Life Lessons From A GPS System...

Alpa Chino and I already had this discussion about the uselessness of GPS systems. He wants to get one because he believes it will stop him from getting lost while driving, AND eliminate the need for checking (printing) directions prior to getting into the car. Ha!! What folly. I’ve told him that he’s better off printing directions from Google Maps. The extra 5minutes you’ll spend printing out directions is much easier to deal with than going an hour out of your way thanks to faulty directions.

GPS systems, in my experience, are only good when you already have a general idea of where you’re going. You cannot simply jump into your car for a long trip and follow your GPS under the assumption that it knows where it is taking you. You still need to use your own judgment, even while the GPS is running.

This whole GPS problem is a silent disease that not many victims talk about. But then who wants to look extra silly after shelling out over $100 for something that doesn’t work the way it should (oh wait, I forgot about iPhone users!!). Most people with GPS systems will tell you that there are many times when it is a very pointless piece of equipment; while people without GPS systems try their best to obtain one. Doesn’t matter the brand or price, they are only useful for people who already know where they are going (generally) and need some help figuring out specifics.

I guess it’s a lesson that can translate into many other aspects of a person’s life. Forgive me for becoming “dramatic”, but on this journey called life there are so many “tools” and/or people that are supposed to help us. But they are only useful if you know how to use them, and are willing to continue to exercise your own judgment. If the GPS is telling you to head in a direction which is incorrect, how will you know if you don’t have an idea where you are going?

So the advice here: in life, as well as in dealings with your GPS, you need to have a general idea of how to get where you are going by yourself. Everything else is supposed to be secondary help. Nothing can substitute your brain—so don’t switch it off simply because a computer is around, or another person is trying to help you.

I used to see that a lot when I tutored students—people choosing to stop thinking simply because there is someone/something else there to help them. It is so wrong! Don’t be a victim! Thinking caps on at all times!

(GPS in the picture thinks the car is in the middle of the Hudson River when it is clearly not!)

EDJ's Week In Review

1. I had the pleasure of screening applicants for positions at the office. They basically handed me a large pile of resumes and asked me to call the "good ones", and schedule interviews. It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who have great degrees and apparently high GPAs that can't get hired. I saw a resume from an NYU Class of 2009 grad with a 3.6 GPA in Business (or so she said) who currently works at Dunkin Donuts and The Limited--and can't spell. That's $200k of tuition down the drain. There was the person who had worked as an office manger for 20 years with the same company and got laid off this year due to downsizing because of the economy. There was the new high school graduate who apparently decided THIS was the year to avoid college and look for a job instead. It was kinda depressing actually. I was angry on behalf of the NYU student that she couldn't get a job (typos or not) despite her obvious efforts in school. I was sad for the worker who had put in 20years into a company only to be laid off. For the high school student, well I wish him good luck.
2. Second thing this week--commuter fashion. As I've mentioned, my workplace is extra casual. Today I wore black leggings with flats, a blue sleeveless tunic top, with my grey wrap sweater, and carried one of my brightly colored extra large handbags that I love so much. I usually don't look like the rest of the people on the train in their suits and briefcases. I really wish there was a way to convince women that "power" suits don't have to be ugly. Honestly! I bet some of these women work at multi-million dollar corporations, but they can't seem to afford pants that fit well. I really hate that stomach bulge that happens when they tuck their shirts in. Plus, why must everything be black or gray? Gosh!!
3. Exercise. Thanks to my commute I have lost weight this week. No joke. My stomach looks flatter, or maybe I am simply hallucinating? Anyway, I got on a scale to check and it seems my plan is going well. Hurray. I bet if I skimped on the random office snacks that keep popping up to tempt me (damn you NYC bagels & cream cheese!!) then I would lose even more. Ah well, baby steps.
4. I am apparently going shopping next week for an outfit for the Nigerian Independence Day events coming up. I don't want to dress up too much, because God knows I have a serious fear of Brooklyn at night and I don't want to ruin a good outfit, but I also don't want to look like a bum either. I am also gonna be at the parade earlier in the day around 44th street for about 20mins before I go find somewhere else to waste a Saturday afternoon. Last time I went I saw a few people I hadn't seen in a while, which was interesting.
5. I'm missing a certain someone who shall remain nameless for privacy reason. We'll just say he is extra special and I want him to come visit really soon! He recently took a trip that I wish I could have made with him. Ah well, there'll be time later. Maybe next year? Same time different city? (and with that I am done with my sappiness for the week)
   

So, its another Friday and I am so TIRED. Work is going great! Everyday I come home with just enough energy to climb the stairs and go to sleep, but its a good kind of tired. The kind that you know is rewarded with a paycheck. Life is good. The people in my inner circle are happy and things are going well for them, so I can't complain. Enjoy the weekend! I'll be back with updates later.

