PUBLIC HOLIDAYS – THE EMPLOYEE’S BEST FRIEND…

Public holiday! The one thing every worker I know loves so much. A very important thing about public holiday is, what day of the week would it fall on? The best are those that fall on a Friday or Monday, meaning a longer weekend.

So I decided to chill out this past public holiday. I had Monday and Tuesday free. The plan was to take time off reality and just relax/unwind. I practically slept all through Saturday, then on Sunday I completed the first part of the two in one John Grisham novel I borrowed (The Last Juror and The Broker). Monday I did chores and read before heading to my colleagues place in town. That night I saw the movie – The Shallows starring the ever so beautiful Blake Lively. The next day, which was Tuesday, I saw another movie – The mechanic (Resurrection) starring Jason Statham.

Oh no, I didn’t see the movies alone, I had friends with me on both movie days. I chose the last Showtime (7pm) on Monday and the very first Showtime (11am) on Tuesday because I knew the cinema halls would be empty. What could be more annoying than watching a movie with people who are noisy or always clapping or some pressing their mobile phones and then the light from the screen gets into your eyes?

Aside the customary popcorn, I did have some nice stuff to eat - overpriced Chinese rice with sea food (strangely I actually enjoyed the sea food) shrimps to be specific. Normally I hate anything sea food. I finally got to taste the milkshake I have always wanted. The one thing that was on my list I couldn’t get was the Irish special smoothie that has a bit of baileys in the mix. That stuff is amazing.

Anyway, what hit me in all these purchases is that almost everything is billed in thousands of Naira in this country! There is no such thing as cheap hangouts anymore! Totally sucks.

You watch foreign movies and the amount spent on a ‘date’ is like $5, $2...A simple cup of coffee, burgers and fries. The price maybe be equivalent to our bill of a thousand naira plus and above but common, hearing such tiny amount is kind of encouraging. Definitely a sort of jedi mind trick, but I sure would feel better paying single digit on the surface…

Say you want to have just a casual hangout with someone, take a walk in casual jeans and simple t-shirt. It shouldn’t cost much biko, or bore a big hole in your pocket. It’s little things that take the pressure off us; take a walk, enjoy the calm of nature, buy fries and burgers, hot dogs or shawarma…, have a smoothie with you or ice cream or any drink that you fancy. 

These things should be very affordable and readily available. One shouldn’t have to save for that simple hangout or have to consider that ‘there is rice at home’ and actually cajole him or herself that it doesn’t hurt to spend on one’s self once in a while to unwind. *sigh

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I have always written about being truly happy, enjoying the little things of life and just living that picture you have of a perfect happy life. Well, it's actually all a process. One step at a time. I decided to take my advice and start living that simple, quiet life I have always visualized, doing the things I love.

First step is to develop my hobbies. Turns out my hobbies are quite expensive to achieve. But I know it’s going to be totally worth it. Drive to a deserted field, take numerous shots with my DSLR camera, read different blog posts or any interesting article online, write a post or short story on my dream laptop, listen to music and hear every detail of the instruments in the song via my Beats by Dre earpiece. Take my thoughts off work and life pressures, slide into my lil safe haven of happiness.

I think the most fortunate persons are those that make money from doing things they truly love and have passion for. They’ve turned what should have been their hobby to a career. But then that's risky for me because I tend to be too intense and then take it so seriously that I would end up killing the fun.

For now I am focused on understanding my camera, it’s quite tricky but I know in time I would master it and take really great shots, maybe start covering people’s occasions with time. Scratch that, I doubt I want to do photography for money.

I was watching a movie recently – The Perfect Match staring Cassie and Terrence J, there I saw it! My perfect dream house or something similar to it, but then how to incorporate a surrounding farm to the building and make it a farm house is the major puzzle now. I’ve always said I would design my house myself, well the initial structure before an architect gets to do the final work. God willing my dreams and desires shall come to pass.

Like I once told Makua, there is a picture of what we all desire in life but to get there we just might have to do some other things we don't really enjoy (sort of like we are making sacrifice now) in order to be able to achieve our desires in future. So yea, I’m working my ass off now trying to raise capital to achieve my goals, with proper planning and majorly God's grace I know I’ll get there.

Notice how major part of this post is about me? Me doing stuff I love, me enjoying my own company and being happy by myself…? yup, because this –

“The thing about being single is - you should cherish it

Because, in a week or a lifetime of being alone, you may only get one moment

One moment when you're not tied up in a relationship with anyone…

One moment when you stand on your own, really truly single

And then, it's gone…”

(How to be single movie closing narration)

Well, what do I know? ...I am but just a kid an employee, waiting eagerly for the next public holiday