wedding last week Saturday,and i must say i clean up nice when i want to. I wore a royal blue chiffon Iro and Buba with yellow accessories ( they were the colours of the day).  I also followed the trend and tied the most popular ' Knot Wrapper' after practicing for about an hour and finally watching a YouTube video, i got it.  I have never been a fan of Iro and Buba because of my slim..no scratch that...skinny frame but i was pleasantly surprised. I did not look bad and i guess my height might have compensated for my bonny frame. Let my pictures do the talking...

Niceeee....Right? If you disagree, let me know

So its the weekend, doing the ' booty wriggle' with my non-existent bum and i am relieved.  Here's my look for today...

Happy Friday darlings.

Live,Love and Laugh..

New Beginnings...

Hi Guys,

Its been another long intermission between blog posts but please bear with me. My life is all sorts of cray right now. Anyway i have to gist you about the latest developments in my life.

I have started to drive and must i say its been an experience both good and bad. I finally got a small ride to take me from point A to Point B and am enjoying the experience. I got the car from a friend who wanted to sell it of at a good bargain and at first i was reluctant about getting the car because i thought ( you know how we are) that people would make nasty comments. Why is it your friend's car you bought? Are you sure you bought it or she gave you? Tobi sha wants anything Lagbaja has used...bla bla bla. After due consultation with people that matter to me ( Mum,Sis,Bro,boo and another Close friend)they all said the same thing to me, buy the car. My sis said its a step in the direction for me getting the car i truly want and i should use this car to learn how to drive and God willing will get a better one and who knows it might be brand new. I also remembered all the days of trudging in the rain and the uncomfortable conditions in Danfos and i was like ' What the heck! am getting this car and who gives an ant's fart what people think! After all, i am paying for it. So i am a proud owner of a car ( Nigerian used) but its all mine and after some tweaking i am sure it will serve me well till i get a better one.

Secondly, I changed my phone. It was not in my plan and i am still smarting from the whole experience. Please, please stay away from Blackberry Z10! My phone just refused to come up when i made the fatal mistake of trying to update my OS. I took the phone to a recognized repair shop and after two week of trying to fix it, they gave up as well. I am bitter and i have just not had the time to go to a blackberry store and all that. The phone is an epic fail! So i have ported to Android and i am currently using a Samsung Grand Duo. Am i wowed by the phone? Not really, the camera quality isn't fantastic but i do have access to apps that i did not before and it is a dual sim phone, so that's an advantage. I also finally joined Instagram! Call me a traitor but i finally caved and am just having fun looking at fabulous pictures and tinkering with some of mine. Filters are the shiznnit men!

 

Till next time folks...

Live love and Laugh...

Beat Up from the feet up

Hey Guys,

When it rains, it pours, doesn't it? How has the week been? Mine has been....let's just say, its been one of those weeks. On a lighter note, the weekend is here and i am so happy. I am mentally and physically exhausted and i cannot wait to sleep for hours without my mental clock, waking me up even before the alarm.  







My weekend is going to be uneventful. No pre-valentine events or plans for me but i will have my first official ' brush up my non existent driving skills lesson' by Gods Grace. Lee boo taught me one Saturday afternoon but due to our hectic schedules, its been sporadic at best. So i took matters into my own hands and asked mama to ask around for any one who could be kind enough to teach me on Saturday and Sunday mornings for a fee. I do not see the need to go to driving school again and pay a ton of cash. Ill do it the manly way, get someone to teach me.  





So that's it folks nothing new in 'Tobiland' just the usual stuff but ill keep y'all posted.


Live Love and Laugh

TGIF state of Mind...

Hey Peeps,

I have started with my inconsistent blogging. Make una no vex na condition wey make crayfish bend. Its been very very hectic this past couple of weeks and i have been so stressed out but You know what? I am soo grateful to God, that i am busy. Busy beats Idle any day, believe me.

Is it me or has anyone noticed that we do not have electricity in Nigeria or should i say Lagos because i cannot speak for other states. Before it was, Inconsistent, now, Its non-existent. I can confidently say that for almost two weeks now, i have not set my eyes on electricity generated by PHCN or whatever it is, they call themselves these days. If you see power in my area, its self generated. Its really really bad and i cannot understand why this particular issue of power is such a ' curse' for Nigeria. I consider it a curse because this one has moved beyond a problem or challenge.For someone that leaves the house at the crack of dawn to beat traffic,there is never power for me to get ready for work. I have to use candle or a torch light to apply my make up and that is guaranteed to put me in a cranky mood. Sometimes when i just cannot be bothered, i carry my entire make up bag to the office and apply it in the office bathroom. This is something i hate because everyone would have seen me make up less anyway, so what is the point? Really something needs to be done about this and very soon. Making me carry extra load to the office, besides my huge bag and shoes, gosh!

Anyway, on to more fun news. Last week Sunday was one of my good friend's and former room mate at University's baby shower. We decided to surprise Olayinka but Alas! my dear friend found out through her natural snoopy behavior. It was a fun time and we used the opportunity to catch up on gist and just generally chill, nothing like hanging with your girls. Here are some of the pix..

