I've been reading this thread religiously everyday for the past couple of months and the information has been invaluable. But I noticed most people submit priority whereas I had filled my form for Standard submission. I haven't seen too many Standard Visa Submission Alerts so I wanted to give some encouragement to other cheapitos like me who didn't pay for Priority Visas and are wondering if they made the wrong gamble and if there's enough time.

Visa Alert!!!!!!

Visa Application (Standard): Don't really remember. Sometime early in July. I submitted but got delayed by waiting for TB test appointment date (that's another long story)
Biometric Date (V/I via appointment booked in early July): July 23rd 2021
Collection Email: August 9th 2021
Collection Date: August 10th 2021

I can't say thank you enough to the people on this platform who give so much time, energy and vulnerability to sharing such vital info and experiences with strangers. Even though I never posted or asked any questions myself, the questions and answers and shared experiences really helped me. I would have been clueless about the TB Test process and would still be waiting for a date to show up on the platform.

Good luck to everyone still in the process and still waiting. May God give you favour and may all your efforts work out for good!

I love parsley (for cooking and garnishing). I get it from New Market near Oniru Estate or SPAR (Park and Shop). It's pretty cheap. Like N50 for a good sized amount at New Market. It's a little more expensive at SPAR but not by a lot (still under N100). I'm pretty sure they'd have it at most markets. People who sell salad ingredients (lettuce, cabbage, bell peppers etc) are usually the ones that sell it. Just ask for parsley and they'll know what you mean. No need for any local name.

Does Paloma think she's the wise old mammie in a Tyler Perry movie?! Why does she talk like that all the time? Always, "no man can ever. . .", "this woman from Mpanda will never. . ." etc etc. Trying very hard to be "deep" and "wise beyond her years!" Honestly, she's so annoying. Can she just talk like a normal person She alleges she's 26 but she calls people little sister and little brother and when she had that convo about Richard with Tatiana, she called her "my child."

tayo_ast:

Is it true dat Sheila and Meryl were finger[i]i[/i]ng each other

Hmmm. . . a lot more than finger-ing went down. And there were definite happy endings!

Kaone is acting the fool! I don't know what else to comment about that. He's looking more like a fool  than ever. Paloma won't leave Mwisho alone and was trying to feed him something with her spoon. Mwisho wisely declined. Sheila must have stolen the alcohol because she won't let the matter go and honestly I don't see the big deal. Now "Africa" is on Sheila's back, if you see the comments. I kind of want her to go to the barn because the barnmates now know what's up and I want to see if they'll ask her, particularly Hanni.

I used Jergens for years all through secondary school and some of undergrad (mostly the original cherry blossom scent one, but I also used the Skin Smoothing and Ultra Healing) and it was good. But it no longer really agrees with my skin and so I don't really like or use it anymore.

The original cherry blossom one is really common in Lagos. I see it everywhere. And I've seen the Ultra Healing too and I think some others.

tatiana009:

wow, my eyes are almost out of their sockets. Paloma was just all over Mwisho saying how she knows he's wanted her since the 1st day but its only a 1 woman man that can have a piece of her big butt, lmao Very graphic and disturbing scene

I know!!!!!!!!!! Did you see Paloma's bare butt? I ! Yeah! Very disturbing!

What's wrong with Paloma? Did anyone see her and Mwisho's showdown?!?! I didn't see how it started, next thing Paloma's butt was all out there and she was straddling Mwisho and getting up in his face and name checking her parents and giving one of those her "I'm a proud African woman from Mpanda village" speeches. She was going on about "I don't strip for a man, especially not a man like you. Not because I'm fat, and/or other girls are doing it for you, that you think I will. I'm Peter Manda's daughter. . . etc etc sha."

Mwisho on his part, now turned it around and she was under him, Uti was looking on at them, watching the drama. I think Mwisho's fault was that he pulled Paloma into the water without her permission after she flirted with him (she seems a little tipsy). Someone then called Munya (maybe Paloma herself) and he was trying to separate them and Uti was trying to stop Munya from separating them saying, "Africa wants to see this." Anyway Munya did lead Paloma away and as he left Uti (who now seems to be cool with M) mouthed to Munya not to "shoot himself in the foot."

