Greetings!

May the best times of 2005 be the worst times for you in 2006. May all your dreams come true. Hugs and shortbread cookies all around!

Insomnia

In its early stages, insomnia is almost an oasis in which those who have to think or suffer darkly take refuge. ~ Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

It's wierd to classify myself as an insomniac. Sure, I'm up all night until the wee hours of the morning, don't get to sleep until around 5AM and don't wake up until around noon, but that doesn't make me an insomniac. After all, I do go to sleep, and quite restfully too!

Since Thanksgiving, I have been inudated with sarcastic comments from my family and friends making yours truly out to be a wierd person. Apparently, they didn't know that I could stay awake all night and still function fine up until around 9AM if I had to, while they are asleep in their beds. Assuredly, I am a tad wierd, but not that crazy.

I love the night time, I always have. I think better at night, I write most of my best work at night, I get more accomplished at night, I have more fun at night. There is something about the silence of the wee hours, when all the loud boorish world is fast asleep and only a select few are up and functioning that calls to me, each and every evening on a solitary quest.

We are the NightOwls. The moon is our companion, and the sun our moon. We savor each sunrise as our beacon for heading to bed, and call high noon our signal to arise. Our biorhythms have adjusted to our schedules, and we revel in the dark that is our true nature.

So please, just leave us be. Don't be all up in my grill like that. It just irks me so. After all, I don't come to you and say, "You are a Morning Lark! That is so disgraceful!"

***end rant***

I came across a song by Shanice today that tugged at my heartstrings. It's called Every Woman Dreams. Click Here to play the video on your Windows Media Player. It's officially my new theme song.

Obituary

Pet lovers know that animals sometimes understand us better than we do, and the annals of human sin and desire provide plenty of stories to drive the point home. ~ Tony Snow

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself. ~ Josh Billings

Here lies Goucher, the most adorable and loving dog you could ever come across. She never bit anyone, and was just a bundle of energy and loved nothing more than to chase her ball for hours on an end.

Well in doggy years, she was in her mid 80s so I guess she had lived a long and fruitful life. We can't complain. RIP Goucher.

You never realize how much you come to value someone until they are gone. Tell your loved ones you love them...today.

Wedding Bells

Where there is love there is life. ~ Mohandas Gandhi

Marriage is the most natural state of man, and... the state in which you will find solid happiness. ~ Benjamin Franklin

My darling younger sister got engaged today to her boyfriend of 3.5 years. (it's about friggin' time!) She called me all giddy and excited, and I could not even understand what she was saying over the phone. She happened to call while we on the West Coast were opening gifts and we all started screaming and jumping up and down. Talk about a Christmas gift!

Her new fiancee is a decent bloke, someone who complements yet contrasts her so perfectly that even I can't complain. Congratulations to them both.

And congratulations to me as well. Not only do I get to be a chief bridesmaid sometime in the near future...I also have the added bonus of getting the parents off my back! Soon she will be married and popping out grandkids for them right and left, whilst I continue on my merry way, travelling all over the world and living the utterly delicious life of the fabulously single.

Quite grande!

Christmas Ambivalence

A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together. ~ Garrison Keillor

Every year, as soon as Thanksgiving is over, I'm ambivalent about Christmas. At one moment, I will totally be in the holiday mood, all chirpy and excited and happy; and the next, I'm getting desolate, bored and melancholy. Over the past few years, the latter has ruled the scoreboard.

In Nigeria, Christmas is referred to as the little season. It is a holiday, but not a big event like New Year's. The coolest thing about Christmas growing up wasn't the presents, it was the fact that we got to drive down to my dad's hometown and spend the whole week with my grandma and cousins at the family home. We were allowed free rein to play all over the town, in the hills, at the market place, at the palace, at my cousin's house...wherever we wanted to go. We had lots of delicious and spicy indigenous dishes to eat and we got to live a simple life, with no TVs and lots of nights spent by the gas stove listening to my grandma and dad tell us stories and folk lore. It was mainly a time of familial bonding and traditions. It was wonderful.

