Happy Bday Lolita!!!!!

Today is my gurls bday. I normally don't put specific info about my friends on this blog but I am sure anyone who knows me, should know today is her birthday. I just want to put it out there that she is a good friend, always willing to bend over backwards for you( she WILL complain about it though and make funny antics but you get use to that :)) I missed her bday like 2 years straight so I made sure I was going to be around for this one. I believe a spa day is going on as I speak. I was not able to leave work early. The first day after any holiday is always busy. SO, this evening we are going to step out as a large group looking very stylish and celebrate her day.

Happy Bday gurl!!

Wednesday

Is it hump day already? This week is going full speed. The weekend is looking uneventful. Sunday I am attending an Ikwerre Convention, other than that I will be home....
My girlfriend birthday is on Tuesday. Do not have a clue on what to do.... Last 2 years I have missed it( for good reasons of course) and I know she will not take it lightly if I miss this one. Memorial Day should be filled with bbq's and pool parties. I have no intention of doing either. So what do I want to talk about today...... I have free time at work......Oh OK, is Hillary Clinton still campaigning? I am confused. I thought the media and the statistics say that there is no way she can get enough super delegates. I know it is hard to walk away from such a fight but it may be time to cut her losses and start backing the new Democratic nominee. Again, Democratics are known for not being loyal. That is why they have trouble winning elections. Anyway November is coming soon so we will really see who will be in office. Hopefully I will get a break from paying $4.15/gallon. Not likely but hope is all I have. Ok, since it looks like I am having a good day my boss decided to add me to a project.... Typical. Gotta go

Afropolitan Affair

Last night I attended the Afropolitan Affair at The Defoor Center. Per the Urban Dictionary, Afropolitan is "the newest generation of African emigrants, coming soon or collected already at a law firm/chem lab/jazz lounge near you. You’ll know us by our funny blend of London fashion, New York jargon, African ethics, and academic successes. Some of us are ethnic mixes, e.g. Ghanaian and African American, Nigerian and Swiss; others merely cultural mutts: American accent, European affect, African ethos. Most of us are multilingual: in addition to English and a Romantic or two, we understand indigenous tongues and speak a few urban vernaculars. There is at least one place on The African Continent to which we tie our sense of self: be it a nation-state (Ethiopia), a city (Ibadan), or an auntie’s kitchen. Then there’s the G8 city or two (or three) that we know like the backs of our hands, and the various institutions that know us for our famed focus. We are Afropolitans: not citizens, but Africans of the world."

The event had a mix of jazz, African dance, spoken words all from different ethnic backgrounds. This is good when forming an entertainment company. Her group will be able to gain support from so many avenues. It was not the same ol stuff we see at African events. The time has come to do new things and collaborate with other cultures. I am really proud of the CEO. Her board of directors consists of women from different backgrounds. I really enjoyed the African dance the members displayed. There was also a Nollywood/American Skit that had all of us laughing( GO TEDDY!!). I am sure they will have many upcoming events so look out.

Naija News...

World Bank offers N7bn support

The World Bank has committed six million dollars (about N7 billion) to the Health Insurance Fund (HIF), a private initiative, to support a group of 30,000 people in Lagos State.
The Managing Director of HIF, Mr Chris Vorm, said this on Tuesday in Abuja in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
“The World Bank has agreed to support a group of 30,000 people in Lagos for five years which will start in the second or third quarter of the year,” he said.
Vorm said the fund was a foundation that provided private health insurance to low income groups in sub-Saharan Africa.
The director said the insurance covered quality basic health care, which, he noted, included the treatment of HIV and AIDS.
“Through its innovative approach, the fund strives to contribute toward increasing access to quality basic health care.
“This will bring the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reality,” he said, adding that the health sector in Africa faced a number of challenges so the public health sector was unable to meet the countries health care needs.
According to him, “even though most of the donor money is channelled through the private sector, health care and treatment for HIV and AIDS, malaria as well as tuberculosis remain inaccessible to the vast majority of Africans.
“An innovative health-care model is therefore needed to increase the demand for pre-paid health-care and improve the quality of health care delivery.”
He said that the fund’s programme was aimed at organised groups of previously uninsured, low-paid workers such as women associations and farmer organisations.

Speed Dating

My weekend started early last week. Thursday night me and one of my girlfriends went speed dating. Hosted by Elle from V103 and PALM with AT&T. Very interesting experience. They were giving out cell phones if you have the best pick up line and also just randomly. Sutra Lounge(?) was a good place for the event. Started around 7pm ended around 11pm. Free food, wine and beer. We went with the intention of just trying something new, not to find our next love. When we walked in there was not a fine lookn man in sight:) They split us up according to our age group and as well as age groups you may be interested. Then they give us a card where we can list the individual names that we meet. Either put a yes or no by the persons name. If the other person puts a yes then the speed dating company will send your info to him/her. They were even giving away a romantic dinner and a ride in a limo. The guys I met were just not my type. Some may have been appealing but........

