Las Vegas III

The lobby of the Bellagio Hotel. You probably can't make out the mass of colors on the ceiling, but those were glass (or perhaps plastic) flowers in a multitude of colors. I loved it. The lobby also houses a flower conservatory, which is changed each season. The winter arrangement was being done when we were there.

















The Luxor. There was a movie showing at there on the Mysteries of the Nile, which we wanted to see but never got around to.
















The Mandalay Bay Hotel. One of the prettier hotels on the strip.

Las Vegas II

Las Vegas

This is part of the Las Vegas strip, where many of the hotels are. The strip is the new Vegas, as I was told by a shop attendant. She said old Vegas is more "honky tonk" (okay, I don't really know what that means .....) with a lot of cheap motels. Tourists don't visit old Vegas much.
I didn't visit the hotel in the distance - the Wynn - but it had the most gorgeous lighting arrangement on its grounds, which came on at night.

Gender & IT

Ethan Zuckerman blogs on gender and information technology. Zuckerman recently spoke with Nancy Hafkin (a pioneer in the study of gender and ICTs). Nancy Hafkin co-edited the book "Cinderella or Cyberella: Empowering Women in the Knowledge Society" with Sophia Huyer (also a researcher and speaker on international gender, science and technology issues).

This post makes for interesting reading for anyone who has wondered about women's use of ICTs and why it appears that more women aren't using and developing technology. Zuckerman points out how the issue of gender barriers to technology use has traditionally been neglected by ICT researchers. I have no doubt that this book by Nancy Hafkin (who I had the pleasure of meeting at a conference last year) will be a valuable contribution to the growing body of work in this area. I recently bought the book and can't wait to start reading it.

[NB: Additional reading on the Nancy Hafkin lecture from Zuckerman's colleague, Rebecca MacKinnon]

Take Back the Tech

This is coming so late, but better late than never. There's a wonderful online campaign going on at the moment using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to fight against violence against women (VAW). Take Back the Tech is organised by the Association for Progressive Communications, Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP). For 16 Days (Nov 25 – Dec 10), participants are encouraged to employ ICTs for activism against VAW.

Each of the previous days of the campaign has featured different ways to get involved, from writing a haiku, sharing personal stories, sharing relevant bookmarked websites, to putting the campaign banners and icons on your site or blog and sending text messages to friends and family about VAW.

Read more about Take Back the Tech on their website and see how you can involved in the last few days.

Killing Time

I'm back in Lagos now and this jetlag thing is quite serious. It's 3:20 AM and I cannot sleep. Okay, perhaps that has absolutely nothing to do with jetlag and it's just my body's natural nocturnal habits coming to the fore now that they have the opportunity to do so (I don't start work 'till Monday).

Having nothing better to do, I took this quizz to determine my Dating Persona, which I found on Angela's blog. I had to laugh out loud when I read it. A lot of it is actually true, though I will of-course decline to mention which parts these are.

The Priss

Deliberate Brutal Love Dreamer (DBLDf)

Mature. Responsible. Aristocratic. Excuse me. The Priss.

Prisses are the smartest of all female types. You're highly perceptive, and confident in your judgements. You'd take brutal honesty over superficiality any time--your friends always know where they stand with you. You're completely unfake. Don't tell me that's not a word. You're also excellent at redirecting internal negative energy.

These facts indicate people are often intimidated by you. They also fall for you, hard. You have a distant, composed allure that many find irresistible. If only more of them lived up to your standards.

You were probably the last among your friends to have sex. And the first to pretend that you're pregnant. LOL. Though you're inclined to use sex as weapon, at least it's not as one of mass destruction. You're choosier than most about your partners. A supportive relationship is what you're really after. Whether you know it or not, you need something steady & long-term. And soothing.

