Halloween

Last year was the first time I actually participated in Halloween. I dressed up as a pimp, and my sister was my bitch. We had to walk down Sunset Boulevard because we couldn't get a ride to the party, and everyone was sticking their heads out of their cars and yelling at us. It was great. ~ Christina Applegate

This year was actually the first time I actively participated in Halloween. My costume was supposed to be a witch, but in a twist of fate I ended up being a Ballerina instead. I think that was waaaay better because there were too many witches at the party.

Along with too many cheerleaders, cops, firemen, cowboys, wierdos, freaks, and people that didn't even know what they were and couldn't tell you cos they were so drunk.

All in all, I had a great time. Thanks to all the cool people that ended up having a blast with the posse. It was fun being the life of the party. My Libra tendencies really shine in social situations.

Of course, I was the only Ballerina!

Kisses!

You have a mysterious kiss. Your partner never
knows what you're going to come up with next;
this creates great excitement and arousal never
knowing what to expect. And it's sure to end
in a kiss as great as your mystery.

Nine Layers

This was taken from Lushy over at Such a Pretty Face.
Last edited March, 2007.

LAYER ONE: --
Name: Vixen (not my birth name. Ha!)
Birth date: October 2, 1980
Birthplace: Nigeria!!
Current Location: East Bay, CA
Eye Color: Ummm, lemme check....Espresso
Hair Color: Black, with sunlightened brown streaks.
Height: 5'4"
Righty or Lefty: Righty
Zodiac Sign: Libra

LAYER TWO:
Your heritage: Pure bred Nigerian
The shoes you wore today: None, walked around barefoot all day long.
Your weakness: Men with accents who are intelligent and passionate about life.
Your fears: Nothing.
Your perfect pizza: I don't even like pizza. It's cheese standing solid at room temperature. Only if there are no other options....then I'll go with jalepenos and turkey.
Goal(s) you'd like to achieve: Check out my Life Plan

LAYER THREE:
Your most overused phrase on AIM/YIM/MSN: LOL, oic
Your first waking thoughts: Check the time, can I squeeze in a catnap?
Your best physical feature: Hmmm, my butt, my smile, my eyes, my boobs.....
Your most missed memory: Growing up as a kid in Nigeria. Good times.

LAYER FOUR:
Pepsi or Coke: Slice
McDonald's or Burger King: In&Out
Single or group dates: Single
Adidas or Nike: Neither. I don't wear sneakers.
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Yuck!
Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla
Cappuccino or coffee: Hot chocolate with whipped cream

LAYER FIVE:
Smoke: No
Cuss: When necessary
Sing: At church, in the car, and when a tune fits the convo.
Take a shower everyday: Yes
Do you think you've been in love: Yes.
Want to go to college: Been there, done that
Liked high school: Yeah, it was really fun
Want to get married: Yes.
Believe in yourself: Yes, the sky is the limit
Get motion sickness: Nope.
Think you're attractive: Hell yeah!
Think you're a health freak: Not in a million years. Although I need to be more health-aware. Oh well.
Get along with your parent(s): Sometimes.
Like thunderstorms: Yes
Play an instrument: Several. Some good, others really really bad.

LAYER SIX: In the past month have you
Drank alcohol: Yes.
Smoked: No.
Done a drug: No.
Made Out: No.
Gone on a date: Yes.
Gone to the mall?: Yes.
Eaten an entire box of Oreos?: Yes. Peanut Butter Double Stuff. And they were good too.
Eaten sushi: No.
Been on stage: Life is a stage
Been dumped: No.
Gone skating: No.
Made homemade cookies: No.
Gone skinny dipping: No.
Dyed your hair: No
Stolen Anything: No

LAYER SEVEN: Ever...
Played a game that required removal of clothing: Yes.
Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Once, yes.
Been caught "doing something": No.
Been called a tease: Yes. Maybe I was.
Gotten beaten up: Not physically.
Shoplifted: Yes, when younger. Isn't that a rite of passage?
Changed who you were to fit in: Sadly, yes. But I'm all ME now.

