“Are You in Your 30s’?”

This is it!

I’m done not going to the gym. I’m done eating in excess all the things I shouldn’t really eat. I’ll begin working out again with a vengeance.

No more slacking during aerobics, no more screaming when my trainer pushes me to do more sets. I quit being a punk and such a weakling.

This morning shall never repeat itself.

After working off my butt at the gym, I decided to stop at the makeup store right next door to see if I can get an item or two.
As I sat down there with the lady testing out foundation on my face, she looked at me and randomly said “Are you in your 30s?”

Say what?!?

Just about a month ago, the guy I’ve been secretly crushing on at the gym told me he thought I was 19 years old (Can I just say how handsome he is, how much of a motivation he sometimes is at the gym? No? I can’t? Okay I wont say then 😦  ) Surely I couldn’t have possibly aged that much in less than a month.

I mean, that guy totally told me he avoided making a pass at me due to the fact that I was so young. How then could this woman think I’m in my thirties? My fashion taste isn’t like a typical 25/26 year-old, so I’ll sort of get where this woman was coming from.

Whatever made her feel she could just blurt out such an assumption, I shall never know. 😦

Apparently, my complexion has changed and this is likely to happen more with women in their 30s’ due to hormonal changes or unbalance, said this makeup consultant. Sigh. The first time I ever bought makeup, about three years ago, I got it from her store. She used a darker shade on me then and as such, is able to tell my shade is lighter, she said.

Well, this is it, I guess me exercising and trying to stay healthy with healthier food choices, has got nothing to do with my complexion change.

All I could do was laugh to her face, but of course inside I was trembling like a Nigerian Kid about to be lashed in front of the school assembly. Right there and then, I made up my mind to start working out insanely as I did this time last year when I was working out with a red dress for Christmas as my goal/destination.

I’ll give myself a few more weeks of reasonably extreme workouts then visit that lady’s store again. Maybe, just maybe, she’ll come up with a different age. Maybe younger! Sigh

Again, this has been another senseless post 🙂

Smile, laugh, play, eat, fart and be silly. Life is too short.

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Adulthood, Grossly Overrated.

This has absolutely nothing to do with my self-diagnosis of Quarter Life Crisis.

Being an adult isn’t easy. Can I just go back to living with my parents, don’t pay bills, play all day, eat all I want and don’t give a care what anyone feels? Can I sleep and have my mom wake me up, tell me it’s time for school? Have my mom make my breakfast? Help me iron my school uniform? Like, can I just be a kid once again?
Being a senior citizen is an equal, if not a more attractive option. I just want to stay home, do nothing, have my meals cooked for me, have bills paid, have grand kids who show up just to hug me and dish out nothing but love, while I act all wise and knowing as I tell stories of “back in my days.”

C’mon universe, Is that too much to ask?
Seriously, I think I’ve been called to be a child or a senior citizen. Be an adult? Ain’t no body gat time for that.

I had to drag myself out of bed this morning and convince myself that it was okay to have a shower, drink water in the name of breakfast(all because I was in bed late and couldn’t fry eggs or make oats- another task), dress up in a somewhat professional way and head out to work.
On my way to work, I had to psych myself into believing I’ll have a good day. I did my best.

I got into the office and immediately went head on into my work. The first call I made was to a senior citizen who I thought has always being a cheerleader of mine… Oh how wrong was I? My lady went ham on me for whatever reason, I still don’t know…The last time I had a chat with her, she was praising me and my work in front of someone.
That short two minutes just reinforced my need to be a child or a senior citizen.
No adult would have given me that much attitude first thing in the morning and walk away without some subtle verbal lashing.

I’ve forgiven her, instead of being sulky and hosting a self pity-party, I’ll consider that phone call one of the perks of being a senior citizen. As a matter of fact, I want to be like her some day- do whatever I want and say whatever i want at anytime. No one will dare question me…lol

After I spoke with the lady, I went to the senior citizens’ home to look for a few elders who would contribute to the piece i’m working on. As I sat there waiting on the home’s manager to come attend to me, an elderly lady who doesn’t know me from Adam walked to me, stretched out her arms, reached out for me, and showered my cheeks with kisses, then just walked away.
People, that’s the life right there! As a senior citizen, I can decide to be moody or happy and who are you to tell me I’m just being dramatic? But as an adult, I can’t just walk to people and kiss them then walk away. Well, I could, but I’d probably end up in jail for harassment or some other charge of the same sort.
(I was glad that old lady hugged me breathless and kissed my cheek. It’s been a while I got that special treatment…Oh well.)

Look people, judge me if you may, but I’m done venting for the morning…. 🙂 Now I can go about looking and acting normal…. hehehe

Smile 😉

The Abysmal War

Folks,
I had plans of blogging about a book I finished reading yesterday and then about my natural hair journey, but I have to do this. I have to vent about something that almost got me my first pass into a mental health asylum. Contact Lenses.

Yesterday, I got a lovely, of sort-of vintage, lovely looking shades. I got them because they looked lovely and I don’t really have a pair of functional shades to protect my already bling eyes from the sun.
Another reason I got them without hesitation was the fact that I don’t have to frequently switch to my normal glasses every two minutes, I can wear my contacts and I’m good to go.

So, this morning, I decided to go old school. I let my afro loose, wore my carrot/Aladdin slacks and thought the shades a perfect accessory.