ALWAYS AVOID: The Playboy, The Loverboy

CONSIDER: The Manchild

Read My Result


Take the Test

Leaving Boston

Managed to squeeze in one more film before I leave Boston. I saw Casino Royale tonight. I have always been a big James Bond fan, which I know probably doesn't sit well with my feminist beliefs, but hey!

I enjoyed the movie a lot. I like action films with some degree of intelligence and coherence and, like many people, I was curious to see how Daniel Craig would fare as Bond, and I have to say that he did a really good job. Casino Royale was the first book in the James Bond series written by Ian Fleming, I believe. It was also the first televised book (a made-for-TV film shown in the States). In it James Bond falls in love, is betrayed (sorry, spolier for those who haven't seen it yet) and I suppose that betrayal intensifies his existing distrust of people. He remains, as M refers to him, a "blunt instrument" i.e. purpose is to carry out his duties by any means necessary.

The short walk from my friend's car to the cinema was brutal because of the wind. Yesterday we enjoyed a mild winter's day (in the mid 60s). Today the temperatures plummeted about 20 degrees south, but the fierce wind made it feel a lot colder. How did I manage to survive this cold for so many years? I guess it really is time for me to get back to the hot chaotic mess that is Lagos.

Filmwatching

I really wanted to use this opportunity to see a lot of films, especially smaller, independent films that Nu Metro Cinemas is unlikely to show. I only saw two: The Queen, starring the divine Helen Mirren, who I was introduced to courtesy of BBC's Prime Suspect (yes, me and my crime shows); and Pedro Almodover's Volver. Funny, I have never been a particular fan of Penelope Cruz, but she was magnetic in this film. Volver explores the relationship between a mother and her daughters.

Hopefully, I can squeeze one more film into this trip.

Miami

Miami was fun. I'm back in Boston now, so it's already seeming far away. The difference between the two cities could not be more stark. Where Miami was warm (weather-wise and in terms of the ambience), Boston is cold (though not as cold as I was expecting - just in the mid 60s), dark and drab in comparison.

I stayed in South Beach on Collins Avenue, which is parallel to the famed Ocean Drive. And despite being so close, I did not get to the beach until the evening before I left. I was far from alone on the beach though. There were many people running, playing, walking their dogs (or more likely, carrying them) or just taking a stroll like me.

Like many people know, Miami has a huge Latino population with many people originating from Cuba. Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic minority population in the United States. In many cities, I would guess that Spanish is like a second language. In Boston certainly, many signs are written in both English and Spanish (well, ok on reflection, maybe not that many), so I was used to living in a fairly diverse city. However, Miami felt like a totally different country. I read in a letter written to the Miami Herald today that Miami represents what many American cities will look like in a few years. I know that I really like the city. Whenever I travel to a new place, I always think about whether I could see myself living there or not. Miami is a "yes", though admittedly I still know relatively little about it.

I'll try and post some pics later on, though I didn't take very many and didn't really do any touristy things. I just kind of walked around and shopped a little. I did see Hulk Hogan (apparently he lives there now). I also saw Tony Montana's (?) house from the movie Scarface.

Bebe Moore Campbell Passes On

I just found out that an author I really admire, Bebe Moore Campbell, passed away on Monday from complications of brain cancer.

I blogged about one of her books Sweet Summer: Growing Up With and Without My Dad a few months ago.

I really enjoyed reading her books. She was able to get into the skin of her characters so well that even when you despised a character, you still understood where they were coming from. She was also an extremely funny writer. Brothers and Sisters was the first of her books that I read. Set in LA just after the race riots of the 1990s, it made me think about race in a way that I guess I really had until them and also acknowledge that as much as I despise any sort of discrimination, I (like most other people) had my own prejudices.

Bebe Moore Campbell was also an ardent advocate for the mentally ill, especially among African-Americans. Her most recent book, 72 Hour Hold, focused on this theme. Like in the African-American community, there is also a lot of stigma towards mental illness and depression in Nigeria and I wish this weren't so. Mental illness is not always manifested in the 'crazy', dreadlocked vagabond mumbling to him or herself or threatening violence to passers-by. Many forms of depression are a lot more insidious and sneaky than that. While some people have a genetic pre-disposition to mental illness, in many people, it can be triggered by a devastating event.

