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..

Weekend Ahead

Hi Guys,

Its Friday and the weekend is here again. I really do not have any gist per se but i just wanted to wish you all a fantastic weekend ahead and let's make the best of it. Weekends go by tooo fast and before you blink and say boo, its Sunday evening and the blues set in. Oh yes! something did happen to me on my way back from work yesterday. I wanted to get some money from the ATM and the machine happily swallowed my card. I have been hearing about this very annoying experience but it has never happened to me. So i guess there is a first time for everything and now i have to go through a very long and tedious process of getting my ATM card back...not cool. Of recent, it seems all sorts of inconvenient things have been plaguing me e.g on Wednesday i locked my car keys in the car! Its like mars is in retrograde or pluto just bitchslappped jupiter or whatever astrological reason it might be that i just seem to have all the ' Luck' in the world right now.

Anyway i hope this weekend will make up for this extremely mentally and emotionally tasking week. Here are some cheerful pictures to put y'all in the weekend mood...

 

 

Friday never felt so good. Oh yeah and i have a wedding tomorrow. A dear old friend of mine is getting married tomorrow to her 'sugarbanana' and i am very happy for her. Blackmailed lee boo to accompany me, according to him, he does not like weddings.Say what? That's another gist for another day but he is going for this one sha and many more after it. He needs to start practicing.  Have a fantastic weekend guys..

Live love and Laugh

Happy new Month & April Fool's Day

Hi Guys,

How have you been and how is life in general. Its a new month and i am so grateful to be alive because a lot of people started this year with us and are gone. Since its the first day of April, that means its also April Fool's day and for the life of me, i can't seem to think of any ideas to prank anybody and i really do not care.

Is this a sign that i am growing older or the fact that the negativity and intensity  around me has finally gotten to me. Even though i consider myself a pessimist, i also know that i have a healthy sense of humour and i can be really fun loving but alas the most constant thing in life is change and you must get with the program. When in Rome,act like the Romans.

In happier news, this past weekend was a pretty fun. I and lee boo have been going through a phase of just wanting to be by ourselves but this weekend we made time to spend with each other and it showed how much we had missed each other. We also caught a movie in between and i must say '300, Rise of an Empire' was a really good movie. It was just what we needed. The graphics,action,fighting scenes,sex scene,cinematography ( even though it was shot in a studio) was stunning and i enjoyed every moment of it. The dismembering scenes also gave me an excuse to jump all over my man.  In short, if you have not seen it, you are sleeping on a bicycle. Many more movies are coming out and we intend on watching as many as possible ( at home or at the cinema).

So that's it folks, here are some selfies of me over the past couple of days...

In the car, on our way to the movies..

At the movies. Was looking for loose change in lee boo's wallet. When we go out, he allows me hold his wallet and i think its so sweet. Does this mean, that if we get married, ill be in control of Finances?  I was wearing a very colorful,flowery and tropical dress. All in the spirit of spring, even though the weather has been hotter than Hades.

What's April Fool's day without a good selfie? Did i get the pouty smoldering look right?  

Have a fantastic month lovers and may this month be fruitful for us all.

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...

When a woman has PMS ( Monday Musings)

Hi Guys, 

How have you been? Been so busy that its been an uphill task updating my blog. How was the weekend? Mine as usual was a case of so many things to do with so little time. I had to be a good daughter, a good girl friend and a good friend, Women try oooo. I had to cook, clean, do laundry and still run errands and i still didn't get everything done. The scary part is my life is going to get a whole lot more hectic and crazy as my life progresses into being a wife and a mother.

Well the working week has started again and i must say i am not in the best of moods. Not because its monday specifically but because i am suffering from both Monday blues and PMS aka Pre menstrual Syndrome and i could kill a fluffy white rabbit in my mood.  



Everything sucks right now and i am just like a keg of gun powder waiting to explode. I am just waiting for someone  to misyarn or just say something out of turn and they will see my full blown rage. Almost everyone in my office thinks am all cupcakes and sunshine but when am in this mood and you cross me? Shit gets real! 