Casual Friday Everyday!

I’m writing this from my desk at work. Did I mention that I have a full time job now? Did I also mention that I like my job? One of the awesome things about it, is the casual work atmosphere. I don’t need to wear a suit to work!! Everyone wears jeans and t-shirts Monday through Friday, so my wardrobe doesn’t need a “sidegrade”. (“sidegrade” is a term I use when something is not necessarily an “upgrade” but is still a change from the current state). As you can see I don’t consider stuffy suits an “upgrade”.

Even more awesome, I don’t have a very long commute. Now I can pay off those pesky undergrad loans. My workplace is so casual because I'm at corporate HQ where we mostly coordinate and assign work to smaller branches/affiliates of the company around the country. So, clients don’t come in to our office, and there’s no need to “dress up”.

I know, I know, you wish your 9-5 was as cool as mine. I actually got asked why, as a science major, I’m not working in a lab somewhere, my answer is: do you know how much executive assistants get paid in New York? You wouldn’t want to work in a lab either. Anyway, work is awesome and keeps me on my toes. Phase one of my “year off plan” is complete. Phase two: finding something dental school-ey or med school-ey to do. Perhaps a volunteer gig somewhere? If anyone has ideas let me know. Though, knowing how competitive future doctors can get—I’m not holding my breath anyone will answer me.

In other news, congrats to Mogaji (my bff on Blogger and in real life) for getting into and starting at Columbia University grad school. She has inspired me. So now, with all the school ahead of me, I will consider it a personal failure if I don't get at least 1 ivy league school degree to hang in my bathroom. (Yes, I said bathroom).

VMA Fashion Rundown

You should know that I'm always gonna care more about what people wore than the actual award winners. So, I created a little slideshow with looks that stood out for me either because I liked or disliked them. Enjoy! My best dressed female of the night was Beyonce, and best dressed male of the night was Taylor Lautner.
(As you view the slideshow, make sure you increase the time increment above 3secs (about 6secs should do) so that you can actually see and read the captions).

Check back later for Lady Gaga's fashion, because that woman DESERVES her very own slideshow separate from everyone else.

The VMAs Need Stage Security

Here at Ego Du Jour, I would have loved to put up an entire blog post about Kanye West and his craziness @ the VMAs last night, but I honestly think enough people have complained about him. Some poignant tweets about the event:

Pink: Kanye west is the biggest piece of s**t on earth. Quote me. Beyonce is a classy lady.I feel for her, too.Its not her fault at all, and her and taylor did their thing. And douche bag got kicked out. HA.

Katy Perry: F**K U KANYE. IT'S LIKE U STEPPED 0N A KITTEN.

Joel Madden: WOW Taylor Swift's first VMA and she didn't even get to ENJOY it. Kanye You were just a bully on that one man.

This incident of stage invasion is not Kanye's first time doing something stupid. However, we can say he is improving because at least this time it was on someone else's behalf. At the 2006 MTV Europe awards he stormed the stage when he didn't win "Best Video".

Kanye wasn't the only person who came on stage with no invitation whatsoever. Less talked about, but equally annoying, was Lil Mama coming on stage during Jay-Z's performance. Fabulous started a twitter topic about the issue that had the "#lilmamais" hashtag trending at the top of Twitter for a few hours last night.

MTV needs to step it up! But they probably wont, award shows would be boring without these situations.

Not Nigerian Enough? Well Excuse Me...

Now that the blog is "open", let me start by saying, my life will not be complete unless I gather lots and lots of followers for the blog. All of you stalking Ego Du Jour, and I know you're out there since I used my psychic powers, must join the EDJ Blogtourage (on the right) or face my wrath. 