Once Paloma got inside she kept repeating the same stuff about being a proud African woman and being the daughter of her parents who strips for no man. . . u all know how she gets. And she was telling Code and Munya. Code as usual was high as a kite (on his secret stash of drugs) and just looking at her and then she wouldn't shut up. Munya told her to stop putting herself in compromising situations because even though she's a strong African woman and child of her parents, it doesn't matter, "the flesh is weak." Munya was really mature about it and dealt with it well. . . I'm unwillingly falling under his spell even though I know i shouldn't get sucked in.

After Munya had told her the truth, Code still on his magic carpet started talking about how all these things she says about where she's from are pointless because his country and hers are cousins so he knows. And then he started talking about the importance of his native food as opposed to oyinbo foods like pasta. Maybe I'm slow, but to me he didn't really make any sense and I didn't get his point about his native food. The only sensible thing he said was that the reason Paloma keeps repeating her "African woman" thing is because people are getting to her and she needs to re-affirm it to herself.

Something specific is going on under Meryl's covers with SHEILA!!! And we can all see and hear. They're showing the Barnmates and Hanni and Yakob admit to being um. . . "affected" by the girl-on-girl action.

Tatiana did not waste time at all and neither did Hannington. After he talked all that smack about her and was plotting with Lerato. Lerato totally called this one since; she told Hanni that Tati would be all over him and he even already told her that he'd agree after all he's a man. So predictable.

Poor Sammy. Once again exposed for having no game. I feel kind of bad for him in a way, but it was so obvious that Tati wasn't going to agree for him- she obviously has a type and Sammi isn't it.

I am still in disbelief over what I saw yesterday btwn Hannington and Tati. I was watching with my mom (the late night handy J by Hanni) and it was the most awkward experience of my life. We were both looking in disbelief, neither wanting to acknowledge what was going on on the screen, and both feeling a little awkward to change the channel. My chosen translation of the events is that rather than anything sexual, he was just carressing her back (@ least that's what I told my mom when she asked what was going on, yeish!) As for their licking game, well um. . . I don't have an explanation for that yet. . .

I don't think Uti is gay. I've seen him checking the girls out in an under-g way. He reminds me of guys I know with multiple sisters. I have a cousin who's the only boy out of 5 sisters raised by just his mom and sometimes he has slightly effeminate mannerisms and I'm quite sure he's not gay. If anything the one I think is gay is Kaone. Between his fashion choices and his automatically turning the sherrif's badge into a barret, and then just a lot of other things about him, I DEEPLY suspect he's supressing some curiousity. Same with that guy from Botswana who performed on Sunday's show. Very fruity-seeming to me!

Gotta Get Through This- Daniel Bedingfield

Everytime We Touch- Cascada

Kilometros- Sin Banderas

France's outing at the world cup was deliciously bad (particularly since i deeply dislike the French team- with the exception of Beloved Evra), it was even worse than ours. We were practically organized and well-adjusted in comparison.

If Manchester United players (such as Beckham and Rooney) are to be accused of letting passion get in the way of good sense on the pitch, then I agree they are guilty. But still better someone who cares even in a silly way than ambivalence when things go wrong (Yakubu, anyone?)

As for Evra, that was a different situation entirely. He was the captain, yes, and he DID apologize to the french people immediately post-WC AND he did explain everything in the same interview in which he accurately addressed Thuram's foolish dig. There was a context and he was only the captain. Yes, the team leader, but it's hardly a dictatorship.

If you read French, the full article is here: http://www.lefigaro.fr/sport/2010/08/08/02001-20100808ARTFIG00197-patrice-evra-j-ai-mis-tout-mon-c339ur-voila-le-resultat.php . Unfortunately I can't find a full version in english (but can probably be free-translated through google or something).