I think many of us need to develop more awareness about mental health and learn to show more compassion to people suffering from mental illnesses.

The Vac Continues

I haven't had internet access since last Thursday, but it has felt like forever. Our hotel in Las Vegas did not offer wireless connection. But then I did not have my laptop with me anyway, so same difference I guess. I just stumbled on an internet cafe here in Miami though, which is where I am blogging from now.

My vacation has been a lot of fun. I haven't done much lazing around and instead, I have spent a fair amount of time in airports and on planes. While I used to get really excited by flying when I was younger, now I often wish there were some way to step through a door and be transported to my destination instantaneously. Any journey is usually half the fun and so I try to take that approach and use the time to catch up on my reading. However, I am one of those people who cannot stay awake in a moving vehicle of any sort. On most flights I have taken in my life, I am usually dead to the world before we even take off. So, unfortunately I have not made as much progress with Half of a Yellow Sun as I would have liked.

Las Vegas, for those who haven't visited, is just like it appears on TV - loud, colourful and decadent (though, of course I didn't really experience that side of it). The main draws are the hotels and casinos, and each hotel tries to outshine the others in terms of eye-catching design. The Bellagio is a pretty simple design, but features water fountain shows every half-hour. The lobby is simply breath-taking with glass-cut flowers on the ceiling. The Bellagio also has a conservatory with flower arrangements that change each season. When we were there, staff were working on the winter arrangement. The Bellagio was my favourite and I want to stay there when next I visit.

The Wynn Hotel had a wonderful light display on its grounds - of course you only see this at night. Mandalay Bay and the MGM Grand just look so opulent. The Luxor is a pyramid, I think. We didn't get the chance to visit. The Venetian was where my friends and I saw The Phantom of the Opera and that was incredibly plush. What really took my breath away was the theatre, where we watched the show. I wonder if it was built specially for Phantom, because there is a part of the show when the chandalier comes crashing down almost onto the audience's heads.

Las Vegas was cold though. I was not expecting it to be quite so cold. However, I was just happy to be in the setting of another of my favourite shows, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. I know they shoot most of their scenes in Hollywood, but I was still half-hoping to run into members of the cast. Ah well!

I did see Hulk Hogan at the airport yesterday, while waiting for the shuttle. The lady manning the booth asked me if I saw who just walked past. What? Who? Where?, I thought. Then I saw him walking away and, well, Hulk Hogan is as distinctive from behind as he is from the front.

I'll write more about Miami tomorrow. I'm tired and it's a bit of a walk back to my hotel.

Ed Burns on NPR

Oooh, look what I stumbled upon. Ed Burns talks about creating The Wire on the National Public Radio show Fresh Air. Anyone who knows anthing about me will know that this is one of my favourite shows. Now that I am in the land of real DSL, I will enjoy listening to this without any breaks.

Monday's show's guests were mother and daughter writers, Anita and Kiran Desai.

So The Wire is now in its fifth and final (sniff, sniff) season. Well, every good thing must come to an end - unless they want to drag a good tale out a bit too long, lose audience interest and be unceremoniously kicked off the air. Even though The Wire has been lauded by critics since its first season, it's never been a ratings puller but we Wire fans love it to death (and maybe even prefer it that way - we were the astute few who were able to catch onto a good thing).

Back in Boston

It's almost like I never left. Well, sort of and sort of not. I've fallen very easily into going to the places I used to. I've already been all over downtown. Today, I think I will take it easy with the shops and go and see a movie or two (oh, I'm saying "movie" already instead of "film").

The weather is quite cold, though on par for this time of the year. I've been told that the weather was really quite warm until I arrived. So I guess I brought the cold with me from Nigeria?