My girlfriend saw one that had nice conversation. "Would be a cool friend". So after the main dating part there is more mix and mingle. The alcohol started to smell on some of the guys breath. I knew it was time for me to head back to Gwinnett. Then my girlfriend brought up a great idea. We should do one of these for our African community. NICE!!! So that is what we are going to do. We know our African women may be a little apprehensive about this type of activity but you can make it out to whatever you want. Whether networking, mingling, dating or just pure FUN!!! So ladies and gents get ready for an invitation to come your way.

OK..so Friday I stayed home to prepare for Saturday.

Saturday: Graduation!! My cousin graduated from GSU. I am so proud of her. She is so glad that school is over at least for now. She wants to pursue her masters. I think this is a great idea. These days a Bachelors Degree is worth more like a high school diploma. Everyone has one, so in order to stick out from the crowd when applying for a job a higher level of education is needed or some other accomplishments.

After the graduation that was held at the GA Dome, we went out to eat. About 40 of us. We sent the server up and down.. I felt bad for her, she was showing her irritation. Her strong New York accent came across the table loud and clear. Over all the day was fun but draining. I got home around 11pm and fell OUT.

Sunday: Happy Mothers Day!!! Got up real early started cooking breakfast for my mom. My sis took over after a while, because I needed more sleep. When I woke up my aunt had come over, food was cooked and finished, and a loud Nigerian movie was echoing our downstairs. My mom loves the gifts we get her all year so on specific days she prefers CASH. So, I got her a vase full of orchards( one of my favorite flowers) in white, pink and purple, and of course some cash. I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Then off to bed early to start my lovely work week.

What did you do?

Cinco De Mayo

I am not real familiar what this holiday, so I did what all good people do I googled it... SO it is not Mexican Independence Day as one of my friends swore by this morning, it is actually the celebration of the initial victory of Mexican forces against French forces on May 5th 1862. So here in the USA, and I guess other countries that celebrate that day its a day to enjoy the Mexican heritage. I want to join in the festivity but I don't drink and the highlight is the Coronas...I would like to eat dinner at Frontera but the amount of cheese I want to eat will not help me in my mission to tone my legs. I guess I am not celebrating.

Savannah there I went:)

The month has started off nicely. The weekend was a blast. Visited Savannah on Saturday morning. Nice town...has a romantic feel to it in the evening. Couples everywhere, showing how much they care about each other. The drive was a nice one. I spent time catching up with my friends over the phone while I drove. When I reached Savannah, upon persuasion I decided to do one of those guided tours around the historical district. I actually visited Savannah when I was younger with my daddy, but could not remember anything, so this was a good idea. The architectural design in The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was very intriguing. It was established by French immigrants as Savannah's first parish at the end of the 18th century. The French immigrants went to Savannah after an uprising in Haiti. They also recently erected a monument to show tribute to the 750 Haitian soldiers that fought alongside colonial troops against the British in the Siege of Savannah on Oct. 9, 1779. The monument was tall and bronze with 4 or 5 soldier and a drummer boy. The interesting thing about the drummer boy was that it is of Henry Christophe, the first king of Haiti, who participated in the battle at age 14. I heard that the Haitian population is very strong in Savannah, but I didn't see any first hand.

Over all: A nice trip, it was super to get away. Now I need to save up to spend a couple of days in Los Angeles....

This year has really been speeding. I want it to slow down a little so that I can enjoy all the nice things that are happening to me. I am blessed and highly favored(the new thing to say..) and so happy and grateful for what he has done for me.

There are so many things that I am trying to accomplish by August, I just hope time does not go so fast that I don't accomplish all.

Commitment

Relationships are like a double edged sword. You love to be in one, but you cant stand the drama. Some people have a lot of reserves when it comes to being involved exclusively and dealing with honesty. I have heard that I am too hard on the guys, don't give them enough time to mess up. I am realizing that may be true.... I love the guys, funny enough 95% of my friends come from the opposite sex. The down side to it is they sometimes treat me like one of the guys and I get to see all the bad things they are involved. This can effect the way a woman looks at a man. You see how they are with there significant other then you see how they are with the "other woman". They could fool the pope:( Anyway, I guess that is how it works out sometimes. Through all this we have to jump in blindly and see how the whole relationship thing is going to work. If not we will be single for the rest of our lives wishing we would have taken that risk.

"I've loved him for 3 years, staying close enough to make sure I am always in his circle of friends. For 6 months we have been working on establishing an official intimate relationship. The feeling is so sweet, he kisses my forehead when I am mad, smiles when I frown. I miss him when he is away. I am so happy now."