Birthday Dilemma......

My oh my, how am I going to spend my birthday this year?!?!? This thing is creating so much dilemma for me and to top it all off, a friend of mine has given me a deadline for alerting people to the date and venue (thanks Mimi....jeez, can a girl live without the pressure?) So now i'm going all crazy trying to pick a venue before deadline September 13. See, there are many people out there who are the "i don't celebrate birthdays" type, and then there are the "small, quiet, family affair" type, then the "only milestones" type. Me, i don't send all of that. ALL birthdays should be celebrated simple. All of them. I can't understand how people can choose not to do so. I mean, seriously, it's always a once-in-a-lifetime affair. Birthdays started becoming fun for me on my 18th birthday. I had just started college in Ottawa, Canada where before school started i had NEVER even been and my bday(yes, i used the term b4 Bee o!!!) being in September, I hadn't even had the chance to meet some anyone properly then. So I remember getting up early that morning, getting on my knees and said my prayers. I just felt particularly moved that day (thinking back now, probably was just PMSing but sha...) so I prayed very fervently and started to cry cuz i felt so overwhelmed by it all. Sad and happy and thankful at the same time (thinking back again, maybe it had something to do with the Save the Children marathon i saw that morning on tv, but sha....) Here I was in Ottawa, which i never really wanted to come to, away from home for the first time EVER in my life, and really, I was doing okay. And then I thought about all the people around the world, who dream and plan their 18th and for some reason or other never made it. Like a few of my high school classmates that died in that drunk driving accident, or my good friend that died on vacation in Senegal. Or many yet who are spending their birthday so hungry and poor that birthday is the LAST thing on their mind. I thought of how their are many people who dreamed and wish they had all the opportunities that I have at that age. So that morning I made I resolution to always make each birthday count and to always celebrate my life, God keeping me, to celebrate the good things around me, my friends and specifically my girlfriends, my family, my sister, my brothers, good food, good wine, good music, everything. Just be happy, thankful, and grateful.

Anyway, so that night I went out to some french pub in Quebec (drinking age is 18 over there!) with this oyinbo babe....i think Brenda or something is her name......she was my only friend in Ottawa at the time, she had bright pink hair, wore too much black eye shadow, drank too much and was with her oyinbo boyfriend who was bald and had a big snake tatooed across his neck. Still it was fun and was fab!!! And then there was the birthday at Big Daddy's Crab Shack, my favorite restaurant in Ottawa, with my girlfriends, that was a very good bday. Oh, and that bday I invited 200 people to my party. I don't think that party was quite a hit, but it was quite a lot of fun planning and cooking with my girlfriends (at the time!). And then the party where somehow I forgot to invite all the babes! (in reality i had no more than 3 girlfriends and never thought that the over 12 guys I invited would like.........ehrm...options!!!!). Or I think of the breakfasts that never materialized......lol! Last year I think was my best one so far. I went to Virginia/Maryland for the weekend. Spent most of the day at Dipo's and I think he cooked, can't remember. Now those of you that know D know homie can cook, so that was cool. Or was that the day we went to Olive Garden?!?! can't remember sha, but it's not the day that was most important. Night came, and i decked out and looked FABULOUS that night i know, and we went to Dream. Only to find out it was a private party but we finagled our way in (I still think it's cuz i looked HOT!!!). Only to get downstairs and guess who's hosting the party?!?!???? WYCLEF. It was like I had died and gone to heaven. I LOVE LOVE LOVE wyclef. so that was tres cool.

Which brings me back full circle to this upcoming birthday and it's dilemma. Maybe someone reading this blog can help me out by way of comments!!! Ok, so here are the options:

1. Eko Hotel Sports Cafe - it's buffet style. Food is not that spectacular but hey, they got hummus, good hummus too! But i don't know......it's a bit impersonal i think.

2. Churrasco's - Brazilian and they have all you can eat meat! Prob is i don't eat red meat but on the plus side, they are very good with drinks!!! This atmosphere is more like it i think, very social, loud, everything that's cool. i don't know.....the meat thing?!?!

3. Yellow Chillies - Nigerian and generally black type foods (curry goat, etc.) but very good food, I really liked it when i went for a friend's lunch there. But i'd like to do something different I think. But their peanut chicken is hmmm.........

4. Marco Polo - Chinese, my favorite restaurant in Lagos. BUT, since people are making me pay for everything (why oh why do you have to buy crap for others on your own bday? makes no sense people!!) i don't know if 7k per head is gonna happen....(in fact, chance are VERY slim)

5.Bonzai - Japanese. Ok, i just put this one in for good luck!!! ain't no way i'm paying 10k per head....but i've been craving sushi soooooooooooo bad. If anyone reading this REALLY loves me, take me to Bonzai for lunch on that Sat. The food there is surprisingly lovely but I don't think Naija's take to sushi very much.....

So there we have it! any other ideas peeps?!?!!! I can't cook in my house so let's not suggest that and i'm currently protesting La Casa's stupid, ignorant, racist, sexist, and classist way of running their business. Anyway, i'll be expecting mucho comments, Thanks! See, birthdays are sooooo much FUN!!!!!