It's a little bit wierd taking the T instead of driving. There are several places I wanted to go, but which I need to drive to. Boston prides itself on having the first public transport system in the US, but it's really not that extensive. Boston the city is fairly well-served by the T, but if you live in the surrounding cities e.g. Cambridge, Sommerville, Malden, Newton, Watertown, etc you have to use the buses more. It's alright I suppose, though it's a killer waiting for the bus in the cold. Five minutes easily feels like fifteen. And that's when the bus comes when it's supposed to. okay, let's not go there. Happy thoughts only!

I have no idea what is showing in the cinemas here, so I'll check online and pick something to watch.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'm looking forward to spending the day with friends. The airports will be crazy as people travel for the Thanksgiving holidays. As usual, there's the threat of a storm. My friend said that it's snowed every Thanksgiving that she can remember. I really have no recollection of this. Maybe I kept only the happy memories when I left.

A Writer's Image

I attended a book reading yesterday by Abidemi Sanusi, author of Kemi's Journal. It was funny how people kept referring to her (accidentally, of course) as Kemi.

Anyway, an interesting question and answer session followed the reading. If I didn't know before just how difficult a writing profession is, I certainly am aware of it now. No, writing is not just about writing. Who would have thunk? No, you have to identify your target audience and in many cases produce the book your publisher thinks would appeal to them. It sounds like such incredibly hard work, not to mention potentially joy-killing. I suppose that is why it is so important to find a publisher whose vision is very closely aligned with yours, and such a publisher once found becomes tighter than family.

One issue that was much discussed was the role a writer's image plays in the success of their book. Bibi of Cassava Republic talked about how many publishers regard the writer's image as integral to the success of the book. I suppose this is very much a sign of the times. Writers go on book tours to promote their work now. I'm not sure what they did fifty years ago. I do know that growing up I frequently knew nothing about the writers of my favourite books. And it really didn't matter that much to me. Now, I obsessively Google the authors I like to find out every tiny detail about them. I admit that I am very curious about people and their stories, and having the tools with which to feed my curiousity only serves to feed this addiction.

But, if the Internet didn't exist and there was no Google and no celebrity-obsessed media culture such as we have now, I wonder if I would still care about a writer's image? In the long run, probably not that much. I would probably still want to know something about them, but it really wouldn't affect whether I read their books or not.

Years ago, some writers (particularly women) wrote under a pen-name. I suppose they had constructed images to feed to the public and I assume that even their publishers were unaware of their true identities. I know that this could not happen in today's world, where we have to know absolutely everything about the people we choose to invite into our lives. Writing used to be a profession where image didn't matter so much; the proof was in the manuscript, so to speak. Or at least that's what it's always seemed like to me.

Registered at Last

Phew, I finally registered to vote. No one I know has, but I really needed to do it this week. Registration closes on November 30 according to all the public service announcements I’ve heard. It’s funny how all the PSAs tell you when the registration is taking place, but not where you can actually register. The INEC website is really no better. I found out the nearest location to my place of residence by asking around. Eventually my parents’ driver told me that he thought he saw some people registering by the Catholic church on Admiralty Way.

The process itself was very simple and straightforward (I was there all of 5 minutes). There was just one lady being registered when I got there. Maybe voting is really not a big deal to a lot of people (with our democratic track record, I could see why). Or, more likely, no one knows where the hell they are supposed to be registering. Okay, Lekki is a residential area, so maybe everyone is planning to do it over the weekend. BTW, you can register on Saturday and Sunday.

Anyway, one of the officials asks for your name, date of birth and occupation. She hands it to her colleague, who keys it into his handheld device. They take your photo. Your info and picture is printed out on a slip of paper. They fold this in two and are supposed to
laminate it for you (this will serve as your voter registration card), but I was told that I had to go and do it myself (Sigh! So nothing’s perfect).