With presents it was never a big deal, we got stuff from our parents after New Year, mostly tangible items like new school shoes or church clothes. Never in my wildest dreams would my parents have gifted us an XBox 360, and we never did expect anything. From my aunts and uncles, family friends and other relatives, we got lots of money, cold hard cash to spend as we see fit. How cool was that?

In contrast, over here it's been totally different. The consumerism of the holidays annoys me, and irritates me to a point that I'm almost invariably end up feeling like Scrooge. The whole issue of buying gifts for people because it's expected, or because they got you something seems very redundant. Do I really want to blast 20 bucks on the your nasty coworker that hates my guts because I managed to draw her name for secret santa? Do I really have to rack up my credit cards to ply into the hype? The ads on TV are super annoying, with commercials flaunting super expensive toys and gadgets that you can't even afford under normal circumstances.

I love my family and friends and they know that I adore them. The validation of said love shouldn't have to come with an affixed price tag. It's a cool thing that my family is made up of very thrifty individuals, who do go Christmas shopping...after the holidays. We end up getting so much more stuff for less money because after New Year's everything goes on sale. So we wait a week, a few extra days and save a whole lot.

And because New Years in the Big Season, the one that really counts, our holiday traditions then have managed to stay true even though we have been transplanted in another country. I don't think I could ever be ambivalent to New Years...fresh start, fresh year, a clean slate. How cool is that?

Dear Diary...

In looking back, I see nothing to regret and little to correct. ~ John C. Calhoun

I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me cry. ~ Cat Stevens

Just for the record, I would like to report that I cleared up my resolutions of last year. I did get my driver's license for Cali, I did get admitted to LLU and I did take care of that other thing. So as of today, my life plan is still on track.

Allow me to elaborate...a la Bridget Jones.

End of Year Wrap Up: (the number's after the ~ are the quotas from 2004)

1. Number of shoes I now own: 24~14
2. Number of date shirts: Uncountable~10
3. Number of times I moved: 1~1
4. Number of times I went to the DMV: 3~2
5. Number of blogs I operate: 4~0 (betcha didn't know that!)
6. Number of pounds I gained: 5~6
7. Number of pounds I lost: 0~5
8. Number of times I travelled: 6~3
9. Number of times I had a crush (I refuse to say I fell in love!): 2.5~1.5
10. Number of guys I dated: 15~10
11. Number of breakups I went through: 1~1
12. Number of loser friends I ditched: 3~0
13. Number of great friends I found: 5~1 (so I came out on top!)
14. Number of times hospitalized: 3~5
15. Number of regrets: 1~3
16. Number of exes re-emerging from years past: 3~1
17. Number of cell phones I went through: 3~1
18. Number of weddings I attended: 0~3
19. Number of weddings I got invited to: 3~3
20. Number of concerts I attended: 2~1

So as you can see, it's been a very productive year. Now on to 2006!

Disappearances

All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else. ~ Buddha

Perhaps you have wondered where I disappeared to since my grand announcement last week. No, I didn't pass out in a dead faint for a whole week! Either way, I'm back and fully ready to get back into blogging. It's 346AM right now, and I've finally managed to wade through a week's worth of backposts and the 186 unread messages in my inbox that I've missed.

My administrator's computer....not mine, went on the freeze on last week Monday and we just got it fixed today. Yeah, I really did go into internet withdrawal, and it was quite ghastly! I was in my room, on my bed, staring at the walls trying not to go stir crazy. I reread about 7 books, wrote in my real journal (which i haven't done in forever!), rearranged my bookshelves, alphabetized my CDs and talked on the phone alot. I called my best friend several times and had her go into my email, just so I could have some form of digitized contact. I'm addicted!!!

By 2009, computers will disappear. Displays will be written directly onto our retinas by devices in our eyeglasses and contact lenses. Ray Kurzweil

I highly doubt that is going to happen Ray. At least not by 2009. Maybe 2019 though. Until then, I'm hooked unto my computer like white on rice.

Things I Found Out this Week....