We girls have come a way long way through the ups and downs  from our university days and i am proud to know this girls that have transformed to women with husbands,careers,children and Homes.

Its Friday today and i am so excited * mock scream*. Here are some of my looks from the week so far with makeup done by torch light or in the office.

 

Have a great weekend ahead lovers and don't be too naughty! *wink*

Live Love and Laugh 

TGIF and Happy Holidays...

 Ho ho ho!

Its that special time of the year again. Even though am not a Christian, you cannot help but be drawn into the joy and mood of the season. Christmas time however, can also be a time of deep sadness if you are alone, going through challenges or just plain lonely. I have experienced my share of less than happy Xmas seasons but i always make sure that i have a good time either with friends or family. Xmas is definitely not the time to sit and mope and think about what went wrong during the year. Its a time to be thankful and be full of cheer even if you have to force it.






2013 has been one of those years, that you look back on and say Allahamdulilahi i survived it. So many ups and downs and for a minute the downs seemed to be more than ups.  I had set objectives that i intended to achieve this year e.g buy a car, change jobs, visit my sis in the UK, find a man and start my Masters degree. This year has just shown me that plan all you want, it can all change and man proposes, God disposes.  Needless to say my plans did not turn out the way i expected. I didn't get the car, i did change jobs ( but not the way i wanted and not to what i wanted or expected), i did not visit my sis in the UK but we started a business together regardless, i bought my application form for my masters but ASUU went on strike and i met a man and fell in love ( even though he was not who i had in mind). Looking back now, i am really grateful for everything, both the good and bad because it just showed me that pessimist and control freak that i am, i can survive upheavals and be the stronger for it.




OK, enough philosophical ramblings and let's get to the business of today. It's FRIDAY! and that means the much anticipated ' Open Yard Sale' is just two days away. Please join us on the 15th December(Sunday) at 100 Hours, Off Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos from 10am to 6pm. Everything you need for your beauty and fashion needs will be available for purchase at real affordable rates and the first 20 people to buy goods up to 15k get a freebie.  

I am so excited because nothing gets me tingly like affordable fashion and beauty. The Accessories Lounge will be there with gorgeous pieces ranging from bracelets, neck pieces, earrings,rings,scarves and purses at really really affordable rates.  See you there..

Live Love and Laugh

A woman under construction...

Hi Ladies & Gents!

Hows life treating my people? My weekend was one of the most uneventful i have had in a while. I did absolutely nothing and spent the weekend just resting and eating. The heat was incrediiiiiiiiiiiible and i am convinced that something is wrong somewhere. This heat is really really bad. The unfortunate thing about living in a society such as ours  is that heat is no excuse for you to go about scantily clad especially when you are not mobile. My mum strict as she is, does not really have a problem with me wearing shorts and tank tops when am going out but i know better. Ill get propositioned by people i do not want to be propositioned by ( call it pride i don't care) but being hit on by a bus driver or loitering area boys is NOT encouraging.

Anyway over the weekend i managed to have an argument with a dear friend of mine. Looking back at the conversation i realized i must have over stepped my boundaries in my ' stating it like it is' personality. She told me in no uncertain terms that i can be a bit judgmental and this will affect people or friends confiding in me ( I know she was referring to herself). I also have noticed that both of us have become a bit distant with each other which i have attributed to our busy schedules. I have always known that its not everything my friends tell me and frankly i have never been bothered about it.  I am not a friend that pries, if you want to share, am here and if not,all is well. Women no matter how close we are, always hold something back. The heart of a woman is like the deep blue sea. A woman is quite capable of taking a secret to her grave( contrary to popular opinion that we talk a lot) and women are better liars than men. We might not lie as often as men, but we lie better.

However what hurt me the most was the word ' Judgmental". I have been described as prudish,stiff,cautious and a worry wart and those words have never gotten to me as much as that word. It made me take a second look at myself. It made me look back at those days when i felt i was advising or offering opinions to people, was i being judgmental? It was a sobering thought.  I have always taken pride on my outlook towards life and the fact that i try to have an opinion about any topic thrown at me. Does that come across as being too opinionated? I went on and on, thinking about everything and even shared my thoughts with a friend that told me that even though i hold myself to high exacting standards, i should not do the same to others. That i should keep my opinions to myself and when asked i should try to water it down because people might not like what i have to say. All these years i had thought i was being honest while friends had thought i was being judgmental. What a wake up call. My mum is right! I am too blunt...

After beating myself up over the whole incident because i am my own worst crtic,i came to the following conclusion: There was a reason God gave us two ears and one mouth. Which means i should listen more and talk less and basically try to be more tactful and sensitive about how i express my opinion. If my friend asks' Do i look fat in this dress?' and i know she looks like a beached whale. I should say ' No hon, you do not look fat but lets look at other options.  I really hope i can do this  and be a better friend because at the end of the day i am still under construction and i am bound to make mistakes.


Here is wishing you all fabulous days ahead for the rest of the week...

Live Love & Laugh always...