it's my birthday and i'll grow up if i want to!

how does one outgrow the most important day of one's life?

my birthday has always been a big deal at least to me. i mean i actually cried one Birthday long ago cuz my tyrant of a big sister made me wash dishes (this was a long time ago, a very long time ago, i am not averse to the notion of washing dishes on my birthday nowadays its just that i feel that there must be better ways of spending the day). this year i have been informed by quite a few of my nearest and dearest that i should outgrow the obsession i seem to have with the importance of the 25th of March to the populace in general. in a bid to do same i have taken certain measures ( or rather refrained from certain activites better suited to a child of say three or maybe four)

• i have not, managed to slip a slight reminder of my birthday into every conversation i have( ok maybe just a little but old habits die hard, and i have been doing this for 21 years, since i learned to talk)
• i didnt inform my whole class of my birthday over and over again till they felt obliged to give me gifts( i did this in class five and everyone in my class got me a gift including my teacher)
• i have not badgered and beleaguered my mother until she organised enough food to feed an army then harassed my friends and acquintances till they felt the need to spend every waking moment of that day with me
• i have not accidentally mentioned stuff i would really like to have over and over again in the week preceding my birthday so anyone who was unclear about what to get me would take the hint (just in case u are floundering about what to give me a list of suitable gifts will be provided at the end of this post, please pick according to the love u have for me not the price tag)
• i have not squeezed the promise of a cake from a least three different people so that i have more than one cake to umm ........share.
• last but in no way the least i have not had my usual recurring nightmare that everyone forgot it was my birthday

the fact that i have not participated (exceedingly) in my usual juvenile antics in the weeks directly preceding my birthday is a laudable achievement and in light of this i feel that all my nearest and dearest can best reward me by acting as they would have, if i had behaved so abominably i.e. by showering me with gifts and attention. you should all know the drill by now and all newcomers please consult your predecessors for tips on appropriate behaviour afterall i can hardly tell you myself, i'm outgrowing such behaviour.

p.s the birthday list

• car
• ipod
• blackberry phone
• external hard disk( 1000gig)
• jewellery (preferrably gold, silver, platinum but cheaper metals and costume will also be appreciated)
• perfume (musky scents are preferable to flowery scents)
• shoes (please see me in camera for shoe size as i have embarassingly big feet)
• cake (chocolate with creaming icing)
• call credit
• cash (for the unimaginative)

thank you all so much in advance. this list is not exhaustive of my wants or needs and should only be used as a guide for those who are confounded as to what to get me, so feel free to go off the list if u are inspired to get me something else.

oh and in light of my new adult behaviour

please feel free to refrain from giving me anything and i'll be in no way upset by it.

Too stressed or too blessed?

Have you ever been so exhausted that even the thought of going to sleep seemed like too much work?

Being a person who is scrupulously economical about the work I do, this seemed like an impossible occurrence until this week from hell. I would like to go into depth about how full of activity the week has been but as I already pointed out, I’M EXHAUSTED! So pardon me but I’m just going to mention the little moments this week that made all the stress surprisingly worthwhile.

Like Tuesday night when He saw me and his face lit up like the sun (huge exaggeration but that’s my poetic license, right) and I knew that though the bus ride had been excruciatingly long and I had an even longer one to look forward to at the end of the week, it was worth it to spend even an hour with him.

Or Wednesday morning as I sat in on a meeting with the Attorney General of Ghana, little ole me, and I knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life, I was on the right track and very soon my life as a fully fledged lawyer would begin.

And later that night, at dinner (which was excellent by the way) when I got confirmation from a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, that I was born to be a Lawyer. He actually said he hoped to see me in his courtroom soon.

Or at salsa when I said goodnight to the students from Fordham, the reason my week had been so busy, and I realised that in less than a week I had made a friend and I was really going to miss her.

And last but not in any way the least when I got back to school and lo and behold I had been missed and it dawned on me that maybe just maybe I’m not such a pain to have around anyway.

So even as I sit here at 2am, trying to study for the two tests I have later on in the day, I’m glad that my week was so hectic cuz without the stress I may not have appreciated these little golden moments ...