Alternate Vision

criminals
Originally uploaded by surya.

So my favorite criminals were in the valley for Christmas. Am sure nothing good came out of it. Going through their pictures reminded me of my visit to the valley in November of 2003 for thanksgiving. Where else is watching a hunting dog eat raw eggs a past time?
J and I can't seem to logon on to blogger from this internet cafe. So I decided to use flickr. But I needed a good picture. I happened to be perusing through Cragnes' pics and decided to dedicate this post to them.

My dad continues to come home smelling of fish everyday. This is the busiest time in the year for him. We hitup the Apapa club, swam a healthy 20 some laps and then feasted on the BEST suya ever, some pepe soup, all of which was washed down with star beer. Ran down memory lane this evening, while walking around parts of the club that I would frequent almost daily growing up. None of the tennis area boys were around, except Yusuf. He now plays for the National Team and is heading to Manchester to teach at a club there.

There is talk of a Lebanese (belly dancing) party tomorrow night, a carribean/calypso party and a host of other yuppy parties happening in Lagos city for NYE. I insist on maintainiing the boycott and hanging with the folks instead. Maybe drinks with close friends after midnight. Agente procurou a coisa para viagar no bar beach. Foi bem differente e mais forte. My time is up.

At the Yankari lodge, the genteman at the reception was horrified by what we he was witnessing on CNN and started yelling at Arun " na typhoon or what ??, khai...see as water dey carry person..kill am." Arun then proceeded to explain to the man what had really happened.
Knowledge of the disaster certainly kept us connected with the world, for otherwise, with no cellphone reception, we were indeed blissfully disconnected from the world.
I feel physically drained from 35 hours of road tripping across the country in a span of 4 days. Yet, emotionally and mentally cleansed. I saw images of this country that I have been wanting to see for over 13 years now. There is so much that I want to describe but don't have the energy for. Definitely later. After all this, I have not one intention of engaging in super lavish NYE celebrations. Preferably something quiet with the familly.

Surya and Steven
Originally uploaded by surya.

I like this picture of Steven and I. He is the son of one of the vendor's at Lekki market who spends his weekends at the market carrying vegetables in his basket. During the week he goes to the local school. He hopes to go to college one day and has a passion for science.
I am dedicating this post to Steven. Merry Xmas Oga!
While I am it, here's wishing one and all a joyous christmas and a cracker of a year to come :)
Yohanna is cooking up a storm. Christmas dinner with the folks and then off into the city with the alayes. We leave for Abuja early Sunday morning.

nigeria
Originally uploaded by surya.

The Peugeot has been serviced. Franco is in. So is Arun. Our intention is to leave from Lagos early Sunday morning for Abuja (10 hr drive). Spend the night in Abuja. Check the city out the next morning and then off to Jos (2 hr drive). While in Jos, maybe meet Yohanna's familly, see the city and then later that evening head for Yankari (3hour). On the way, we may stop to see Bauchi. Yankari is famous for it's hot water springs. Spend the night at the lodge by the water. Next day, rent a jeep and drive out into the forest. At some point, if we are to be blessed with a safe return, we shall make it back to Abuja for the night. Then prepare for our return to Lagos for NYE.
All this is dependent on Lovegren's ill stomach. I am told by experienced travellers here that security problems are highly infrequent/almost non-existant(hard to believe). Jah will protect us.