1. That most men do not have a clue what the patch is.
2. That shopping during the holiday season is an insane venture best left to last minute humans who scorn the internet.
3. That I suck at wrapping Xmas presents.
4. That DHL and UPS delivery guys (as cute as some of them are) can be total morons, and FedEx guys are probably morons by association. 55401 is not the same as 55041! Get it right already!
5. That it is possible for it to rain every single day, three days in a row, even though I'm not living in Seattle or Portland.
6. That having sleepovers at my girlfriends place is still fun even though we aren't 12 anymore.
7. That techy gadgets make the best gift for almost anyone, most especially moi.
8. That I am capable of actually achieving last year's resolutions before 2006 starts.
9. That shortbread cookies instantly make me feel better.
10. That my sisters are so different from me, that at times, it's hard to tell we that we come from the same gene pool.
11. That Californians celebrate Xmas like everyone else, only difference is the lack of snow (or the fake snow in stores).
12. That Christmas songs rock, and I can play them all year long if I want to, dangnabit!

Success!!

The secret of success is to be ready when your opportunity comes. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

I'm pleased to inform my darling supportive 15 readers that yes, I did get admission into Loma Linda. I'm staring at my acceptance letter right now in absolute glee. First, I ripped the envelope to shreds in an effort to get to the letter, then I briefly scanned the contents, focusing on the key words and having to reread it twice to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me.

After dancing and screaming and jumping up and down for about 10 minutes...I managed to calm myself and focus on telling my friends and family. Which yielded in more dancing and screaming and jumping up and down. It's been a great day.

So it's official, I'm heading off to grad school in March. WOOHOO!

Moving right along, has anyone seen the movie EarthSea? It was a book turned into a Hallmark miniseries that I just spent a solid 3 hours watching. I'm not really a sci-fi person, but I was totally engrossed in the storyline and it was quite captivating. Danny Glover was in it, as well as Isabella Rosselini, very stellar acting jobs. Recommended to all the fantasy lovers out there, if you liked Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, then EarthSea is the next pit stop for you.

I managed to do most of my Xmas shopping online yesterday. No crowds, no malls, no long lines for me. Shipping was free on every site I used and everything should arrive here before D-day. Did anyone else do most of their shopping online?

For some reason, today has taken me on a bent to songs I listened to in 1999. There was a big tree in front of our apartment, and we could only get Classical music or Country. So yes, I confess, I have been listening to country music all day *gasp*. It's been great though, no hardcore stuff, just the country hits of 1999.

I'm ecstatic right now. I'm going back to school. (In a few months, I'm sure I'll be griping on how hard it is and blahblahblah, but let's savor this moment, shall we?)

Exhaustion...

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. ~ Kurt Vonnegut

It's been a very, very long week and frankly I'm exhausted. Getting back into the swing of things is always harder than taking off for vacation in the first place...but I guess it's official, I'm back in the swing of things (only took me a whopping week!).

Trouble is, I tend to be in vacation mode when I get back, and just end up procrastinating alot of stuff that has piled up in the first place. I just unpacked my suitcases a few days ago, and finally got around to downloading vacation pix and sorting through the mail just yesterday.

Big thanks to my friend, the FABULOUS Claire, who took time out of her life to make my already hectic life less hectic. It is true what Aristotle said, "A true friend is one soul in two bodies." Happy Birthday to my dear friend Joycii, who turned 24 today. I'm so glad that you are in my life.

Ok, enough mushy stuff. Back to business. If you haven't already, visit www.baggagereclaim.com and let me know what you think. Rumor has it that it's a pretty great site, and we're getting lots of readers but little feedback. Feedback is always appreciated.

Which R&B Star Are You?

Ok, so maybe in my spare time, I'm addicted to taking all these surveys. Just helps me learn more about me, myself and I...or qualifies what I already know!

ALICIA KEYS: Ah, the talented Ms. Keys. You
are an extremely intelligent girl who has a
knack for creativity. You are focused on your
career and education and excel at it. You are
what people say, street, but sweet. A boughetto
chick who can hang with the girls and ball with
the guys anyday. You are a one-woman show and
you're out to change the world. Watch
out.

