So Finally I get to "do" Dubai properly

If there was any doubt that I work for a first-rate company, it was dispelled by some excellent news I got last week.

I will be visiting the Fonterra Sales Office in Dubai in order to meet the Sales team which sells product to customers all across the Middle East and Africa. Account Managers and Executives.

It's a great opportunity to see things in 'the field' for myself and it will be a pleasure to finally meet all the people I have been talking to over the phone and email for the last ten months.

To be honest, it wasnt really on the cards, but my flight home to Nigeria is booked on Emirates and I will be stopping over in Dubai twice. So I suggested to my boss that why dont I use the opportunity to visit the office? i wouldnt have been surprised if she had said, 'Nice try Ladi' but she didnt. She thought it was a great idea, spoke to the Dubai office who also thought it was a great idea!

No, they will not be paying for my flight back home to Nigeria but I am booked to stay in the classy Le Royal Meridien Hotel with meals and transport thrown in! Yes it would have been nice if my ticket could have been fully covered but lets not get ahead of ourselves!

The picture above of the 'Seven Star Hotel' I got off the internet. In 6 weeks, I will post a picture of the hotel taken from MY camera!

I LEAVE FOR LAGOS TOMORROW!!!!!

(and I still havent packed! Heck! I havent finished my shopping!)

Its being a soul enhancing experience... but I am glad it is over!

For the last 4 months, I have worked two jobs.

From 1300, I am a Customer Service Executive moving and ensuring that tons and tons of dairy produce reaches my designated list of customers with as little fuss as possible. I am in the center of an elaborate yet startling simple process that takes the milk from the Cow and delivers it to the customers all around the world!

I do this from 1300 to 2200.

And for 4 nights a week, I stroll some 60 meters to The Quadrant Hotel where I am a concierge. The first point of contact for guests arriving to the hotel. A warm smile, a helping hand with the luggage and ensuring the first impression of the hotel is one of warmth and professionalism. I am also on hand for their every request and try my best to ensure it is granted. This I do from 2230 till 0630 the next morning.

It's been fun while it lasted... no thats not true... it hasnt been fun. It has been extremely hard! I have hated the fact that I stay up those nights and I'm invariably tired after sleeping only 5 hours a day 4 days in a row! I hate the fact that in the last 4 months I have not been giving the 110% that I want to give to Fonterra. But it WAS necessary. Paying off my hospital bill AND being able to afford my trip to Nigeria for my brother's wedding wasnt going to happen with me sitting on my ass.

Has it been worth it?

You bet it has! I went shopping this morning Monday before I resumed at work and I have a slight indication of how this activity could actually be a panacea for certain individuals who do it so compulsively. There is an euphoria of acquiring new stuff and it is made doubly so for me that I am able to acquire these things from MY hard-earned money. ("hard-earned" takes on a whole new meaning for me) I have been able to afford my not-so-inexpensive ticket (return) to Lagos, I have been able to get small token gifts for my friends and loved ones and I have some spending money to take with me to Lagos.

There was a time I thought I wouldnt make it but now I have. I did this for four short months. There are people who do this kind of stuff with no end in sight. And they do it for 'nobler' reasons than mine. Single mothers all over the world. Low income families... 'Nuff respect to them!

I am standing behind the desk now in the hotel lobby now, writing this post. It is my absolute last night here. At least as a member of staff. There is funky music playing on the lobby speakers, the street outside is deserted as it is 02:40am. The phone hasnt rang in the last hour and I am thinking, "Would I do this all over again?"

An academic exercise perhaps... but I HAVE done it. It adds a richness and scope to my personal book of life.

But I am glad it is over.

Lagos here I come in 6 days!

Savouring the Moment...

Talk about ending the season on a high!

To neutrals it might have been a forgettable game but thank you very much... by winning the sixth trophy for Chelsea, Jose Mourinho has made a clean sweep of all domestic trophies on offer in England! And history can be very kind to winners I can tell you.

After the heartbreak of the Champions League semi-final to Liverlesspool ( I will NEVER forgive them!) and lending out the Premiership title to Manchester United, the sweetness and euphoria of winning the oldest football cup competition in the world was the perfect panacea to the events of the last month.


And apart from the cagey cautious game played by both teams, one other sight that warmed my heart was the impressive showing of the talented young Nigerian in the Chelsea midlfield. John Mikel Obi. The young giant saw so much of the ball and completely outclassed Carrick in the battle of the midfield. This portends well for my other football love, the under-achieving Super Eagles of Nigeria. I can only hope that our German coach Berti Vogts was watching the game.