That was where the battle began.
Since when I learnt of contact lenses, I hated them. Well hate is a strong word. I basically disliked the idea of poking my eyes just to put some strange object on them.

Somehow though, a few months ago, I gave in; I got my first pair of contact lenses. At first, it was difficult and after a few days, it was easy, then the challenge began; trying to get the left eye to submit.

Many times, I had to put down my contacts all because the left eye just won’t cooperate. But this morning, I had to wear my vintage shades and that meant I needed to get those contacts on. As usual, the right eye was as sweet as ever. I got the contact on in less than a minute.

Then the left eye began it’s nagging. Ladies and gentlemen, It took me close to an hour to get the contacts on my left eye.
I spent a lot of money on those contacts. Letting them just sit in the case was not going to happen today.
I had planned to be at the office at about 10 a.m. but, I put off every other plan until the left contact obeyed.

I stood in front of that bathroom mirror till the left eye gave up being a total pain.

As little and as insignificant as some people may think that intense battle is/was, I’m glad to see I set a goal for myself today, and I reached it.
back to work.. I got stories to finish if I must still have a job come Tuesday morning.

 

Smile, this has been yet another insignificant post 🙂

 

Judge Not a Man By His Music

Yup, that’s right! I judged him by his music. What a great mistake.

So, on Friday, an acquaintance invited to come hang out and have drinks with him and his friends. After hours of trying to convince myself that it was okay to be somewhere other than on my bed on a Friday evening, I gave in.

It wasn’t an easy decision putting down the book I was/am reading to be in town doing nothing, watching people drink their lives away. It was tough.

Usually, Friday to me meant I got a few more hours to stay home during the weekend, meant I had more sleep hours, more reading time and in short, just more time to spend with my bed, my food, my music, internet and Bible study here and there.

First of all, I was hesitant to go out with this acquaintance because, I don’t know much about him. He listens to old school, underground kinda rap music. The rap that made sense, the rap that inspired people to ditch social injustices. For some reason, somewhere in my head, I thought for someone to listen to such deep music, he must have some deep thoughts and not be as shallow as some guys. I thought I’d have conversation about a lot of things beyond the latest hangout spot and the sorts. Well I was wrong.

The outing was one of the worst I’ve ever subjected myself to.
I was so bored that one of the guys sitting on the table right next to me reached out and whispered in my ears “doesn’t look like you’re enjoying the company you’re with.” I just smiled and nodded.

Well, we moved on to another restaurant/hangout spot and dude just sat there with nothing to say. Thank goodness, it was a sports bar. Baseball never looked so appealing. I spent close to 40 minutes just watching the a baseball game on the screen. At long intervals, dude would interrupt me to say something total irrelevant.

I got to my breaking point and told him I needed to go home. Initially I told him I don’t stay out of my house past 10:30. But I was ready to go before then.

The kicker came when on our way to his vehicle, he was handing me his key to drive his vehicle… I won’t say what happened next.

But I got home safe…but never again am I going to judge people based on their music…
I basically wasted a few hours of my Friday night. Best believe I won’t be going anywhere on Friday nights for a very long time. Except poetry Open Mic or me going to some assignment.

This has been yet another senseless post… 🙂

Overcoming Fears

Hello folks,
One day, I’ll be consistent with this blog thing. TIll then, here’s an article for work this week. Enjoy

🙂

I’ve never been scared of heights. At least, that’s what I thought before Tuesday. Strapped into a harness and hooked into a zip-line on a two-storey-high platform overlooking Johnsons Ghut, I saw things differently.

“Can I just go back down? I’ll watch you guys zip through,” I told Jeana James, one of the tour guides of Original Virgin Canopy Tours.

Starting in a few weeks, the company, which has been five years in the making, will offertours through the tops of trees via zip-lines.

“Family members saw some business prospects there,” said Managing Director John Shirley. “We decided to have something green without having to disturb too much of the environment.”

For Ms. James who recently underwent a five-week intensive training, my hesitation was not new. She assured me I would be okay.

Besides, I had met the requirements to go on the tour: I am significantly less than 270 pounds; I’m able to walk and run for more than five miles; and I had “sufficient mobility” to climb up the 10-foot ladder to the starting platform. Plus, I was not intoxicated, as

I stated on the waiver I signed in advance.

So I took a deep breath and stepped off the platform.

Soon, I was zipping through the hills at the level of the treetops.

Amidst the excitement, somewhere in my mind, I could hear part of the territorial song playing: “Oh, beautiful Virgin Islands, your qualities can never be denied.” For a little under a minute, I felt like a bird.

On another platform about 200 feet away, another guide, Mario Reyes, was waiting to make sure I landed safely.

Mr. Reyes unhooked me from the line and guided me to another platform. After each platform, we climbed down a ladder and walked to another along a trail bordered with guavaberries, which we picked and ate.

After three zip-line rides and about an hour, the tour was over.

Tour guide
Throughout the day, Mr. Reyes, who became a zip-line tour guide 15 years ago in his native Costa Rica, zipped along with ease. He rotated with such easy command that he was able to snap a few photos of me as I approached each stop. The territory’s green vegetation and hills make the tour different from similar projects in other countries, Mr. Reyes explained.

Mr. Shirley said the tour is an activity that allows family and friends to spend time together. “A lot of this is about overcoming some of your fears,” he said.

I could relate.