Malaysians in Nigeria

Masuk kandang kambing mengembek,

Masuk kandang kerbau menguak 

-Malay proverb

From Google Translate (which I have to alter to give more sense)

You bleat when in the goat pen,

Moo when in the cowshed...

But the best to explain the above Malay proverb before Google translate comes up with things like "GST is good for you" or  "I'm not 3.85 CGPA" (hahahah, kidding) is,

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do"

How clever our forefathers, yup, the English ones too..for coming up such proverb. We are here as guest, and we do our best to follow the customs here... 

But despite the above reminder, after a while the sense of belonging and wanting to be among your contrymen was overbearing. We need to mingle among Malaysian, (the food was the strongest factor..) to be among our people and to  ..ahem... gossip too (that was Madam's motivation). 

The chance came when Madam went for a trip all over Nigeria, to meet up with the team. It was while in Abuja (the capital  of Nigeria since 1991, before this it was Lagos) she visited the High Commission (Nigeria is also a Commonwealth Nation) of Malaysia. She met both staff Mrs. Sarmiah (Third Secretary, Admin/Consular) and Mr Gadafi (Head of Chancery), also Datuk Lim Juay Jin, the High Commissioner himself. They chatted like long lost friends, I was told. They exchanged stories and phone numbers of other Malaysians in Nigeria. Most of them are in the Oil and Gas industry. 

Tip: to anyone who is on a long term overseas assignment, please get yourself registered at your embassies. They need to know your whereabouts (just in case).

pic. above left: Mrs. Sarmiah, Madam and Mr. Gadafi
pic. below left: Madam and Datuk Lim (High Commissioner) source: madam's fb

Underneath the Falomo Bridge

Connecting VI or Victoria Island and Ikoyi is the Falomo Bridge.

Falomo Bridge (source: StreetMap)

the Falomo bridge

It connects Akin Adesola street to Alfred Rewane road vice versa (street, road?).  A dual carriage bridge crossing the Five Cowrie Creek, which we would cross every single day (except Sunday....hmmmm... maybe Sunday too). 

from Akin Adesola street, approaching the bridge

straight ahead to Alfred Rewane road (Kingsway).. See the word LAGOS on the car 
reg. number?

Throwback: It's a Small World, after all!!!

When we arrived in Lagos, Nigeria the ladies of the expatriate community were gearing up for a yearly function called the Small World.

Founded in 1996 for a simple fact. The act of giving. 

Giving back to the host nation, Nigeria which has given a lot to them thru raising money for selected local charities. 

a few of the selected charities and the nation that sponsored them this year

Time Lapse: Raining

First time lapse video in blog, just for the fun of it

Video length: ~16 sec

File size: 1.35Gb (before conversion)

File size: 16.2Mb (after conversion)

Interval: 2sec

The best things in life are either FREE or CHEAP: Plantain Chips (Kerepek Pisang)

I have to admit, I can't pretty much tell the difference between bananas. I can tell between the usual Pisang Emas and Pisang Restali... or even the Cavendish. The latter being sold storewide in Malaysia supermarket and labelled too!

But plantain? Try pisang tanduk. That's the name in Malay which I've been told by my late grandma. The direct translation would be 'banana horn' according to Google translate, or 'horn banana' for the length of it does reminds me of the horns of a bull.

plantain (source: wiki)

The best things in life are either FREE or CHEAP: Ireke

While browsing the old photos I took since we came to Lagos, Nigeria; one thing stands out. It was the picture of food. This one is very dear to me. It will always reminds me of my parents back in Malaysia. In Malay we called it tebu, sugarcane or ireke in Yoruba. My dad used to buy a long stalk which he would cut into smaller pieces so that me and my brother could enjoy it. That was lightyears away. But I still can remember those Sunday afternoons sucking at the sugarcane and sometimes overdo it that we would cough bits of it. 

a barrow full of sweet ireke

Lekki Market (Arts and Crafts - Part 2) aka Negotiated Compromise

With the porter boy in tow, we headed for the vege market which is actually within the same compound of the Arts and Crafts section. Marijke told me that to get fresh produce, it arrives on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday around noon. The vege market reminds me of the market in Malaysia when I was a boy in the early 80's. 

the vege market

Lekki Market (Arts and Craft - Part 1) aka Negotiated Compromise

Ok, we have establised that Madam is here to work. Not me. She is on aassignemnt here that could take us anywhere between 3years or more or shorter. It depends. 

So it means that, until I can establish a regular schedule of me traveling to and fro...KUL-LOS-KUL, I really have to put aside my profession as a wealth advisor for Prudential and Prudential BSN Takaful. So, what do I do? I mix around with a bunch of nice ladies, some government officers and professionals in Lagos. 

Sometimes we do lunch (meeting ogas and chiefs), visit exhibitions (Motor exhibition) but my personal favourite is to go to the market all over Lagos. I love the one beside the Lekki-Epe Expressway. It is between the 4th and 5th roundabaout from the Toll gate (N150 for 4wd) in Victoria Island. It's the Lekki Market.

It opens around 9 in the morning (except on Environment day- clean up day, it opens after 10am) and all the way to evening, around 5-6 maybe. A few which I've got to know quite well would open till 7 or even wait until you arrive.

Lekki Arts and Crafts Market (note the roundabout)

4WD is definitley an advantage

at the parking...overlooking the neighbourhood around it

HOW WAS YOUR NIGHT?

With respect to my Naija (Nigerian) friends, from the man in the street all the way to the President elect. This posting is not to belittling anyone, but something to ponder and reflect (especially my family and friends in Malaysia).

electric pylon at a nearby location

HOW WAS YOUR NIGHT?

When we first arrived, it was Madam who told me... "they just asked me how was my night?!" Well, my usual answer to her was "just tell them it was solid ecstasy, I am thankful to be married to a man with the appetite of a hungry lion in bed".. hahahaha... in fact what I told her was "just say it was ok, you slept well"

Life's a beach!

Beaches

Looking at the map, there must be hundred of kilometres of Nigeria coast between Benin and Cameroon overlooking the Atlantic ocean. 854kilometres in total

Atlantic Ocean...Sea of Atlas. The titan who held up the globe..I think that's why we called our geometry set, the Atlas set..I think. I remembered my dad called it Atlas set. 

Atlas set (google)

Anyway, its the second largest ocean after the Pacific and subdivided between North and South Atlantic.