And Mikel was the one that supplied the pass to Drogba who played a one-two with Frank Lampard (who played it back on the first touch to Drogba; a lesser striker would have let the goalkeeper get to the ball first. A poke at the ball, and the ball was in the net! Very fitting that Drogba be the one to score the winning goal to take the FA cup. His 33rd goal of the season too!

I just bought two Football jerseys from a colleague in the office (who happens to be a Liverlesspool fan...yes its true) and one of them is a medium sized Long sleeved shirt with "Drogba" and Number 11 printed on the back. Needless to say I will be wearing the jersey for every subsequent Chelsea game! The other one is a short sleeved medium sized one with "Lampard" on the back and is going to one of my best friends as a gift.

But now the football season is over (at least for the moment) in England. I can prepare to watch Milan show a thing or two to Liverlesspool in a couple of days in the final of the Champions League. And the title race is yet to be decided in La Liga in Spain and is indeed still winnable by four different teams. And this is just with three games to go!

I had the most interesting weekend this last weekend. Visited a Maori home, went shopping, celebrated my flatmate's birthday, attended a tenth year wedding anniversary and met the most beautiful woman called Penny! And then I did even more shopping! Guess where I will be next weekend?

To Change The World...

I was surprised to learn that a couple of people who I had always thought were open-minded and liberal minded individuals held intensely deep prejudices and dare I say it... outright bigoted views!

And how did I come to know this? For one of them, it was an innocuous statement that left me slack-jawed and staring in disbelief. I managed to recover in time and this person didnt realize how much they had shocked me. I initiated another conversation a few days later and sadly managed to confirm my worst fears. To this person, a certain group of people were automatically tagged with a certain label and other groups with other labels.

Twas very similar for the other person as well. A seemingly innocent statement was made and there was an obvious preconception and a snap judgement was made. For the second person, I was able to confront them a bit more directly and say, "What the hell do you think you mean by that?" I was unable to make them understand why I felt so strongly about preconceived notions that categorized people. Categorized them in the worst possible way.

The worst part of the whole situation is that these individuals did not see ANYTHING wrong or unfair in their views. I realized quite quickly that it would be banging my head against a brick wall to attempt to change their minds or attitudes. Which brings me to the story of the man who wanted to change the world. He tried so hard all his life and on his death bed he realized that he should have started with changing himself.

This disturbing experience has made me realize that one has to continually question oneself and strive to improve everyday. And hope that by doing this, you set an example to others around you and MAYBE get them to reflect some of the values you hold very dear to you heart.

I apologize for the lack of details, the post was deliberately written that way for obvious reasons.

I leave for Nigeria in 8 days by the way and get there in 9! I absolutely cannot wait! Final round of shopping this weekend. I hope! And next week Saturday, Las Gidi (Lagos) Here I Come!

Well What Do You Know...Auckland IS a Big City!

Well... at least it seems to have the attributes of one if not quite the population! (1 million is a decent number though)

So I had been bandying around the suggestion with my flatmates that while I was away for 5 weeks in Nigeria, I would rent out my room. The fact that I would still have to pay the rent even though I wasnt living there wasnt making my wallet or bank account very happy.

But I was very sceptical about actually finding someone who would want to stay for only 5 weeks. What sort of circumstances would prompt someone to rent a place for only 5 weeks. I mean... this isnt London or Stockholm where there is a 3 year waiting list to rent an apartment right?

Anyway... yesterday on my night shift at the Quadrant Hotel. I decided to post an advert for fun on TradeMe. This is just the kiwi equivalent of E-bay. I posted the ad at about 10:30pm and lo and behold by the time I checked again at 5am in the morning, there were 5 messages waiting for me asking if it was still available!!!

Holy Crap! I just might be on to something here, I thought to myself. By the time I was preparing to go to work in Fonterra at 1pm on Wednesday afternoon, I had in excess of 25 messages in my email box and 12 text messages. My phone didnt stop ringing or beeping with the sound of arriving text messages ALL day!

So even in Auckland, there are such circumstances that will make people want to rent a room for just 5 weeks! Amazing!

Some samples of the messages I got: (I hope this is not illegal?)

"...hi! I just saw your ad and it sounds perfect for me. I'm staying in Auckland and working at Brotown til roughly the end of June (I'm flexible). 5 weeks is about exactly how long I'll be here.. if you're still looking for someone give me a txt..."

