So, WHAT EXACTLY Have I Been Up To, Right?

(The GIST Edition!!!)

Hmm. Na wayas. Na real, real wayas. I tire ... I have been under the greatest stress in the past few weeks it is incredible.

So I’m sure a lot of you have been wondering what exactly the drama has been about my not being able to update an ‘ordinary’ blog. But I have really, really been swamped. To avoid boring you and myself, I will just run over the larger details.

First the main gist some of you have been waiting for: it’s not really a big deal; y’all know I was crazy about Omawunmi and campaigned seriously for her to win Idols – which she lost. A magazine commissioned me to do an interview with her immediately after, and she was basically … em … well, rude. It struck me that she must see herself as on the celebrity par with perhaps an Omotola?

‘Luckily’ for me, the major mag I write for also commissioned me to interview her and this time she couldn’t say no (she then agreed to do the other one too – so I had to get someone else to interview her for that magazine) – and at the venue of the interview, she was just all over the place, with attitude. However, fortunately, all that fire transforms to warmth when you eventually get to know her. She is just, well, ‘real’. A little too real maybe. But she will definitely go far.

The day after that interview, had another interview for our column in the Guardian with the AMBO winner, ‘Mr. Cute’ OC. Really brilliant young man whose interview was a pleasant surprise since I have low opinions of the show – but he is evidently on a higher plane in terms of character, personality and intelligence. After the interview, one had to rush off again for the launch of the magazine I spoke about some time ago (thanks Bella for the link on your blog) which I interviewed Genevieve for, MADE.

It’s THE men’s magazine – just a little more twitching, a little more style, dots on the I’s and that magazine will become for men what True Love has seriously become for women. At the time they commissioned me to do their two cover stories, I knew the guys meant business, but I still had my doubts – right now, after seeing the magazine, I am SO proud to be associated with it. So proud. You can check out sneak previews on mademags.com

The next day was a very dramatic one that saw me on an Okada ride to the airport, which would have ALMOST made me a guest of the now former First Lady of Cross River, Onari Duke. However, I missed the flight by minutes … suffice to say it was very disappointing since I had been pursuing the woman for that interview for at least 6 months! I will actually do a separate post about the events leading to and on that day because it was really a day of drama!

The next day, our company RedSTRAT organized our quarterly talk-and-network session for upwardly mobile young people at SixDegreesNorth (special thanks to Louise Priddy and others like Saheeto, who supported), and I already put up some pictures of that here. It was MEGA-fun.

All through the week however, it was interviews upon interviews and an unending race against deadlines, which I inevitably lost seeing as I was trying to finish up copies for FOUR magazines at the same time! I have tied up the most important one thanks be to the Most High God, almost wrapped up on the next and should be through with the final two by Monday.

Amidst of all these me and my guys at RedSTRAT had to also work on producing Patito’s Guys, our show which is a youth version of Prof. Pat Utomi’s show, Patito’s Gang. We were recording two episodes – all the stress finally paid off however on that day (including an averted wardrobe disaster for me, thanks to our friend Muyiwa Osindero of Clothesense) as our guests, including Tara (Fela Durotoye), Ebuka (Obi-Uchendu), Modupe Adefeso, Shina Oyetayo, Ruonah Agbroko and others made the day so much fun. Tara especially is a delight to be with any day, and since she has her head buried in the sand of business most of the time, it fell on me and my big mouth to fill her in on all the latest gossip.

Even better, after the recording, Ebuka joined myself, Bola, Emilia, Ruonah and my new gf (yes, I did also manage to start a new relationship in the midest of all the madness, and that will be all on the subject, people!) to see a movie. I arm twisted everyone to be ‘patriotic’ and go see Irapada - a decision that haunted me throughout the duration of the movie. Now I will have to tread carefully here: Kunle Afolayan is a brilliant young man, and a hardworking filmmaker – but that wasn’t his best work AT ALL. The movie was PAINFUL to watch. And a huge disappointment for me. Have you ever had the experience where a movie snaps you of your energy? It’s weird. We just had to keep heckling and laughing at the many faults to get through it – and that actually turned out making the night very memorable! (However, I must say that the directing of the movie was top-notch ... there were some really beautiful and creative shots - at the river, on the rail tracks, travelling ... that at least was good stuff.)

Coming out of that, I was called upon to help the phenomenal Mo Abudu with a section of the guest-list for her wave-making everyone’s-talking-about-it show, Moments with Mo. I have always heard of Mo and admired her spirit from afar, but to meet her up close was even better. It was also a pleasant surprise to find out that she had found out quite a lot about me (oh vanity upon vanities – I just had to throw that in, yes yes I know!). And no I am not working for her … yet. Because of Law School. But I am certainly considering it, and it was a pleasure to be of help to the show. I didn’t stay for the recording, just dropping in to make sure my guests were alright – but I was mighty impressed; everything was so professional. That show is going to be brilliant. (Though I must apologise to those I invited for the tackiness with handling the audience – I was only asked to help).

Then it was back to the deadlines! The deadlines have taken over my life! My gf is already complaining (not that scares me). But it’s all for a reason – have to do as much as I can since I can do little or nothing when I am back in Law School.

As if the deadlines are not enough trouble, RedTSRAT had THE meeting last two weeks when we formally kicked off the process towards The Future… Awards 2008. And in such a short time, we’ve already gone far – I’m so proud of us!!!!lol People are shocked at how early we are kick starting and generally impressed and that’s funny cos I actually say we’re startying late. Just be guaranteed of this, you haven’t seen anything like what we will be presenting this time by (His grace)! Speaking of something you haven’t seen before, Tara is cooking something so hot it will burn when it’s eventually done! We’re a part of that, and I’m excited about it. Tara’s an inspiration for me anytime, and anything to do with her is always a delight. Between that project and The Future… Awards 2008, there’s enough work to last a weary soul!

In between all of that my parents had a ghastly accident that has left my father in the hospital with my mum barely escaping – don’t worry they’re okay now. My father’s legs are the only issue now and so it is well, we praise God. Only that I have to shuttle between home and the hospital these days in a way that only adds to my stress. (Don’t want to say a lot about it really. Just would look weird to those who know me if I didn’t mention it and since I am one of those people who care what people think….)

And there are still those dreaded deadlines… I have three interviews for instance scheduled for tomorrow … (Sigh). All the time crunch and deadlines have already made me piss off quite a couple of friends (even though it pissed me off when people can’t be perceptive and understanding).

I can’t wait to return to Abuja next week. Those who remember how happy I was to have left Abuja two months ago would be surprised, right? Well that shows the depth of my stress. I really need a break from it all.

Make no mistake though, I love the stress. A life without the kind of adrenaline-pumping, gratifying stress that is my life would be worse than living in solitary confinement. What can I say?!