In The Cyber Cafe

I was in the cyber cafe today when this 2 gals walked in, one of them was talking loudly in Ibo and so I pretended not to hear her request. She wanted to make an issue of the 1 hour we were selling; she was brown in complexion and her hair was scattered (i think that was the style); she was wearing a cardigan. The other girl was a bit more polished, fair in complexion and spoting a pink fitted long sleeve shirt. Now the brown girl  had 2 bags which she put on 2 different client chairs which were not in use, and then sat on one while her friend sat on the other.

Amazing but yet reality I found myself starring at this brown ibo ranting chick and she seemed to be enjoying herself. Anyway I soon faced my system to check nairaland and then i heard a loud fart (OMG) which made me turn in the direction of the source. It was her and they were laughing. In any event we got talking and I got to learn she was in the fine arts department (specializing in textiles), they together are also into interior decor. She did give me her mobile number.

They then proceeded to lick some oranges and left the semi - finished product on my computer tables to which i protested. They removed it and then we talked a little bit. It was then I came to the conclusion that she is a bit scattered and not particular about throwing rubbish in the dustbin because when they were gone, the front of the cyber cafe was littered with Orange peels and the rest. I had to pick em up and put them in the dust bin.
By now you must imagine that if there was any physical attraction it must have faded with my above conclusion; but again an opinion cannot just be formed in one encounter.

It just occured to me that I might be a parent one day; and suddenly goose pimples appeared all over my body. The Lord better give me a woman that is patient with kids. My cousin's son who is in JS3 has been on holiday for like 2 months now and we have been hearing it. Its not his fault really because I know what boredom can do to an adult talk less of a child. Parents of nowadays are running after money and leaving their children in the hands of drivers, teachers, tv, videogames and you name it. The schools this days send children home at the slightest opportunity and it appears we have unwanted and unloved youngsters; thats why the secret cult thing is on the increase.

My cousin's son has still 2 months more till september before he starts SS1, he has just been enrolled in a computer learning program and still there is much time around to do one mischief or the other.  My sister says its a teenage thing but I don't think so. I had wanted to take him window shopping in Oil Mill market today but my schedule was turned upside down so he will have to manage with the his computer lessons.

The other day one of my friends said her parents have tried enough and she wished not to bother them with more expenses; she wanted a part - time work some place.  It sounded very funny in the ears and I went on to remind her that even though they had 2 of them in the university they were bound to provide the basic necessities. In any case she is the religious type and her schedule will not permit any evening job. Again the pay might not cover the expenses she wants to incur. I advised her to ask and let them refuse then she might have to get a room mate to share some of the rent costs  etc.  I hope and pray for the future generation because the results of neglect especially in the formative years might be catastrophic for the nation.

The heavy downpour this morning ensured that I did not go in search of any lecturer. After having an early bath; I started searching for channels on the satelite TV. CNN kept showing the devastation of Lebanon by Hezbollah. On a more serious note, can Our Nigerian Army boast of the arsenals being used by the Hezbollah? How many katusha or reid rockets do we have? Can that be the reason we gave up bakassi without winking an eye? See what the Isrealis are doing because of 2 soldiers?

There has been a special focus on Africa by CNN although it is being overshadowed by this middle east crises and one of the popular questions is - Where have all the parents gone? Each time I hear it I answer the United States of A; afterall most Nigerian want to go there.

Did you see the advert by akwa - ibom and lagos states? They were very misleading. Infact Akwa - Ibom state had 2 with the governor clapping his hands in one of them like an old chief. Can you imagine they said that there is constant electricity in Akwa - Ibom state? At a point I had to leave CNN and move over to VOA?

The sunshine this morning was very encouraging so I did a quick laundry and went to realign the satellite dish. I then proceeded to watch CNN and drink a cup of coffee which did not go down well with my system. I did not some minor electrical work in the toilet then went to the cyber cafe for my shift duty. By now the weather had changed and it was raining again. It was today that I noticed that more males browse in the cyber cafe than females.