Arun showed up on Saturday night, looking smart as ever, driving the E-class Merc without Lawal. Metup with Sheena. Its always heartwarming to reunite with old friends, especially after 4 years and know that somethings NEVER change - cute smiles, silly laughs, horrid sense of humor and more. Sheena now works for Foster's in Bangalore.
We then proceeded to experience Lagos' non-existant nightlife. Reason I say this is the handfull of decent bars or clubs in Victoria Island are infested with the rich, pretentious Indian expat community, mainly the Sindhis (no offence to any Sindhi reading this =) who reside here. The Gomelas. Maybe its just me, but I would rather not socialize with individuals who judge you by the wealth you flaunt (dress, bling bling), how thick your wallet is and not anything else. An odd mix of affluent Sindhis, Desi FOBS, well to do Egbos and Yorubas and my favorite- the all too sexy Lebanese. I almost forgot how gorgeous Lebanese women are. In addition to foresaking the Lagos Sindhi community, it is my wish to limit my social interactions to the Lebanese and Nigerian community. Arun concurs. At Planet 44, I discovered that Rohit Jagtiani, an old friedn and classmate (one of my favorite Djs mind you), was spinning some good two step, house, latin, and ofcourse the unmistkable fusion bhangra music. He's come a long way. Now owns a lucrative houseold business and Djs part time, more cos its his passion. On occasion, he visits Germany and London on work, and while there serves as a guest DJ at some of the clubs. Dig his thick Indo-British accent. Looking forward to seeing more of him.
The only other interesting thing worth posting about is our enlightening conversation with Mr.Tanny, but the mad-doc has covered it relative in detail.
Reading Vikram Seth's - A Suitable Boy and I'm OK- You're OK by Thomas A. Harris. The latter, which I have barely started reading, is a practical guide to comprehending the idea of Transactional Analysis - a new answer and approach to psychiatry, that endeavors to answer simple queries about how the mind operates and why we do what we do; it serves as an evolved, yet simplified answer to people seeking transformation not conformation, without the vagueness of traditionaly types of pshychiatry (esoteric rhetoricetc).
Dinner time

Feeling marginally better today. I have realised that going out for a couple of hours increases my appetite immensely and the profuse sweating helps rid the body of any illness or sluggishness. Drank some coconut water while watching the vegetable vendor splash dirty water on the lebanese girl. She stood there helpless, almost in tears. The vendor later claimed that he intended for the splash to target Steven and co. I doubt so.
Lekki Market is THE place to shop for handicrafts and traditional African ethnicwear. Jesse has the ability of almost tripling the price of any item at the market. So when I am with him, I start haggling at 1/10th the price. That normally seems to work.
I watched Mr. and Mrs. Iyer this afternoon. It is anything but cheesy, and throws unique light on the world of hinu-muslim communal riots in India. A must watch if your into independent films.
Here's another poem by Habila:

The Knockers

At Marylan a man knocks on a church door,
Furtive, a penitent sinner perhaps, seeking absolution;
A lady in evening dress and red lipstick
Stands before a back door in Ikeja, knocking;
A wayward wife keeping a tryst with her lover,
Or a prodigal wife, returned, seeking readmission
Under a VACANCY FOR THREE
A thousand men stand, knocking on the
Iron gate of their aspiration. Don't call us. We will call you.
Okigbo once stood, naked, leaning on an oilbean,
Knocking on Idoto's door, seeking rejuvenation.
Lord we all stand, naked, before the tollgate
Of our dreams, drenched in urban torrents, seeking admission.
Places, Fences, Defences

I still think Mary was at fault for fuelling the fight. I have seen this happen all too many times. Everyone else believes otherwise.

So my whole familly in India and the US know of this "American boy" who is living with us and eats yoghurt rice with his hands. The saying goes "Jesse-jaisa koi nahi hai"(ain't nobody like Jesse, after the Hindi sitcom). Yohanna, one my best friends stopped by this morning. Over the last three years, he got married, had twins, lost one of them(cause of death still unknown) and recently, his wife ran away leaving him with Blessing, the 2 year old kid. Obviously, he wasn't in the best of moods, but he still did his best to sound all cheerfull. He has pulled down a lot. He insists on returning this Monday to make paneer spring rolls for Jesse and I. Too kind.
Mike, the freshman student from UNILAG claims that although he was admitted into Cornell with a $20,000 scholarship, the consulate denied him a student visa. So he was forced to continue at UNILAG, where faculty strikes and student protests and rallies are but the norm. A pittance, indeed.
Plan is to road trip it from Lagos to Abuja (11 hours). Stop in Abuja overnight. Check the city out and drive up north to Jos(2 hours). From there to Yankari and maybe Kano as well. I want to return to Lagos for New Years. Nothing is set in stone. Apparently a lot of alumni from my highschool are in town, most of them working for their respective familly businesses. That tends to happen a lot. I want to hit up the Lekki conservation center, Lekki beach and the market as well this weekend(itching to seek out some Djembes). I could do with some Palm wine. Tambem agente precisa procurar alguma coisa para fumar. Can't wait to meet the Lebanese.
I shall leave you with the mad doc J's thoughts on exercising:
" Exercise just for the sake of exercise is almost masterbatory. I think exercise should be done either to vanquish enemies, or for transportation or to get work."

