What's the French for complete and utter exhaustion??

Don't get me wrong. I had no illusions. I wasn't suddenly expecting a life of relaxation and glamour...I'm too old to be that naive.

However, I feel it's worth noting that it's only the first day of my second semester in my second year and I am already way passed my weekly limit of stressed out. I just wrote as much of an essay as my seemingly dehydrated brain can muster and I think I shall turn in for the night or I'll never make that class tomorrow morning, and it is imperative that I do.

Oh and my crazy brain can't think up a hundred more words about magazine exceptionalism but can remember all the other million and one things I haven't managed to do?? Oh shucks that's helpful!!

PS
Wondering about the title?? Everything seems to sound exceedingly more glamorous in French, don't you think??

I'M GETTING PUBLISHED!!

I Just want to take a quick minute to say thank you sweet Jesus for making my life a series of undeserved miracles and a dream come true. No amount of gratefulness and thanksgiving can make up for all that you have done and continue to do for me. I love you.

Next L&G's I'd like to let you know that I am getting published. Yup that's right. My name is going to be on a by-line by the end of this month and words can't express how overcome with joy I truly am.

Of course I knew about this before hand but now that it's actually happening it's all the more exciting. It's for a new magazine that will debut this year. It's called Duvera Magazine. Check them out and help me spread the word will you??

Also to top all that off I am currently interning with Mother, Baby and Child Magazine here in Dubai. So in the rather inappropriate words (in this context) of Asa:

Life is beautiful, don't you think so too.

P.S.
Artists I am currently loving!! Check out the Malaysian artist Yunalis Zarai (Yuna). I love her song Decorate. It gives me chills. Also take a look at Michael Kiwanuka, a Ugandan-British artist. My favourite song from his album Home Again is Bones.  

Quick I Must Let You Know!!

My life is about to get very busy and I might end up being MIA for a few...sooooo

• I got an internship at Mother, Baby and Child which is a parenting magazine here in Dubai. I start on Monday by God's grace. I'm supposed to help out with their first annual awards show that's coming up this May. 
• School starts really soon and I have quite a few deadlines I need to meet. Some of them aren't even for school work. Regardless I'm going to be working pretty hard over the next few days/weeks.
• In other news I've (rather randomly) decided to treat the new things I learn about my family less like dirty little secrets and more like historical facts of which I was previously unaware. I think it's less messy/emotionally scaring that way. I'm optimistic.
• I think that's because I find myself slowly but oh so surely returning to the role of the friend that always gives advice. A part of me has missed that a lot and another part worries that I may not be up to the task
• I'm also thinking about going somewhere in the summer though a part of me doubts that will work out, and maybe also Christmas-this I'm more positive about. Anyways wish me luck.
• Finally I'm pretty sure my wisdom tooth is growing in my cheek and I'm almost certain that is not the best place for it. But I'm told the dental here costs my weight in gold. What to do!!
• Finally I think I actually added a bit of weight since I got back from Nigeria!!! Score!!!!

I shall still moan about my cold!!

Yesterday my cold pretended to ease off. It was great!! Got to see a good friend and just in time too might I add, ended up staying out quite late and then came home, had dinner and slept. At this point I feel it is in everyone's interest if I mention the fact that I skipped my medication because I had to be up relatively early this morning.

9 am this morning. I was awake before my alarm. I was sneezing and coughing. More importantly there was a mini me either burning everything down or trying to split an atom with a mallet and chasing it all around the left side of my head!!

Not to worry it isn't life or death, just unnecessary and uncomfortable seeing as I have to be somewhere a tad important by 1pm.

New Pet Peeves:

• Common colds and all that they stand for.
• Flies that wake me up every morning because opening the window to let them out means letting in more dust, and that would probably be the death of me.
• The complete irrelevance of the wisdom tooth.

I have a cold...

At first I thought I was getting the flu and I was none to happy about that...

Then my sister suggested that I might be getting ill because I foolishly forgot to take any anti-malaria before leaving Nigeria.