No matter how upset or out of sorts i might feel, i am still very good at hiding my murderous urges. I am usually very reserved and quiet and my face is always in scowl and this has always helped in  keeping would be victims away from my scathing tongue in this period . So what exactly is PMS? We know its an acronym but what exactly does it mean and why do women act like either deranged banshees during this period or walking water faucets, i have heard men ask? Well its something that plagues a large percentage of women and its basically like an hormonal surge that just throws everything out of wack,  is what i tell them, but to be more scientific and specific. I decided to do some research for our clueless male species, so they get with the program. So here we go: 

Definition: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a collection of emotional symptoms, with or without physical symptoms, related to a woman's menstrual cycle ( Source: Wikipedia) 

Symptons: Common emotional and non-specific symptoms include stress, anxiety, difficulty in falling asleep (insomnia), headache, fatigue, mood swings, increased emotional sensitivity, and changes in libido.^[4] Physical symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle include bloating, abdominal cramps,constipation, swelling or tenderness in the breasts, cyclic acne, and joint or muscle pain.<sup>[5]( Source: Wikipedia) 

Managing PMS:</sup> 

• family and friends can provide emotional support during the time of a woman's cycle;
• avoid salt before the menstrual period;
• reduce caffeine intake;
• quite smoking;
• reduce alcohol intake; and
• reduce intake of refined sugars. 
• Exercise  

Source: (www.medicinenet.com)

So there you have it. PMS is actually a medically recognized illness  and its severity differs from woman to woman and month to month.  Another way, men can help is just to give us a good dose of ' Leave us the hell alone' during this time and just be supportive. 

Wishing you all a PMS free week ahead. 

Live Love and Laugh

Happy Days are here Again!

Hi Guys,

Its FRIDAY!!! and it could not come fast enough.  I really don't have any gist for y'all but am sure something is going to  happen this weekend because i can be very dramatic. Wishing you all a fantastic weekend ahead...

Kisses and Hugs...

Live Love and Laugh

Monday Musings - The Fight Against Corruption starts with US!

Hi Guys,

How was the weekend? Mine was pretty uneventful until Sunday. I spent Saturday just chilling with Le boo. We decided to just stay in doors, sleep,eat and it was well worth it.  Sunday was a different matter,it was quite busy for me. I had to catch up on house hold chores, go to the market and get my hair and nails done because i was not feeling my look any longer.

Which brings me to the topic of today. Corruption in Nigeria. I am very guilty of lambasting our leaders,Ministries and any organisation that represents the Authority of the government e.g the police. I had my first taste as a driver in  Lagos of how the police can make your day a living hell.

On my way back from the market on Sunday morning, i ran into our ' friends'. I really did not have any idea on why i was being stopped initially but it occurred to me that it could be because of the 'Learner's sign' on my car. I was asked to park and then the police officer asked for my younger brother's driving license since he was sitting beside me, then it clicked! I was about to be ' Had'. I got down, told my brother to sit in the car because everybody knows the aggression Nigerian Police men have for Young men ( before they start slapping him about) i told the police man that he does not have a driving license and he said,  i had committed an offence by not having a licensed driver beside me ( true, i knew i was wrong but it didn't really occur to me that they would be out on a Sunday). So he said  i would be charged to court and my fine would be N15000! 15 gini? I said ' Oga i am sorry that i broke the law and i know that i should have not driven the car but should i pay 15000 because of a first time offence, see the pepper in my car, am just coming from the market, i don't have any money, bla bla bla....At the end of our haggling like two fish wives in the market, i parted with N1000.

On my way home, i railed and cursed the Nigerian Police. Inwardly though i knew i was not any better because yes i had committed an offence and when he asked for money, i gave him the money which makes me just as guilty. However, the Nigerian in me reasoned that should i have allowed him to charge me and pay 15000 Naira when i saved myself 14000, all for the sake of being right and fighting corruption? Ko jor!  Nigeria really has a long way to go and fighting corruption is going to be a task for the Government and the People. What would you have done in my situation? Let me have your thoughts, comment or tweet at me @tobirasaq.

Have a great week.

Live Love and Laugh