Dele and Tunde haven't changed one bit.They were understandably upset that it took me 3.5 years to return home. The three of us had a long drawn conversation about ILS ( my former school) and how it has changed over the years. The deputy principal seems to be screwing things over for the non-teaching staff. As Dele put it "She is a warrior woman."
We decided to run the risk and indulge in suya with beta peppe powder and Gulder ( the ultimate African beer). We have a competition going to see who will fall sick first. So far we have been consistent in keeping with our decadent policy to drink one bottle of wine with every meal. Chilean wine with some fried plantains, beans and rice for dinner tonight. Arun, Sid and Abhirath are flying in from Virginia, Indiana and Buffalo respectively this week. Arun has mapped out a plan for Friday night. Whatever happens, thanks to Jesse, I fear that we shall end up at Sanusi Fafunwa that night. I stumbled upon this magazine called Lagos-the city arts guide. Here's a poem that I am lifting from there, by Helon Habila a respected poet and a member of the Lagos Literati.

Bus stops

The hawkers are a blur in motion
Needle weaving through metal fabric
Yellow buses that come and go, their anaemic limbs
Joined each to each by rust, 69 seated, 99 standing.
Prehensible bus conductors monkey on and off running boards
Calling bus stops, places...
Plcaes I have walked on, live on, loved on,
Yaba, Ojuelegba, Ogba


Tomorrow morning, we shall go the University of Lagos to watch Mr Tanny ( a former lecturer and personal mentor) defend his masters thesis. Am reading The future of Africa by The New York Society for International Affairs. A seperate post shall be dedicated to my views and insights on the issue of Africa's socio-political and economical condition going into this century. One thing is certain, the desire to study either International affairs or developmental economics is mushrooming within me. Destiny will play its role, but I know I am better suited for a career in the non-profit sector. Am fixing up Yoruba classes with Mrs. Anaderan. Seemingly, she has a B.A in Yoruba. The price remains to be negotiated. Oo appa smells of fish, he just got back from the wearhouse.

Fresh hot khana is being served, Kusum playing in the background and the smell of agarbati. Home it is indeed. Franko has put on a little weight and has another pikin (kid). Mary, the helper who works at home is glowing with energy and has started teaching us Yoruba. With so many people lined up to come see the two of us, she suggested "Maybe I go collect 50 Naira everytime person wan come see Surya, and 100 Naira for Jesse, no say na special somebody."

As for Lovegren, I will let him share his story seperately. Jetlag has the better of both of us. Maybe all those bottles of wine and vodka martinis on Emirates are taking its toll. I shall post about out visit to NYC and Dubai at a later time. Oo dinner is served and then maybe an after dinner walk to barbeach with appa. Moderate 27 deg Celcius, humidity is high - which means profuse sweating. Welcome to the tropics :)

Austin-NYC-Dubai-Lagos

I had high hopes of travelling light this time - one rucksack and a backpack. Shoulda known. I am to carry almost one suitcase worth of stuff for the parents alone. I guess its not too bad since I will have a ton of space to bring back stuff.
It still hasn't hit me that I am going home. Am sure it will when I land at Murtala Muhammad International. Theo will be there to recieve us at 7:00 am and probably Franko too. The customs people are sure to harass us, but hopefully my pidgin will save us from having to bribe our way out. Bursting with excitement; I get to speak proper pidgin after alomost four years. Prolly take third mainland from Ikeja across the sea to the mainland, then make our way to Victoria Island. Ah its been soo long. I wanna be there already.
But alas, I have one last final to make it through. This will effectively be my last post before our journey. Godspeed and Happy Holidays!!!

