I haven’t blogged for a while as I have been absolutely shattered. 24 hours after coming back from the easter break and it appeared to be all one big dream. It’s like the boss feels that if you have one second to stop to crack a smile then it means that you don’t have enough work to do. I can’t wait for the lady who I’m backing up for comes back as I am fit to collapse. I was supposed to be in Cameroon tomorrow but didn’t get the visa in time so I’m here, the devils are at work as my people would say. So what’s new.

Well had another run in with those idiots at Ecobank (Accra Mall branch). Who really did send me there I really don’t know. It’s like I’m a sucker for the punishment they insist on dishing out. Two weeks ago I went in to transfer some money from my local account to my foreign accounts. It is much easier to pay the mortgage that way because GHL request that you give them one years worth of post dated cheques up front and who knows what the dollar will be by the time election day comes so I’m sure they will slap a huge risk rate on top. I thought it would be easier to open a dollar account, I thought.

The system was down (as is the norm) so I gave them the forms and left. Two weeks later and no activity on my account. So I go there in the morning to discuss. Apparently you can’t transfer. You have to withdraw the money, go to a bureau, change the money and put it back in. However, you can transfer into a foreign account that you have abroad, when I enquired as to why this is so, the assistant sprouted out some crap that didn’t make sense to me, so I asked to see the manager. The manager, a decent enough woman, probably tasked with handling the one brain cell that they shared between them listened while I unbelievably calmly (I was ready to get taken away by security the mood I came in) told her that I have cheques coming out and I cannot be penalized by her staff members inefficiency. Would you Adam and Eve it, I could transfer the money into those foreign accounts and it got done before I left the bank. I still don’t understand why this couldn’t be done in the first place, but just as long as my cheques don’t bounce, I’m good.

If you need anything done, go straight to the top.

Yesterday was a crappy day only saved by a nice business lunch and then being part of an interview panel. We are trying to revamp our milk brand by airing a recipe corner, recipe’s made out of milk. Two hostess’ were identified, one a radio dj and another a lady who does some morning programme on e-tv.

We seen their video clip, neither of them blew me away personally, but I kept an open mind. So the first, dj lady, 28 single parent of a 4 year old. She had the British twang but could speak twi very well. She actually reminded me of my cousin, when she walked in she seemed a bit precious. She was wearing a very tight african print long skirt, top and a very tight jean jacket but very warming. She was very nervous, and seemed a bit inexperienced but I warmed to her, she had good eye contact and very smiley. I don’t know if it was conscious though, but she appeared to stress that she lived in UK and twice she mentioned selfridges as if that would make a difference to the panel. I wanted to say, we’ve all travelled luv, but she seemed a nice enough person. But the “name” dropping kind of did my head in. She had done something with Van Vicker, she had celebrity friends, blah, blah, blah, shopped in Selfridges. Give me a break.

The second lady e-tv, what the first lady lacked in experience, she had it, again got it in that she had lived in the UK (I don’t know if the agency had told them that it was a prerequisite for the job), married with 2 kids, I suppose she is used to interviewing politicians because she came across as kind of aggressive. When she first came in, I thought she was stunning. She didn’t look so hot on camera, but she is a beautiful black woman, but her beauty was outside, when she opened her mouth, she just left me cold. She said she wanted to take the job because it would be good for her career, she doesn’t take any job she said. Very business like, she did her undergrad (in the UK) in journalism and Masters (in the UK) in PR. She is a nice person makes friends easily but business is business. She is very traditional, takes care of the family but would never take the day off work just because her child is sick (I got the impression they would be too scared to tell her they were sick in the first place). She was very calculated, knew what to say, quite the politician I would say. When asked to do an audition, she rambled on, eyes to the floor, then she was asked to stop and do a piece for her show, she kind of muttered through something, not knowing she was getting into character. She then did her piece. She spoke way too fast, even for me, I could see my colleague through the corner of my eyes watching her mouth, just trying to keep up. She slowed down in her speech after a while, but I kind of lost interest in her, she left me cold.

Of the two, I thought that the dj girl was the best, but I’m looking at it from British born Ghanaian eyes, the accent would probably throw people off especially your GTV viewers, but the second one, she didn’t strike me as homely enough to sell the brand. It is more of the brand boosting her image than anything.

So it’s back to the drawing board, we will see who else is out there.

So now it’s Saturday morning, listening to same really off key Jafaican man on the radio playing reggae music, I don’t know if he thinks saying “dun know” or “airie” or “jah” every few words makes him a Jamaican, but whatever flows his boat seen. I have the electrician coming over to finally fix my door bell and some light bulbs, hope he doesn’t charge an arm and a leg else I call the regular electrician. The only reason why I haven’t called him up until now is because I swear he does half a job so he keeps having to come back. No such thing as first time right here. Also need him to fix a few fans, smother has extended her stay due to the missing carpenter who she insisted do her kitchen and mine, not sure if he’s planting the trees but since the 6 months ago since she gave him the deposit we have not seen him since. All I can do is smh, I did warn her, but smother knows best…