Random mess and thoughts

* Randomness: I'm feeling sick. I have this crappy feeling in my throat and I just know what it means. I do not have time for this right now. I have to go to work, I have to go to the gym, I have to arrange every last thing before my trip. I have to bake for everyone in the family before I leave. *Sigh* that's the least I could do for them since I'm leaving them here for christmas. I have no money to give any other gifts. My grandma used to make these delicious date breads for everyone in the family. It's probably one of the only family traditions my family has. Now her hands are too weak since she's 92 years old, and she really loves it when I make them for her. I need to get that done this upcoming weekend.

*Gossip: What's up with men always talking about us women being talkative and gossipy? They're just as bad, if not worse than us. I kid you not. Trust me, they like to talk alright. Just with each other , when there's only men around. When they're around us, they'll claim they don't like to talk. That's a lie. The guys are always updated on who just got a new car and what kind of car it is. Who just ran away from his wife. Who's fighting custody over his kids. Who just started business in his home country, who just stole money from who, pretending to borrow it. Yadda yadda. Maybe that's just the guys I know but I doubt it.


* Messy hair : Alright, this is a useless fact, but I finally bought a new straightening iron yesterday! YAY! It only took me 3 and a half years, the last one I owned got stolen in Nigeria, along with my camera. Ok, people who already have straight, messless hair, don't get the value of this thing. My hair is curly and messy. I like it best in its natural form, but it's a fulltime job maintaining it. Hence, the straightening iron. My rescue on bad days. Suddenly my hair transforms into something that's easy to deal with, and that minimizes my daily stress, which I already have enough of.

* Boredom: I'm about to go crazy not having anything to do while at work. Does it show?I went from a job that was the most stressful, busy business I've ever been involved with. I worked up to 12 hours every day, literally running around from 6:30 in the morning till late in the afternoon - early evening. Now I have to sit on my ass all day in front of the computer, and apparently, this time of the year nothing at all happens. I haven't had the chance to surf on the internet for the long time, so I thought there was plenty to do online. But I've run out of things to do. Or I get tired of doing them. Thank God I discovered the blog universe. If anyone has any suggestions, please pass them on, I'm BORED. And thank goodness I'm going on a holiday in 2 weeks. It's about time.

*Beaurocracy : I don't get the deal with the Nigerian embassy. I applied for my visa more than 1 and a half month ago, I still haven't received it. 3 weeks ago. To my surprise, an angry woman with an attitude from the embassy, called me at work. She said I hadn't paid enough for the visa (which I had, I absolutely paid enough). She demanded 250 SEK from me, and I said well alright, I don't get why, but I will transfer it immediately and fax the confirmation to you. This is 3 weeks ago, and I still haven't seen anything resembling a passport in my mail. What if it doesn't show up in time? And why do they have to be so slow. It doesn't take sooo long to just stick a sticker in my passport with my name on it. I found the whole visa application thing to be ridicilous anyway. They had to know the profession and address of my in-laws in Nigeria. Are you kidding me? So many places, there aren't even proper street names and numbers. This fake beaurocracy thing is making me laugh. I think that this country is beaurocratical and difficult, but it's nothing compared to Nigeria. Everytime I apply for a visa, I've forgotten how tricky it was last time. Same as every time I deal with immigration here. I have to learn it all over again. I'm not slow, so maybe it is because it just simply doesn't make any sense. Anyway, when I got married in Nigeria, I had to provide certificates of blood types (?!). HIV-tests too, which is more understandable I guess.. But I'm wondering how they're keeping track of everyone with HIV when they've never done a proper census in the first place? They also provided me with a big white sheet of paper I had to sign. The headline said "I hereby declare/promise/swear/whatever: -that the person I am marrying is not the following;
My brother, my father, my sister, my mother, my brothers brother, my brothers brothers son or daughter, my sisters or brothers son or daugher, my mothers sisters son or daughter, my uncles brother, my uncles brothers children, my grandmothers brother or sisters childrens children etc etc. It looks like I'm exaggerating here, but really I'm not. It's a little on the edge maybe, but the list was LOOONG. A lot longer than what I just wrote. I signed. Why couldn't they just make me swear that I am not in any way related to the person?

* Apple: I never owned a Mac or anything, allthough I'm considering getting one. But I think Apple are monopolistic, capitalistic greedy scavengers. Ok, a little too brutal phrasing, and sure, Microsoft aren't very good either. But I got myself Apple iPhone. I' m not too much into technological wonders, but my phones were all broken and I needed a new one. Silly excuse as I come to think of it. Anyway, in order to use this item of technological wonder, I have to have iTunes. The phone simply won't turn on if you don't connect it to iTunes first. In order to get the significant update you really need to make the phone running the way it's supposed to, with all its excess functions, you have to sign up to the Apple store and give them your credit card number. And I'm not fond of that. It might be an exaggeration, but most of the functions on the phone are designed for the purpose of the customer spending more money. If you ever need it repaired, or look at the battery or something, don't try it, because the phone is unpenetratable to normal folks. You have to bring it to the special people of Apple. And to protect it's shiny glass exterior, you need a special cover, which costs a fortune. I like the phone anyway though, it's beautiful, and the iPod's great. I'll see how long that love lasts. I know that's superficial, but I'm trying to find a way to justify the moneyspending to myself.


that's it for now.