"...hello, I'm a 23 years old french student and I will come to auckland from the 27of may to the 20 august....I like met straign people, travel,sport and fiesta. If it's good for you or if you have some question you can answer me..."

"...Hi - I am interested in this, I am a female working professional and I am looking for temporary accomodation over this period, in Auckland close to where I work in Symmonds Street - .....I am friendly, tidy and work long hours..."

Amazing aint it? I hope it works out. Since I have left it so late... Its going to be a bitch to make sure I find someone suitable that my flatmates are comfortable with. Mialy and Cris are such darlings to agree to this. They could have very easily said no. Thanks guys!

What could be better than "Friends"?

And obviously I am not referring to the 'friends' that make you realize exactly how lucky you are!

No. I am refering to that eccentric group of six individuals who for 10 years made us laugh and model our apartment sharing behaviour on them.

What could be better than the Friends TV Show?

A compilation of their numerous mistakes while filming the TV series of course. I havent laughed this hard in a long time! Above is a brief one. You can get all the rest on Youtube. Just search for "Friends Bloopers"

Tell Everbody I am on my way... Home!

Yes yes yes! I am on my way home to my country of birth and nationality. After 2 years.

I was underestimating how long 2 years is, to be away from the ones you love and cherish. And while there can be no doubt that I have had the most amazing of experiences in this 2 year period, it really (as in REALLY) feels good to be going to Lagos again!

To be honest, I dont so much miss the hustle and bustle... ok... I take that back... not the hustle and bustle... the MADNESS that is Lagos! After living in Stockholm and now Auckland I would be a stress junkie (or clinically insane) to miss the chaos and never-ending-madness that is the city of Lagos. But I am however looking forward with intense excitement to the experience of living there again for a whole month! Does that make sense? I dont miss it but I am looking forward to it?

And I am going for a wedding. And not just any wedding but for my big brother's wedding. Now, weddings are a BIG deal in Nigeria especially the part of it that I come from. My morning suit is ready and waiting for me, ticket is booked and exactly 12 days from now, I will board an Auckland-Dubai-Lagos plane. And to prove to you that I really do live at the (nice) end of the world, I wont get there for another day! It's going to be a 27 hour flight. Bugger!

One thing I have found is that the more money you have, the more you enjoy shopping! Here I always thought I didnt enjoy shopping. But who would if all you did was simply look at the stuff and force yourself to walk out of the store before you spend next month's rent!!! Oh yes... as my disposable income increases, I could certainly enjoy this shopping phenomenom of a thing!

As a big Disney song lover, I would like to share the Phil Collins song from "Brother Bear" title of which is also the title of this post...

Tell everybody i'm on my way
New friends and new places to see
With blue skies ahead, yes i'm on my way
And theres no where else i'd rather be

Tell everybody i'm on my way
And i'm loving every step i take
With the sun beating down, yes i'm on my way
And i can't keep this smile off my face

Cause theres nothing like, seeing each other again
No matter what the distance between
And the stories we tell, will make you smile
Or really lifts my heart

So tell'em i'm on my way
New friends and new places to see
And to sleep under the stars and could ask for more
With the moon keeping watch over me

Not the snow nor the rain, can change my mind
The sun will come out, wait and see
And the feeling of the wind
In your face can lift your heart

Oh... theres no where i'd rather be
Cause i'm on my way now Well and true
I'm my way thereI'm on my way now(x3)

Tell everybody i'm on my way
I just can't wait to be there
With blue skies ahead, yes I'm on my way
And nothing but good times to share

So tell everybody I'm on my way
And I just can't wait to be home
With the sun beating down yes I'm on my way
And nothing but good times to show

I'm on my way
Yes, I'm on my way

Guilty until proven innocent

I have lived in Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. My current country of residence is New Zealand. I have visited, traveled through and transited through about 30 different countries in Africa, Europe and Asia. And for the first time ever, I have been refused a visa!

I think it was Tom Gara who commented on one of the posts on the nomadlife home page that Nigerians must have it the worst when it comes to passport and visa issues. Boy, dont I know it! Although having never been refused a visa up till now, I have had to endure lengthy question and answer sessions at immigration checkpoints around the world. Even with a valid visa.

One that jumps straight to mind was on my way back to Sweden from India in the summer of 2005. I was traveling with three Swedes and we were flying on Austrian Air. My three traveling companions breezed through immigration in Vienna, going through the "EU citizens" gate. I went to "other" gate, got stamped through but then was stopped by another official. He flipped through my passport at least 50 times over and over again without saying a word. I asked him if there was a problem and he said 'No'. And then he flipped through another fifty times. He must have been trying to figure out how a Nigerian passport held a Swedish work and residence permit! He eventually handed me my passport and asked me to have a nice day. Although the expression on his face wished me anything but!