Anger

The deferring of anger is the best antidote to anger. ~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca

For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Get mad, then get over it. ~ Colin Powell

Gotta agree with Lucius, deferring my anger often works best. When I was a child, I used to have fits of rage, destructive, violent anger that landed me in trouble more times than I can recall. However, with age comes maturity, and perhaps maybe my parents also beat the rage out of me:)

Either way, now at the ripe ol' age of 25, I have found better coping mechanisms for dealing with anger. Better than being destructive, and it hurts less people in the process.

1. Defer: I retreat from the scenario as quickly as possible. Later, I examine my feelings and regroup, finding the source of what caused the anger and thinking logically through it.
2. Vent: I dial the digits of one of my closest friends and blab everything to them, and in the telling of my horrendous tale of woe, I somehow manage to unleash all the emotions and get over it.
3. Write: Nice, long, nasty pissy letters to the source of my ire. Usually I shred the letter into little tiny pieces and visualize me shredding their neck. Works wonders.
4. Distraction: I find another way to distract and isolate myself from the situation. I have a playlist on my iPod that is just full of seething, angry music. Just rapping with Eminem's Cleaning out my Closet or Eve's Love is Blind gets the anger out of my system. Ah, the magical powers of transferrance.

What about you? How do you get over your anger?

Big Dreams

I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Hopefully this is true. I have big dreams, bigger than I ever even realized until I started writing them down. My choices have led me to places that I was never originally predestined to go. Not that I'm a great believer in predestiny, but I'm sure that where I am today is fully based on my choices and not on the fickle whims of fate.

I organized my Media Player library today. I'd gotten an influx of fresh music from my sister's laptops last week and needed to input them into my complicated cataloguing style. For some reason, it took 2 hours, only because I'm super finicky and wanted everything labelled correctly. I had to have them under the right genres, with the titles put in right, capitalized all the major words, with the feature artists seperated by a comma so that they showed up in cataloguing and searches. Like I said super finicky.

Moving right along, I think that although I'm a flexible person, I'm not really great with delayed gratification. I like to have plans scheduled in advance and get really irritated when they get cancelled. Especially if they get cancelled close to the time when I'm supposed to head out...or I'm notified after I'd already gotten dressed. Grrrrrr!

Ok, enough griping for a Saturday nite. I'm heading out to a party. Ciao darlings!

Violin

I tried to learn the violin for a while. ~ Peter Wright

Dance in the light of the pale cold moon to the sound of a wild violin. ~ Erika Fawcett

If you are wondering what I do in my spare time, I have to tell you that it's very little. First of all, I don't have the much spare time, second of all, the times I do have, I'm usually doing a thousand and one things at the same time.

For some reason, while blogsurfing I stumbled across 43 Things. This site helps you to set goals, enumerate ones that you have accomplished, post pics and blog about stuff. It's really fun to look at what other people's goals are and to see where you are. It's going to be really cool in setting up New Year's resolutions and such.

One of my goals is to re-learn the violin. I used to play about a year ago, but then I moved out here, and the bridge broke off my violin. All I have to do is find a violin store to get it fixed but I've been procrastinating. It's on my list for next year though, I have to brush up my skills, cut my nails super short and serenade you all with my rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star!

Rain

Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life. ~ John Updike

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. ~ Langston Hughes

I was on the phone with a friend last night and remarked on the lovely temperature outside. It was slightly humid and he predicted rain.

He was right.

This morning I awoke to lovely torrents of refreshing rain, washing the grimy streets and leaving the air smelling fresh and clean. I love the smell of the earth after it rains. Ok, so it smells like wet dirt...but it really just is CLEAN wet dirt. Absolutely divine.

I miss the torrential rains we have in Nigeria. It's warm over there when it's raining, and you can stand outside and welcome the 'silver liquid drops'. Many a time we could be seen dancing in the rain, frolicking and getting very wet. Yet somehow we never caught pneumonia.

Good times.