Twist-Out

I cannot wait to play around with my hair. This is one of the biggest reasons that I'm looking forward to some time-off work. I am going to try styles I don't know would fly at work. Well, if they look good, I will think about wearing them to the office.

Writer Tayari Jones has some nice photos of her many hairstyles. I really like her twist-outs.

Thank God! It's that Time of the Year!!

Nigerians work VERY hard and take very few vacations, or so it seems to me. You could be entitled to 6 weeks holiday in a year, but only take half of that. Or you could take the entire 6 weeks at one go because it’s easier to get approval once rather than spread your vacation time around (which I think ends up being such a waste because chances are high that you will get bored after the first 10 days). Or you could be that unlucky not to get any time off at all.

Last week we held the last of our youth workshops for the year. The last few months have been particularly tasking, because we have not only had two workshops to organise in as many months, but we still had our regular work to attend to. Right now, I am so tired. I wonder how people keep going for years without taking a break. I know that I couldn’t do it. Nor do I want to find out what it would be like.

I am leaving for a 3-week vacation next week and this week I’m pretty much marking time. Yes, I’m 'working', but it’s not at my usual high-octane level. I’m being very sedate this week and taking things very easy. I feel guilty for not putting in 110%, but guess I should be less selfish and let someone else be this week’s Energiser Bunny. In the meantime, I’ve reverted to my old style of 'working' from Boston. I work for 15 minutes and then surf for 20. It worked quite well then and ensured that my productivity was not adversely affected by the law of diminishing returns. Luckily for me, our internet service at work is working better than it has in a while and I discovered that there are recaps of Project Runway on Television Without Pity. Back to work!

Registering to Vote

I'd like to register as soon as I can and am wondering if anyone in the Lekki-Ajah axis has done this already. I checked the INEC website for a list of places to do this, but this information is not here yet (even though registration has started).

So who has registered?

Weekend Traffic

Work has been busy, busy, busy. We just held our last career workshop for this year, so we can breathe a little easy. Work goes on though and there's all the taking stock, writing of thank you letters that we do after each program.

Our program was held in Abuja and we had a blast! Can I say again just how peaceful Abuja is? The driving often leaves a lot to be desired, but it's nothing a Lagosian can't handle. It is actually possible to correctly estimate your travel times. The contrast was so obvious when I returned to Lagos. Yesterday, parts of two major roads in Victoria Island were blocked off. For people trying to get from VI to the Lekki-Ajah axis, it was a total nightmare because the two roads with closures (Ozumba Mbadiwe and Adetokunbo Ademola) were the most popular routes to get to Lekki Expressway. What bad planning. You would hope (though we know that this will never happen) that there would be some checking in on proposed closures to make sure that traffic choas does not ensue. But, what am I saying? Chaos is the norm here, so who cares, right?

I anticipated that there might be some bad traffic, but I just had to go out and get some yogurt. After getting stuck in total gridlock, I wasn't so sure that they were worth it. Anyway, I got home after spending just an hour and a half in the traffic. And I'm probably one of the luckier ones.

A Trip to the Papers

We went on a courtesy call to another newspaper today. This was a paper with a slightly smaller circulation, but with its own niche audience. While we waited for the editors to get ready, we were taken on a mini-tour of the paper. We visited the press where the newspaper is printed. Call me a child, but I was giddy with excitement at seeing the papers roll off the press. The smoke and smell would take some getting used to - well, no actually I don't want to have to breathe in those noxious fumes everyday.

Next, we went to the newsroom. It was still early - about 11am (yes, many reporters work into the wee hours of the morning and so roll into work late the next day). Now, THAT sounds like my kind of job (though I suppose a deep interest and knowledge of current affairs would sort of be a pre-requisiste). Most of the staff in the newsroom appeared to be part of the production team. Some were typing in stories, while others worked on the layout and photos. Even though the room was near empty, I could easily picture the room filled with reporters talking, working on their articles and following unfolding news stories simultaneously. So exciting!!!!