I tried doing a research for more free to air channels but was largely unsuccessful. When you look at the number of free to air channels India has as compared to Nigeria you will begin to understand the level of underdevelopment we are currently experiencing. To start with there in no railway in Nigeria and yet the number of adverts on CNN by Nigeria far outnumber that by India; which goes a long way in revealing the level and depth of self - deception or is it delusion?

Our Internet Service Provider in the cyber cafe has gone off again they say to improve services. A lot of our clients still have not understood that we are back in business and now this. Today has been pretty much sunny and I spent the day carrying out maintenance on my laptop and upgrading my desktop at home.

There has been a "browse at home" promotion on the university campus and everyone is rushing it. So we joined in and it has been a very bad tale. The initial cost was N3000 for the form and the handset was N7000. Configuration was N1000 and browsing time is 8pm - 6am. 7 days after payment and we were yet to be connected; as they claimed to be leaving NITEL's unreliable SAT3 cable. This was in the aftermath of the NITEL strike where many local providers were cut - off. After many calls, we were told to try it and we did. The speed was slow from the time I began at about 9pm till when I left in frustration at 2am. A click on google took me to google ukraine. We are really suffering from inadequate and unreliable bandwidth in this country.

It dawned on me that something funny was happening in my system. That was the main reason I went for a stroll in the evening. Its the weather, all the symptoms of flu are observable. I am restless with a slight but persistent irritation in my throat and increasing tightness in my chest. Its past midnight now but going to sleep its not very uppermost in my mind. Drank some tea but still no relief. Panic wants to set in but I am too experienced for that. Eventually go to bed but unable to sleep for long; maybe the mattress is too soft. I finally take a mat and pillow to the parlour and fall asleep on the floor.

The internet service at the cyber cafe has been restored. My health has also been restored and I must say that I have learnt something in all of this. Never, never generalize; there can always be an exception. The public electricity in the university campus is gradually improving. Right now am watching the spirit world channel as CNN is quite depressing. MTN that went off during the night has also resumed and am looking forward to chilling with my friend who has an examination today or going to the cyber cafe to keep my colleagues company. Alternatively, I can read a book or play winning eleven. The weather today is much better than that of yesterday. I think a music channel will be better so I move to JCTV; I need to get the car filled with petrol.

Can you imagine the amount of energy not to talk of time we waste in unproductive arguments? My Dad and his friend got into an argument on the current middle east crisis and before long the entire household was drawn into the matter. The whole thing was caused by the switching on to CNN channel. They just kept shouting and we kept looking for a way to change the topic but it was not easy. Looking at Lebanon now; I must say even with the massive destruction that they are structurally more advanced than Nigeria. As the Isreali troops match on the well paved road, you can see that the street lights are all working so there is public electricity. Their health care system is also very efficient as you can see the operations they carry out on TV. I have decided not to engage in such futile activities again.

Today was quite challenging. I met an old friend and on the surface of it she was doing well; selling gold and women's clothing. Based in Owerri, she operates in Port Harcourt and has a car. That is the type of scenario that could bring about a reduction in unemployment. The weather was moderate so I decided to go to church and it was just there. Coming back to school, I could not help wonder aloud at the bad state of the ozuoba part of the mgbuoba - NTA - Uniport road.

Waking up was a tug of war today. It appeared my body needed more sleep but the sunlight was quite encouraging and the voice of my sister singing did not encourage any more over indulgence. My best friend stopped on the way to class to find out "how far". Spent most of the morning washing to take advantage of the sunshine. Fell asleep while trying to read a book and am wondering if I am ok. Went to the cybercafe, there I met a friend and we passed time gisting a little. My UPS unit is down so I could not gain access to my PC. I have to make a request for a new battery next week. I went to the Post office and then on a scheduled visit to a new friend's place.