LAYER EIGHT: --
Age you hope to be married: It was 25, and I missed it by a few short months!
Numbers and Names of Children: Three!!! Names, Ariella, Oluwafemi & something else equally exotic.
Describe your Dream Wedding: Eloping somewhere beautiful. Yeah, I know, yall think probably think I would want the BIG Naija wedding, but I'm trying to get around that.
How do you want to die: Old and quick
Where you want to go to college: I don't want to go anymore dammit! Something over the internet, I guess.
What do you want to be when you grow up: Own my own company and travel the world doing consultations and short term contracts. I want to also be a NYT Bestselling author.
What country would you most like to visit: Let's see....back to Nigeria, Israel, Australia, Italy, Greece, England, Scotland, Japan, the Phillipines, Brazil, Jamaica, Spain, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Fiji, Switzerland, France, Germany, Canada....is the list over yet? I want to see the world!

LAYER NINE:
Number of drugs taken illegally: None. I get good legal stuff.
Number of people I could trust with my life: Wow....um....I'm still counting. Yeah, I'm very lucky.
Number of CDs that I own: Around 50. But I have close to 1000 songs on my computer.
Number of piercings: Nada
Number of tattoos: None.
Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper?: Twice Three times now, thanks to the ESSENCE article.
Number of scars on my body: Two, one from my sister on my right hand, and one from my uncle on my right wrist.
Number of things in my past that I regret: Four.

Ant Watcher

I never kill insects. If I see ants or spiders in the room, I pick them up and take them outside. Karma is everything. ~ Holly Valance

Ants are so much like human beings as to be an embarrassment. They farm fungi, raise aphids as livestock, launch armies into war, use chemical sprays to alarm and confuse enemies, capture slaves, engage in child labor, exchange information ceaselessly. They do everything but watch television. ~ Lewis Thomas

Today I was caught watching an ant climb a sheer, slippery 8 foot wall. Most ants around here are so tiny, and the wall to him must have seemed like a 26K marathon. Along the way, he kept running into obstacles with his tiny feelers, but he never once turned around. He kept pressing forward, just moved around the obstruction and kept on stepping. Slow, methodical and focused.

Which brings me to the fact that whatever obstacles we humans are going through, we just have to keep the same focus. It's the intensity and preserverance that lands us where we want to be. ALOT of preserverance.

Evening Classes

New Evening Classes for Men

ALL ARE WELCOME -- OPEN TO MEN ONLY

Note: due to the complexity and level of difficulty, each course will accept a maximum of eight participants.

The course covers two days, and topics covered in this course include:

DAY ONE

• HOW TO FILL ICE CUBE TRAYS: Step by step guide with slide presentation
• TOILET ROLLS- DO THEY GROW ON THE HOLDERS? Roundtable discussion
• DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAUNDRY BASKET & FLOOR :Practicing with hamper (Pictures and graphics)
• DISHES & SILVERWARE; DO THEY LEVITATE/FLY TO KITCHEN SINK OR DISHWASHER BY THEMSELVES? Debate among a panel of experts.
• LOSS OF VIRILITY: Losing the remote control to your significant other - Help line and support groups
• LEARNING HOW TO FIND THINGS: Starting with looking in the right place instead of turning the house upside down while screaming - Open forum

DAY TWO

• EMPTY MILK CARTONS; DO THEY BELONG IN THE FRIDGE OR THE BIN?Group discussion and role play
• HEALTH WATCH; BRINGING HER FLOWERS IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH PowerPoint presentation
• REAL MEN ASK FOR DIRECTIONS WHEN LOST: Real life testimonial from the one man who did
• IS IT GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT QUIETLY AS SHE PARALLEL PARKS?Driving simulation
• LIVING WITH ADULTS; BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR PARTNER: Online class and role playing
• HOW TO BE THE IDEAL SHOPPING COMPANION: Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques
• REMEMBERING IMPORTANT DATES & CALLING WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE: Bring your calendar or PDA to class

Life Plan

If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much. ~ Jim Rohn

If you deliberately plan on being less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you'll be unhappy for the rest of your life. ~ Abraham Maslow

I'm putting this down so that I can look back at this and check everything off the list. When I was younger, I did have a plan, and came across it quite recently. It was young, idealistic and of course did not factor in any real life issues like money, time and opportunity.