In other news, one of my friends from Nigeria told me that he hopes I switch nationalities because I am not "Nigerian enough". This comment was made because I was not supporting the fact that SONY pulled their ad that "poked fun at Nigerians".  First off I don't see how the commercial made fun of Nigerians, but Nigerians are a special group of people--prone to overreaction and irrational support of their country. For what had people so angry, you can see the commercial on Youtube. This is not the first time I have been accused of being "un-Nigerian", but I actually consider it a compliment when I see how "real Nigerians" act sometimes. 

Lots of people say I should come back to Nigeria because the country has "changed". I always hear this statement from people who are comfortable back there. The poor street vendor is not going to tell me to come back because he/she knows what its really like. My friends back there tell me to come back because there is "so much money" there, and parents of friends tell me to come back because things are "better" there. But, all these people live good lives there--better than they would probably ever be able to live in the US. Of course they think Nigeria is good! I don't have any street vendor friends, but I bet if I did they would tell me to stay the hell away from Nigeria.

My favorite thing though, is when I hear people in the US say they will send their children back to Nigeria to attend high school and "learn the culture". To these people I say, Google Is Your Friend. I learned a lot more about Nigeria while I was in the US than I ever learned when I was there. These people never seem to realize the irony in what they are saying. If you love Nigeria so much that you want your kids to learn the culture, then why don't you move your whole family back there? Why send your kids away for 3-6 years and then bring them back to live in the US? They want US citizen kids who can visit Nigeria for short periods of time but will always have the "luxury" of being American and having a "civilized" home to return to. If these people really "loved" their country they wouldn't be half-assed about sending their kids home to "learn the culture". They would move the whole family back. At least I'm honest about only wanting to set foot there for very brief vacations.

In case you were wondering how often I have this conversation with people, its actually quite often. I'm tired of people acting as if my dislike of that place is a bad thing. They sound like Republicans accusing Democrats of being unpatriotic for having a different opinion. Its not by force to love Nigeria! Especially if your country has proven time and time again that it can be quite useless. JFK said:

"Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."

I say:

"Ask not what Nigeria can do for you or what you can do for Nigeria - ask how you can escape from there."

Cheers!

I Ignored Obama's Message

I know someone out there is complaining about the title of this post, but you can kiss my a**. I'm a college graduate with plans for graduate school so obviously I already got the message--and you know what? MY president didn't have to tell it to me on TV. My parents let me know that education was important from the womb! I started reading before I became a 1 year old! (at least that is the story from my mother). That is how important school is in my family. I find it sad that this country NEEDS to be reminded that education is important.

Where did the US go so wrong that kids would rather be on a Vh1 reality show than get a degree? Its not even a US phenomenon. The disease is slowly spreading to other countries, carried on the wings of the internet and cable TV. I hear and see people idolizing Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Audrina from The Hills and I want to scream! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? Sure, watch the shows all you like, read their books, in fact copy of their fashion if you must, but for the love of God remember that they are doing it for money. The world you see on TV is not real and the chances of you becoming a part of it are slim to none.

I have nothing against the Kim Kardashians and Paris Hiltons of this world. Someone has to do the job they do or else how would Vh1 and MTV fill their TV schedules? Thousands of paparazzi would be unemployed without them. E! News would not exist...you get my point. They perform a necessary service for society, but there are even more necessary services that need to be performed. We need nurses, doctors, attorneys, scientists, teachers, etc. Who is gonna do those jobs if every child is aiming for "stardom".

I'm glad Obama spoke, but the fact that he needed to is so disheartening.

TV Premieres for Fall 2009

Wondering what shows are premiering this fall? Well so did I. After reading synopsis, reviews, and watching previews, here are the TV show premieres I'll be checking out this fall. I may not watch through the entire season, but I will watch pilots to see if they're worth watching regularly. I already know the shows I will be watching but it never hurts to expand your horizons! These are listed in order of my interest in watching. (synopsis courtesy of TV Guide)

The Vampire Diaries: Premieres on The CW. Thursday, September 10th @ 8:00pm ET.

Brooding high school newcomer Stefan (Paul Wesley) can't get his mind off classmate Elena (Nina Dobrev) — perhaps because the two of them were deeply in love 130 years years ago. Yeah, Stefan is a vampire, and so is his reckless bad-boy brother, Damon (Lost's Ian Somerhalder). This one also features a special guest appearance by massive amounts of fog.