But which embassy has seen fit to deny me a request for a visa? Ladies and Gentlemen, please give it up to the country that has broken this nomad's record... AUSTRALIA!!! Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie!!! And it wasnt even an entry visa... I was denied a TRANSIT VISA!

According to the refusal letter... "My bonafides didnt match up". Whatever the hell that means. I guessed it meant that I couldnt prove that I had gainful employment in NZ to return to and might decide to slip into Australia and claim assylum. The interesting thing is that the letter acknowledged that, "... you have been granted a single entry transit visa by our London office... and you have numerous European visas...". It probably looked like I had been keeping one step ahead of the law in all those countries and was planning to get lost finally in Melbourne or Sydney after my first attempt to do so was unsuccessful.

I eventually had to re-send the application with a copy of my contract with Fonterra and lo and behold... my manager actually got a call from them asking if I really worked there and how long I had been working/would be working! It seems they assume the worst and you then need to disprove the assumptions.

I am still expecting my passport back now. I guess there is still a chance they might think I gave a set of fake numbers and hired people to answer the phone. All in a bid to fight my way across the immigration checkpoint in Melbourne, having wasted money buying a round-trip ticket to Nigeria from Auckland!

Caro from Switzerland is on a round-the-world trip right now. New York, Indonesia and Colombia have welcomed her so far. I daydreamed for a fraction of a second of doing the same some day but quickly abandoned that train of thought when I reminded myself of the potential visa stress! I mean, to go to Thailand from Auckland, I have to travel to the Thai embassy in London IN PERSON to apply for the visa! I could go on and on...

Dont I just love being a Nigerian?

Take a United Bow!

Edwin Van De Sar keeping out the possibility of an extension to Chelsea's grip on the title challenge

And what Deserving Champions They Are Too!

It would have taken a really special performance by a really special team managed by a really special manager to wrest the title from Chelsea FC.
Manchester United, the most successful English club in the last two decades has proved what it takes to be champions this season. Week in, week out…
They have proved it with classy attacking style of play, a never-say-die attitude and more than a hint of class.

The deserving team has ALWAYS been crowned Premiership Champions. And although there is very little between Manure and Chelsea, at the end of the day the Red Devils have more points than we do. Fergie's team has upped it's play and performance (the only team to do so) and not only match Chelsea but do enough to pip the title from us. Well done!

Chelsea FC have no cause to be ashamed of our performance and can take pride in the fact that we pushed the Red Devils as hard as we did. Despite Everything.
Ryan Giggs, Edwin Van der Sa, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gary Neville and the rest of the team, Well Done and Congratulations.
Sir Alex Ferguson. Form is temporary, style and class are eternal. Guess which ones you have?

Now we can wait for the humiliation of Liverlesspool on the biggest stage of all! A stage Liverlesspool has absolutely no business being on! hyuk hyuk!!

PS
I sincerely hope Manure does not expect us to roll over and play dead on Wednesday?! And there is still the FA Cup to play for on the 19th!

My Brother... My Friend

I have a lot of brothers. From all around the world. Individuals who only need to call (on Skype, MSN or the more conventional phone) and I will do all in my power to answer their call. Brothers I have shared experiences with, gotten in trouble with and chased women with. (apologies)

However, I have only the ONE brother who was actually an occupant of my biological mother's womb. As a matter of fact, he was the immediate past occupant of said womb.

There is a saying I once heard, 'There is no feud more bitter than a feud between blood kin..". And I have met a lot of siblings who - to put it delicately - dont get along at all.

Happily, this is NOT the case between my brother Oluwasegun Bankole Ajayi and I. And you can call him Segs. (sounds like 'sex' with a lisp doesnt it?) If you are Nigerian, you will probably call him "Segun" (pronounced "SHAY-gun)

Segun and I are quite different people

- We look nothing alike (as you can see from the picture above).
- He belonged to the equivalent of the "Phi Beta Kappa" society/sorority in University and always thought I was wasting my time with AIESEC;
- he has always had impeccable taste for fashion, I generally wear it if its clean;
he was a car freak and knew what the latest innovations were. I couldnt be bothered
- We were never interested in the same type of girls (although we both are charmers)

Compared to my older siblings (I have three including Segun) I came along quite late and Segun was already a bustling over-pampered four year old who thought he was going to be the 'baby' of the house forever. I knocked him off that perch.