Before the end of this year I still have to....

• Get driver's license.....
• Get accepted into Loma Linda
  
• Yeah, one more thing....I know what it is;)

Last Updated December 28, 2007.
Three Year Life Plan

2007

• Start grad school ~ Master's in Nursing Education
• Buy my own car
• Finish writing R&W
• Devote time into making Baggage Reclaim BIG!
• Finish unpacking from my last three four moves
  
• Date more No longer needed:)
  
• Fall sick less
• Actually start drinking that green magmaL-Arginine stuff (started October 2007)
  
• Build my faith and get more involved with church
• Fix violin and start taking classes again
• Get back into nursing (the job)
• Make a big dent in that CC debt
  
• Get into a real sport (dancing doesn't count)
• Travel outside the US (to Lagos, London, Scotland & Ireland)

2008

• Go to Australia (if I haven't gone yet)
• Begin second Master's in Nursing Informatics
• Get more experience in Critical Care Nursing
• Obtain Advanced Practice Certification
• Maintain status
• Eradicate credit card debt
• Publish the Bad Girls Guide
• Travel to Greece, Italy & Spain

2009

• Finish MSN in Nursing Education
• Transition into nurse education while finishing up Informatics degree
• Travel to Japan & Philipines
• Start searching for jobs in my new field, relocate if needed
• Buy a house/condo

Blogging Personality

Your Blogging Type Is Thoughtful and Considerate

You're a well liked, though underrated, blogger.You have a heart of gold, and are likely to blog for a cause.You're a peaceful blogger - no drama for you!A good listener and friend, you tend to leave thoughtful comments for others.

What's" Your Blogging Personality?

Told y'all I was cool peoples *brushing my shoulders off*

Pink Envelopes!

Faith is an excitement and an enthusiasm: it is a condition of intellectual magnificence to which we must cling as to a treasure, and not squander on our way through life in the small coin of empty words, or in exact and priggish argument. ~ George Sand

I just finished my application for school and turned it in. It took me about 2 hours to collate everything and get the envelopes straightened out. I had to grovel to my professor's in school, that I haven't spoken to in forever, and nicely asked them to say something cool about me. Hopefully I begged enough:)

Tomorrow the mail lady is going to have a large stack of 8 envelopes awaiting her pickup. Check this out, my envelopes are pink a la Legally Blonde. I have to agree with Elle that it does give it more Ooomph!

This school thing is exciting me and frightening me at the same time. I'm afraid that I'm going to end up being a dunce, I'm freaking out just wondering how I'm going to be able to pay for everything and I'm worried that I might not get in. But then, at the same time, I'm excited to be moving into a new phase and doing something totally different with myself. Yes, I will keep y'all posted!

Product Survey...

Can I interest you in some:

Designer watches > Debt Consolidation >or Vioxx lawyers?

Social Butterfly

One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn' t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself. ~ Lucille Ball

I'm in an agreeable state: busy, enthusiastic, curious. ~ Isabelle Adjani

Wow, I've been sooooo busy lately. I'm taking today off my social calendar just to relax, chill with my family and rejuvenate. It can be a tad exhausting at times being the Goddess of Fun and Delight;)

Well, I came back on Tuesday and ever since then it's been one thing or another. Wednesday I had to catch up on blogging (reading, commenting, writing, Baggage Reclaim) and all my bills, computer stuff and correspondence. By the time I was done, my darling friend Sara popped in for a visit to welcome me back home. She came bearing gifts...Walker's shortbread cookies (and you know I just couldn't say no!) We hung out until 11pm that night.