Melrose Place: Premieres on The CW. Tuesday, September 8th @ 9:00pm ET.

The CW's remake of the soapy '90s melodrama features many familiar archetypes: the brooding bad boy, the nice couple, and the powerful bitch, to name three. The new show departs from its source material with a mystery storyline concerning a dead body that appears, Sunset Boulevard-style, in the apartment complex's pool.

The Cleveland Show: Premieres on Fox. Sunday, September 27th @ 9pm ET.

This Family Guy spin-off ships Cleveland Brown off from Quahog to sunny California. Along the way, he makes a (permanent) pit stop in his hometown, fictional Stoolbend, Va., where he rekindles a romance with his high school girlfriend.

Glee: Premieres on Fox. Wednesday, September 16th @ 9:00pm ET.

If you watched Fox's preview this spring, you can already hum along with Glee, but fall episodes will reveal that the dark high school dramedy is about more than just singing. Mr. Shuster (Matthew Morrison) needs six more students to compete at regionals; recruiting them is where the fun starts. Jane Lynch is a dream as an iron-fisted cheerleading coach. Kristin Chenoweth, Victor Garber and rapper Eve will all guest-star.

Community: Premieres on NBC. Thursday, September 17th @ 9:30pm ET.

The Soup's Joel McHale stars as an ethically challenged attorney who is forced to go back to college — community college. There, he meets a ragtag bunch of misfits, including an understated Chevy Chase, Gillian Jacobs and Mad Men's Alison Brie ("Hell's bells, Trudy!") who all yearn for some higher learning, despite their obvious deficiencies out in the real world.

Modern Family: Premieres on ABC. Wednesday, September 23rd @ 9:00pm ET.

Ed O'Neill (Married... with Children), Julie Bowen (Ed) and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (The Class) headline a top-notch cast delivering a fresh take on the multigenerational family comedy. Our favorite moment from the pilot is scored by the Lion King theme.

Flash Forward: Premieres on ABC. Thursday, September 24th @ 8:00pm ET.

Centered around a bizarre event that allows millions of people to briefly see flashes of the future. What do they see? What does it mean? And should people be worried if they don't have a future? Watch to find out, we don't know, and yes.

Trauma: Premieres on NBC. Monday, September 28th @ 9:00pm ET.

Anastasia Griffith (Damages) and Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher) are among a team of EMTs who must confront the astoundingly traumatic moments of a trauma and then quickly treat the injured, often just minutes after tragedy strikes. Much stuff blows up.

The Beautiful Life: Premieres on The CW. Wednesday, September 16th @ 9pm ET.

Executive produced by Ashton Kutcher, this drama follows two young models (Sara Paxton and High School Musical's Corbin Bleu) as they are swept up in the fashion business. There to guide them (or complicate matters) are the modeling agency's boss (Elle MacPherson) and a model with a few years under her belt (The O.C.'s Mischa Barton).

You can see new shows that did not make the Ego Du Jour list on the TV Guide website.

Ego Du Jour's List of Approved TV Shows

I'm a big TV buff and I follow lots of shows! Here's a list of Ego Du Jour approved shows for the Fall 2009 TV season (new series are in red and returning shows are in blue). Series are arranged alphabetically.This new schedule means that Heroes, House, and Gossip Girl are all airing at the same time (Mondays @ 8pm). My Monday viewing schedule used to be: Gossip Girl @ 8pm, Heroes @ 9pm, and then catching the House rerun later in the week. I guess its gonna have to be just Heroes now. Too bad the TV corporations are making us pick one for Mondays.

As far as new TV shows go, I'm looking forward to The CW's new lineup. Even though I'm still mad at them for dropping The Game. I'm gonna give Melrose Place a try because I never really watched the original series (I was too young to pay attention to dramas). The other new show on CW is The Vampire Diaries. Which is supposedly a cross between Twilight and True Blood (I'm ok with Twilight and LOVE True Blood) so I'm giving the show a try. The whole storyline about two vampire brothers fighting over one girl sounds interesting, mix in some teen drama, and we might have a hit on our hands.

Not on the list is Lost simply because the season does not premiere till Jan 2010. The show will be in its final season so I am definitely looking forward to watching it next year!

Check back later for another list of new shows for Fall 2009.