There was this song "walking on sunshine" in the late 80s that i liked; did you hear it. The car particulars had expired since June/July and its today that I realized. Well I had to drop another of our directors at the airport as she was going to Abuja and then visited one of my friends who lives along that route. She was looking very relaxed and fresh even though she complained of the electricity situation. Most of the estates off campus are having problem with NEPA officials so they are in darkness.

Decided to take public transport to town; so I went to the University Park. The roads were quite free and the day was hot and as usual humid at about 33 degrees. Getting to the State secretariat, I was opportuned to see the famous government house drive and as usual there were armed policemen at the junction. Renewing the particulars did not take time (we all know how much extra to pay) and I was soon on my way back only this time there was no vehicle in sight. The time is about 3.40pm and most civil servants who are not making "extra money" are on their way home. I had to work from the state secretariat through CBN and NITEL, past the General Post Office and past Government House with its New drive all the way to Mr. Biggs past the old government house drive before I stopped to catch some air. This country na wa, I finally got a taxi after standing for like 20 mins besides the time I trekked. All this while the sun is smilling sweetly, there was a massive hold up at the garrison junction. It had been there when I passed some 2 hours ago so I made a detour into DLine, stopping at kingfisher for some refreshments and then jumped on a bike straight to Rumokuta before joining a taxi to school.

It was yesterday that I noticed that the taps had been dry since the previous day. The junior staff in the university are on a warning strike which should last for like a week and it appears they turned off the water supply unit. I will try and find the union leaders to remind them that they forgot to turn of the electricity supply. Its a real absurdity when a poor man oppresses another poor man. I could not see my examination results because the staff there are also on strike. The classrooms are unswept and a lot of administrative work is being impaired.

Today is one of those days I look upon with great expectations. Its amazing how everything seems to fall in place at the same time. The UPS batteries which will back up my system in the cyber cafe has been delivered. Our service providers have also restored our connection back and in the house we now have running water. On the down side though, I am being treated for malaria and my body has started to give signs that something is happening inside. The only time it is settled is when am in front of the PC or in a strange place. At other times it tends to restlessness. It actually woke up by about 4am and then I decided to cover some chapters before proceeding with the normal early morning activities. All this should be over within 3 days and am wondering if I'll be able to make it to church later today.

My parents have told my cousins son who stays with us that he is not to receive visitors before the hours of 5pm. That was how we were raised up. He was to communicate this decision to his visitors to avoid embarrassment but he refuses. It was about 5 weeks ago that I came home to see he and his guest watching TV and chatting away; but I refused to interfere. When Momsie came home by 4.30pm from work, she noticed the TV was on and inquired as to what it meant. A cousin of ours was there and told her of the guest and she flared up. Why did I not bounce him she asked to which I replied next time. There wont be a next time she said; I am going to warn that boys mother,  bla, bla, bla

This morning I was in the bathroom doing some laundry, when the door bell rand and then I heard the voice of his visitor and the same visitor chatting away. I expected my 2 junior sisters, especially the one following me to bounce him but they did not. After sometime, I went and bounced him personally and as he was going, my sister asked him in the presence of his guest why he did not communicate our parents decision - to which he mumbled something.

Today is one of those days you look at and wonder as to what really happened? Woke up feeling strong yet disoriented. I suspect its the aftermath of the malaria medicine. The sun was up so I did a little laundry and then had a quick breakfast. Its saturday and everything seems to start slowly. CNN seems to be very boring today and I leave for the cyber cafe to pick up some documents but return home almost immediately. Tried to surf the Internet but everything is just not interesting and then NEPA takes the light. If I am not in confusion then It must be a terrible feeling. Eventually fall asleep (how I don't know) but then am woken up by a phone call. Had to leave for the cyber cafe at once, even there I am not sure what to expect but I finally come round. Music is indeed food to the soul; jammed some 1988 - 1990 pop hits and then mixed them with some christian rock hits from life house and paul wright and I turned the volume real loud - this is not a residential area.