Thursday was Claire's day. I hadn't seen her in over a month and we had ALOT of catching up to do. First stop of the day was lunch at Olive Garden, followed by a short dash to the mall and then I went to her place and shopped at the House of Claire. I came home with 6 pairs of jeans and sundry other items. After that, it was off to San Jose for a night of dancing. We went with this new girl, May, beautiful, exotic Asian. She used her wiles on the bouncers and got us in for free (and free drinks!). We were a stunning trio, the exotic Asian, the beautiful Caucasian and the gorgeous African. One of every flavor. We took pictures in the club and flirted with everyone from the bouncers to the bartenders to the DJ to the guy that performed. I got on the dance floor from when we got there (around 1030) until the DJ played the last track.

Friday I had time to clean the house proper in the morning and run a load of laundry. I was feeling the burn from last night (dancing in heels in no joke!) After that I was once again out the door, just catching up on errands and such. It was supposed to be an early night, and I was supposed to play spades with Joyci, but somehow, plans just didn't gel (sorry sweets!). However, I did talk to all my east coast people and managed to catch up with everyone, so I guess the evening wasn't a total wash. And yes NML, I was in my boudoir knickers!

Saturday, headed off to church and was super early this week cos my grandparents were in town. I have been having issues falling asleep lately and was living off 4 hours of sleep. We stayed after church for the potluck and didn't get home till around 330pm, which gave me just enough time to scrounge through my unpacked boxes and pull out my cocktail dress.

I did my hair/makeup and headed out for an anniversary party/black tie affair. And let me tell you something, Gay people REALLY know how to party! I had such a FABulous time! Even though I had never met the couple before, they were so hospitable. The food was awesome, the scenary was beautiful, the music was off the chain (yeah, I was on the dance floor!), and drinks flowed like water. The DJ was using an Apple computer and had every single song that you would want. I kept trying not to dance alot (still recuperating from Thursday), but he kept playing ALL my favorite jams and I couldn't resist. There was a plethora of single women there. I think more straight guys should come to gay parties just to even the numbers out. It's the best kept secret that straight guys don't know. Guess they didn't pick up anything from watching Sex & the City or Will & Grace.

Of course you know I woke up ridiculously late!

Then another girlfriend came to pick me up and we headed to Dublin for dinner with a college chum and a movie. There was an accident on the way, that backed up the highway for MILES and we had to turn round...ended up going to Olive Garden (ok, twice in one week, I know!). But I ordered something else, so it's all good.

After that, Sheneeka, being the sensible one, decided to call it a night. Rhea and I drove around Oakland, looking for something to get into. We ended up at some pool hall in Oakland, and played around in there, and yes, I got to use my swanky business cards.

So pretty much this week I've been a hot commodity. Giving up TV hasn't been all that bad, as you can see. My roomies say I've been like a butterfly, flitting in and out of the house just to sleep. Must make it up to them. I think LA must have changed me in some way. For I wasn't such a social until I returned. It also might be that now I'm so old 25, my Libra tendencies have fully matured. You know how we love to be the center of attention!

Am I different since I got back?

Television Fast

I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book. ~ Groucho Marx

This week, I watched less TV than my standard 15 hours. In fact, I only watched 2 hours. It wasn't a conscious decision on my part, but on Sunday, I left the house instead of sitting down to my standard 3 hours of primetime. And a habit was born.

As a result, I've realized that this week my social life has improved dramatically. I've met more people, done more things and learned a whole lot more than if I spent the whole week in front of the tube. During the summer, I mentioned it to a friend of mine that I couldn't survive once the season started without watching all my shows....well turns out that that is false. I'm alive, I'm breathing, and I've accomplished so much more this week than I ever thought possible.

So will I keep on this trend? I remains to be seen. But I've seen the other side of the spectrum and I'm loving it so far.

Alright, I must dash. I have BIG plans for tonight:)

Directions...