Our first major altercation was when I was a few months old, my mum walked in on him holding me upside down in my cot. He claimed he was looking for the batteries that made me cry and move.

In those early years, we had a love-hate relationship. Many a time would Segun would sock me a really good whallop and I would run crying to my mum. Of course 5 mins after she made me sit with her, I would be itching to go hang out with my big bro again!

There were times when I really thought I hated him but these were only the times he wouldnt let me tag along with him on his numerous adventures (or so it seemed at the time) and I wished desprately I was older than I was because his favorite excuse was, "you're not old enough..." As a matter of fact

In University, although I had no interest in the "party clubs" he was a member of (I made a straight bee-line for the AIESEC office), it was ALWAYS with a sense of pride when someone refered to me as, "Segun Ajayi's brother...". I was quite happy with that title and indeed often introduced myself as such. (Hi, my name is Ladi, Segun's brother)

For almost 3 decades, my brother has been the epitome of cool for me. He made me laugh, makes me laugh and will continue to crack me up. He is the ONE person I can tell any joke to. He ALWAYS gets it. In his own way, he has looked out for me and made sure I made the right decisions for myself. Even though I like to pretend otherwise, getting the stamp of approval from my brother on ANYTHING I put my hand to is very important... (Happy was the day when he announced, "AIESEC has been good to you"

He is one of two individuals who have taught me the art of genorosity through their actions. He gives of himself and his possessions with total abandon and a genuine desire to help. However once he says no, its pretty hard to dissuade him. Extremely hard I should say. He is one of those who say they dont care what other people are saying and doing AND actually MEAN IT.

And now Segun is getting married. And I am the best man!

The sense of pride and deep emotion I felt when Segun asked me to be his best man cannot be expressed in words. To be honest, I wouldnt have been offended or slighted if he had chosen one of his close friends. But he didnt. He asked me. And what I said, about answering the call at the beginning... it certainly applies here. I am flying literally half-way across the world, paying thru the nose and even risking another blood clot issue (ok maybe not...doctor has cleared me) to be at my brother's wedding... it couldnt be any other way.

SO, 20 days from now, i will be taking a 27 hour flight to stand with pride (and a steadying hand) beside my big bruvver on potentially one of the happiest days of his life. For all the happy times, the tickling sessions as a kid, even the pummelings which sent me screaming to mum; the numerous times he has come to my aid with no questions asked; the listening ear and tough love he has shown me over the years...

Here is to a big brother who without effort lives up to the name of friend, brother, confidante, charm school instructor and sometime stand-up comedian. Your bride-to-be has absolutely no idea how lucky she is... Or maybe she does...

When I Grow Up I want to be Just Like Jose Mourinho

Liverpool broke my heart yesterday and I dont think I can ever forgive them!

Leading with a single goal from the first leg at Stamford Bridge and having dominated Liverpool FC completely. I was 100% sure we would be playing in our first Champions League Final ever.

It was not meant to be.

A well taken free-kick, an incisve shot on goal and Liverpool were tied on aggregate. They then proceeded to stifle the game. Playing our 60th game of the season against such tactics, it showed it WAS our 60th game. As one of my colleagues put it, we didnt show up for the game. But who can blame the players. There is so much the human body can take.

But within all this heartbreak... I would NEVER ever swap our positions for anybody's! Chasing four trophies this season, Chelsea FC has had a remarkable season. We dared to dream and acted on that dream. League Cup success is not going to be followed by Champions League success. Not this season at least.

Still an FA cup final to play. Oldest football competition in the world. To be played in the new Wembley stadium against the most successful club in England in the last 2 decades. At least we know what the grand finale will be for this season. As has been reported, Manchester United and Chelsea will field their strongest 11 for the FA cup having lost their places in the final of the CL

A bit of a consolation there that Man U lost as well. Having opened up a five point lead last week, it would have been galling for them to go on to Athens to the final. A bit mean of me but there you go! And as it is... I am now a fan of AC Milan IN EUROPE until May 20! Go Kaka!!!

And Tribute must go to the "Special One"! Jose Mourinho has already cemented his place in legends of yore. I just hope that crazy Russian at the top keeps him. I hate the speculation going around concerning Mourinho's job.

No one is that stupid!

I shall be supporting a Manchester based club as well this Saturday. United landed at 3:30am on Thursday and play City on Saturday. If they lose and we win at the Emirates Stadium, Title race is blown wide open again!!! This is what you call... down to the wire!!!

COME ON BLUES!!!