Later on all the feverish symptoms calmed down and I thought I was reacting to the dust that kept coming into the house every time we opened the windows to air out the clothes.

Now it might have escalated because I went to dinner last night without wrapping up properly.

Whatever the case may be, I am still feeling rather poorly at a time when I cannot afford to be unwell (when can I ever afford such a luxury!!)

Basically it is nothing life or death but as is my custom whenever I don't feel well I'm a little bit sulky and easily irritated right now. So everything and everyone is annoying me because I can barely manage to breathe through both nostrils at the same time and I am now developing a rather irksome itch at the back of my throat.

To console myself I have spent the day watching a rather embarrassing amount of anime and catching up on Season 5 of Fringe. So all is not lost, it seems...

Throwing The Odd Tantrum For World Peace

Sometimes I overreact in regards to things that people usually don't take that seriously. A lot of the time I actually don't care. I just feel the need to put someone in their place.

This may sound a little strange but I concluded a while back that some people in life need to be reminded of the fragility of their' relationship' with you, otherwise they'll take advantage of the situation.

Case in point. Someone makes a comment that is kind of rude but not offensive enough for me to have a fit. I have a fit anyway so next time the person knows that I might react adversely to a similar or more sever comment. It's not because I care about the comment; rather it's to avoid future insults.

In actuality, I take a lot of things people say or do with a pinch of salt for my peace of mind and well being!!

With that that in mind...

Pet peeve of the day: Dubai Taxis

1. Why are you a taxi driver if you "apparently" don't know anywhere and are also unable or unwilling to use your little gadget map thingy that I've heard so much about but never actually seen??
2. Why oh why do you stop to give other drivers directions (insert ironic chuckle here) when the metre is running?? Are they going to pay your fare because I sure won't!!

P.S.

I think it's fair to say that I am aware that none of these are that serious but I just wanted to put it out there. 

Socially Anti-Social

I think people find me rather peculiar, understandably. I have the uncanny ability to be everyone's friend and yet be painfully, unbearably anti-social. I don't even know how possible that is. How can I be sociable and anti-social all at once? How can I know at least 50% of the people at a 'party' and still be the one sitting quietly in a corner somewhere? More importantly how can I be content doing it?

I think I'll always be like this. As much as I often kick myself for being a recluse, I think I value my ability to sit, listen and observe even in the most unusual situations. I've been this way since I was a child and I have that Forever 6 thing going on (in case you don't know what that is, it's my theory that a part of me will always be 6 years old). 

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'll always be the kid with imaginary friends, sitting alone in a corner and making her own fun out of thin air...I guess the silver lining is I know how to socialise if I need to.

Happy New Year!!

Our generation has done it again!! We survived the end of the world. We are nothing if not persistent viral infections.

Anyway, all that aside I am happy about this New Year. Although we are only 8 days in and these 8 days haven't been complete and utter perfection, it feels dangerously close. I'm just happy for no reason and every reason.

Even as a young girl I didn't take New Year's resolutions seriously; I had a habit of breaking them all by day two. It almost felt like tradition!! This year however I have resolved a few things I plan to take seriously.

1. I've resolved to be me, regardless of what ANYONE (family, friends or otherwise. in fact anyone short of God or His mouthpiece) has to say about it.
2. I've resolved to be closer to God no matter how hard the year makes it for me.
3. I've resolved to take a closer look at my future and make more solid plans regarding a number of things, i.e. what I want to do, where I want to do it et al.
4. I've resolved to stay out of all manners of conflict.
5. I've resolved to cut off all negative energy from my life in the forms of people or things/activities that have proven to be without benefit.
6. And finally I've resolved to be happy and thankful through all of it.

all these have put quite  a smile on my face and i publicise them thus as a point of reference, so whenever I feel like my year isn't going as I think it should I can come back here.

Oh and I started reading The Songs of Songs or The Songs of Solomon from the Bible recently, and all I have to say is wow!! Poetry at it's very best. 

PS

I was in Nigeria for 2 weeks recently so when I sort myself out I should have pictures and stories to share. 

Stay Tuned!!