What's with you men? Would hair stop growing on your chest if you asked directions somewhere? ~ Erma Bombeck

GPS Navigation

The perfect gift for that special someone who has no sense of direction but is too cocky to ask someone where they are or even state that he is lost.

This way, you can actually make it to where you are going on time without offending his tender sensibilities.

Somebody please explain to me why men don't stop to ask for directions???

Annoyances

What annoyances are more painful than those of which we cannot complain? ~ Marquis De Custine

1. Women who have toenails growing past their toes and have the audacity to wear open toed shoes. That is just plain nasty.
2. People who feel like I want to know their life story because I'm sitting next to them in the train/plane/bus.
3. People on cellphones that shout out their bizness. We all don't need to know that you are going to be late for your tryst with your mistress.
4. People who don't check in their luggage and then take forever to put them in the overhead bins on the plane. Sometimes, said luggage is too big to fit the compartment....check it you fool!
5. Airports that overcharge on everything.

Ok, I'm done venting now. Needless to say, I had a interesting flight back.

Vanity

Don't Cha
By Pussycat Dolls
BestVideoCodes.com

This is my soundtrack, playing in my head, as I walk down the street.

Decisions...

Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know. ~ Daniel J. Boorstin

After months of waffling about the future of my life (to my parents' utter motrification and dismay!), I have finally decided to take the plunge and go back to school.

I'm going to grad school. It's so surreal. It's always been in my plans to go to grad school, and now that I'm 25 I realized that I've somehow missed my timeline along the way. Don't blame me...I was having too much FUN!

I've researched and selected the school of choice. I'm moving to SoCal to go to school. Yesterday I worked for almost 3 hours on my application. It was online, and was like a friggin entry exam. What are your life goals? Which of these life values are most important to you? What the hell kinda questions are these?

What happened to name, dob, sex and address? When did that become not enough to fill out on your application?

Besides that, I have to find 3 recommendors, preferably teachers at my last school (which I don't speak to anymore, and it was 4 years ago!). Hopefully, they'll take whatever I give them. I don't know why private schools are so picky about who they let in. I thought if you paid, they would let you in but I guess not.

I'm surprised they aren't doing a background check and taking my fingerprints. THey did ask me if I've ever committed any felonies or misdemenours....I wonder if beating the crap out of my kid sister a decade ago counts?

So yeah, in March, I'll be in grad school.

Grad school. So surreal.

Special Announcement

To Alias Lovers EVERYWHERE!!!!

I know we all saw last week's epi, and in tears we swore off Alias, that we would never watch it again....but somehow we crawled back again this week for another terrifying shocker.

Vaughn is NOT dead! I screamed for almost a minute when I saw his hand move! I knew he wasnt dead!!!!

WOOHOO!!

Isn't he soooo fine? That replacement dude doesn't even begin to compare. Cos if Vaughn doesn't come back soon, I will quench for lack of eye candy on that show. I'm beginning to look at Marshall in a new light...you know I'm getting desperate.

Alias Still Kicks Ass!!!

Birthday

Highlights of my 25th birthday

I spent it in a hospital bed, surrounded by tubes, probed with needles and forced to deep breathe oxygen.

I talked to every single person I knew on the phone, and got so many renditions of Happy Birthday sang to me that I think I'll be fine if I never hear that song again for a whole 'nother year decade.

The nurses on my unit made me a home-made birthday card and everyone signed it. So sweet!

My friends brought me over a whole Sara Lee's Strawberry Cheesecake and I got to eat as much as I could (one slice) and then passed the rest around the unit.

When sent downstairs for an Xray, I flirted with the yummy, cute technicians and told them that it was my Silver Jubilee. So they sang Happy Birthday to me....and strolled me back up after my tests.

I cried when I found out my ex had a new girlfriend already, and got to shoot myself up with expensive painkillers, that gave me a buzz and put me to sleep.

I rounded it all up with an interesting episode of Desperate Housewives and a very funny epi of Grey's Anatomy.

All in all, a strange birthday, definitely the strangest I've ever had.

Happy Birthday to Me!