Oh e Cristiano, pode falar com Almerindo que ele pode fazer a coisa o que quis fazer mais cedo, antes de minha viajem do Brasil.Ele sabe sobre que eu estou falando muito bem. Pode me mandar um email depois porfavor. Ate mais e oxiente :)

dzihan and hamien
Originally uploaded by surya.

If youre into lounge music then you will love Dzihan and Kamien, Richter, Kaskade and Tom Middleton.

The best lounge music available online: Groove Salad from somafm

If only Gonzalito and Esty knew how much pain they caused me last night. So what if he hugged his ex girlfriend "inappropriately" while inebbriated. Don't we all? To begin with, my caffeine high refuse to wear off till about 2 am. Just as I begin to doze off, Sangeeta calls to inquire about how my efforts to master Kaulbach's "final for morons" is going. Jesus woman, its freaking 2 am! Am not sure what lead her to believe that I would be a) awake and b) reading Timaeus and Critias at such an unearthly hour. Still not sure why I picked up.
Minutes later, turn off the phone and attempt to fall back into my previous state of slumber, only to be disturbed by their, correction HER incessant yelling. I haven't been traumatized like that in a while. Half delirious, half awake my mind races back to my not so fond memories from middle school. All of a sudden I was haunted by horrific memories of being helplessly deprived of sleep, all thanks to the nocturnal quarrels of my 'rents. It didn't help that I could hear poor Gonzalo pleading with her to calm down. I didn't know whether to feel sorry or laugh at him.
If your one of those that has a hot temper, then here's BAD KARMA coming your way, cos I bet you everytime you suffer a yelling fit, there's probably an innocent soul nearby trying to get some sleep.
Curses..I tell u ..Curses!!!

Why I do this to myself I don't know. Spent six hours straight last night working till 2 in the morning on a statement of purpose, something I should have done weeks ago. The only gratifying thing about spending hours of work researching programs and schools across the nation is to know that very likely, a year from now I could be there, sitting in on design and entrepreneurship classes, learning about design theory and participating in research that focuses on the "concept development stage and user centered design" with respect to the integrated product development practice.

I have a throbbing headache, probably from staring at the screen too much and I can feel the carpel tunnel creeping up on me. I should have taken Ketan up on the cognac offer last night. I have stocked up on Milo, tofu, eggplant and masala chai for the next week. Home stretch ahead of me, with the GRE, two finals and seven applications to finish in one week. The only thing that is keeping me going is the thought of sitting on bar beach, sipping on some palm wine and eating fresh suya, while admiring the area boys harass the oebos. Nigerian street kids are notorious for almost caroling this age old chant (that has no real meaning), every time they see an oebo (foreigner).

Oebo pepe
Suku suku pepe
Gili gili pepe
If you like something, you go marry oebo

I am confident that a certain someone is going to hear this a LOT this December:)

Tres maises ja passou. Looking back, its been rather distinctive, yet predictable. Spent a lot of time focusing on the" big picture", attempting to answer those deep questions that I still don't possess an answer too. What matters is that I tried. On the flip side, a host of memories have been carved - habitual, weekly salsa nights at bongo's, submission to everything latin, occasional weekend runs through the peace park, bom sesions with the crew, late night Dj sets (new found passion for urban house music), aguardiente e pinga nights, discovering a whole new side of Austin (Bouldin creek, cloves, goth, arabic cuisine, rasbettinis...list goes on) thanks to a few special people, the weekly rayleigh cookoffs, drum circles, midnight walks through hide park (in the rain ideally), the seductive powers of nagchampa, drag rats and laughter..yes plenty of it. Vida em Austin sem Jesse e Tata vai estar muito mais differente, com certeja.
Not sure how, but over the last few months I have also strengthened my resolve to go to graduate school to get my masters, with an emphasis on systems and design. I choose not to focus on my inhuman to-do list for this next week, instead I just get shit done. Nine days till Lagos. Sanusi Fafunwa..I dey come o ;)