The salient points are that Evra DID try his best, and did his duty as a captain. Regarding the things that happened, he tried to talk to Domenech and his assistant about the players complaints before things escalated to no avail; he tried to calm his teammates down and in fact pre-WC convinced some to stay when they wanted to leave after seeing the BS set-up Domenech was running; he was the one who defused the Domenech-Anelka fight at half-time; he did get Anelka to agree to apologize to Domenech in private (though not in public since Anelka planned to sue for being misquoted in the press); he was ready to go to the bat for his team and read the statement about their training boycott and bus revolution which was a team-consensed action except that Domenech decided that he would be the one to read it; even when players were disillusioned by team selection etc he continued to tell his teammates to just try to continue to work hard; he gave a national apology to his country and said that the blame does mostly rest on the players who should have given more; even when things weren't going well, he still tried to be optimistic for his team etc.

I don't really know what else he could have done given the situation. It was bigger than one person and the issues weren't simple. Which captain would have done more than that or up to that?


Re: our new signing,

Where do we keep finding these randoms Well hopefully he works out!

Foundations- Kate Nash

Black Coffee- All Saints

Use Somebody- Kings of Leon

It's ok. My mom uses it. I find it a little too powdery for my tastes (it reminds me of the smell of a powder that used to be in salons when i was a child- it was in a blue metal container that had a lady wearing an evening dress on it- i think the word "moonlight" or "midnight" was in the name).

To me it's kind of a "mature" woman's scent.

tkb417:

Evra is my new hero

so[b] SAF has dragged his feet[/b] and now Barca wants to get Ozil?

stewpid

So what's new?! Everyone else just decides they want to buy a player and gets them, our own is always different. There must always be a long-drawn out drama to it. Watch Barca get Ozil at a steal (isn't it only like 12mil or something) and then 2 years down the line we'll be struggling to buy him at some exorbitant price. Meanwhile the likes of Smalling will keep infiltrating our team. Sometimes honestly SAF makes me want to just cry.

^^^^^
I know!!!!!!!!! That's the best line ever!

I don't know if you guys saw in July, when out of the blue Lilian Thuram (in one of his continually desperate attempts to remain relevant through controversy) took it upon himself to bash Evra saying Evra was not a worthy captain, he should never play for France again, has no respect, is responsible for increasing racism in France, blah blah blah.

Evra's priceless response yesterday:

"He sullied my name without knowing what happened. Lilian thinks he's the new coach, president of the FFF and president of France.
He said that Les Blues are contributing to increasing racism. It is time that Lilian stops playing a role that isn't his to play. Walking around with books on slavery in glasses and a hat does not turn you into Malcolm X."

Meow!

Just when I think I couldn't love Evra anymore, he becomes an inch more perfect. Very well said, I feel!

I too think it will be Uti and Sheila up on Monday. Tatiana has really been networking today, making nice with different crews. I doubt she'll have enough votes against her, we'll see sha. . .

That barn needs more people, I checked it and like they were playing music whilst Sammi and Hannington were seated at the table doing a jigsaw puzzle together. . . it was so sad to see!

^^^^

That's what he likes. Remember he said he likes really strong women who will speak their minds and not be dominated by a man (unlike Ethiopian women who are apparently too docile and submissive, according to him).

Lose Yourself- The Script

Second Chance- Shinedown

The Potential Break Up Song- Aly & AJ

New Divide- Linkin Park

My First Kiss- 3Oh!3 feat. Ke$ha

Yakob is still 2-faced, and both he and Kaone are jealous of Uti, it's official.

Proof:

1.) Last night, Yakob said to Lerato for the umpteenth thim that he feels she really likes Uti (in a romantic way) that he sees the way she looks at him and he thinks maybe Uti rejected her and now he's her 2nd choice (like her back up). So Lerato tells him he's being ridiculous but you can see that he doesn't believe her.

2.) Today, Kaone and Yakob were talking (about Uti) and after a lot of smack talk (like Yakob saying he would have beaten Uti up and that Kaone should stand up for himself even if it means a physical fight because BB would not kick him out, at worst he'd get sent to the sin bin. . . whatever <rolls eyes>, the following went down:

Kaone: I don't even get why everyone sucks up to him (Uti) so much.
Yakob: The girls, right? I know, it's part of his power/ game.
Kaone: Yeah the girls and everyone. Like there's nothing there. I don't get it.

QED!