Ruminations:: 11/11/11

Yawn! Woke up from a deep siesta with smiles on my face. The latter minutes of my nap had witnessed a journey to the past. How time flies. One minute, it’s today; the next, it’s years down the lines. Yet, nothing seems changed until you take the time to stare through your rear view. In my short dream, I ran through the past years, what seemed like struggles now a passed phase I yearn for. The daily commutes down the paved route of Area 11 Garki from Ahmadu Bello through Area 11. The ambience of the chilled AGIS office where behind our four walls, multi-ethnic personalities in colleagues interacted freely. How I miss the Aajias with whom I came to a better understanding of the Northern people. How in the end, it turned out that we’re all indeed one; mortals anyways. First, humans before narrowing down to our categorization as males or females. Then further down the line, Nigerians then our ethnic groups. How I yearn for the times. The gossips in the office. Funny now when I recall the drama that regularly played out with one single entity "Nne". Amazing now how one single pretty but overly conscious chick upset the balance turning men to wimps within an organization.

Then the inter-state trips. Kaduna! Nasarawa, Minna, the fun weekend trips. Tomobola nights at the military mess, cheap girls, booze on the house and fun all through the night into the morning. Down South now, I can only wonder what’s become of the night times in those mammy markets. Mogadishu barracks, home of grilled fish with whores standing in line for the next prey, their fees as high as the state of economic living dictated by the city itself. I miss the night crawls. The quiet streets of Ahmadu Bello at night leading to Wuse II. At a time, Ibiza on Friday nights, a world filled with all sorts long before government wielded its strength.

And I wonder how it’s come to this. When days and nights know little difference as I pore through tasks that only seem to increase. They say you lose sight of time when engaged in something you love. For me, I seem to have lost sight or track of the very things I thrived on. Maybe it’s sheer maturity. Maybe not but what else best explains my accustoming to solitude, quiet ambience and my perusal with the skills that interest me? Friends express their concerns saying you’ve lost it working yourself to the brim. For those that my insensitive self still attract, it’s that I’m too stiff and focused. But I too am human. I too yearn for a taste for those things only now, a rarity even in appeal. “What’s in it for me?”, the question that has me revisiting every anticipated step.

In my heart, I wish I could write all day, I wish I was creative enough to churn out great apps for entertainment purposes, make a living from these things I love then retire to a great book or my write-ups until nature calls.  But that life seems only a while away as I strive to break even. Cross country calls to her just to keep alive any hope of future ties or a walk down the aisle. Yeah, I still steal out some time for those moments. I miss some birds, plus all the nameless ones that we’ve crossed path. For some, my ingratitude at the times best understood now as I recall the times. 

Letter to AS3

I write this not just in frustration but in a mix of thrill at the challenge thrown at me by you.

Surely, you can't deny my love for you.

Or how else would one explain the rationale behind the time I've devoted to you.

All this months and still counting.

Poring through tons of texts even if to grab a basic comprehension of your syntax, libraries etc.

Online, offline through hardcopies, softcopies to videos, I've stayed glued to you.

Even when my eyes strained under the effects of lengthy glares at the monitor, I've remained unmoved telling loved ones it’d be better to enter nirvana with less parts than whole body dwell in the abyss.

All this for fun?

Well, I've had and still do have fun but the reality of the present times, you know better.

Still in pursuit of the Holy Grail. You know; that which is supposed to keep body and soul together;

That which without I'm left with little strength to devote to you.

True, the times have been unfair.

I shoulda relaxed on you when after 6 months, I hit it with the last job.

I too thought I'd at least found something to show for our mutual commitments.

But in the end, it was neither my fault as it wasn't yours.

The reality of the environment we live in simply played out.

And I did what was honourable: moved on.

Thus, on I have moved and at this point, you bare your fangs throwing exceptions at every line of my codes.

I've just about had it with you. This has to end and it's tonight AS3!

You tell me you’re only trying to pass a message for me to hit the brakes.

That I should be quick to recall the times I’ve been in same situation only to go to bed and come back with the solutions.

True, I agree but again, time’s not on my side anymore. Besides, who are you to call the shots?

Hey, man wrote you and you’re nothing but ones and zeroes! Freaking bytes! Maths at its very basic!

You say I didn’t even pay for this software and that it’s illegal.

Yeah but the internet connection with which I tracked your sorry free unliving self was paid for by someone: hello!

And was it I who had you up for sharing on Isohunt?

Tonight’s the night. Either you or me.

I can’t believe you’re not seeing reasons to my argument.

How can you be oblivious to the demands on me with tons of stuffs to do?

Or have you forgotten the plans to deploy you to the third screen

with Android providing the stage we’ve always dreamt of.

Or would you rather I go back to your granny from Oracle whom the world respects over you?

Well, hear this! I'm definitely picking him up again. I even heard JSE7.0 is out!!!

Lol…Yeah, now, you’re going red!

See, tonight, we’re riding into the morning.

Yeah, I’m slugging it out with you. No sleep until you start compiling enough lines for me to get off this stage.

What’s the motivation besides time you ask?

See, I’m tired of the nightmares with bugs dominating my sleep.

I’m seeing you off tonight.

It’s on now!

Design break (*smh* at this title)

Okay, this is as much as a preparatory break as I can get before delving into the murky waters of software programming. Honest confession: as much as I love the subject and most especially, its results (it's like playing god watching a program automate a manual process or in my case, entertain its users), I have to admit to the dirty, irritating angles t it". Yeah, it doesn't come easy for me at least (I can't speak for others). The reasons for the conflicting angles for me stems from how much work I need to put in most times give it's not an in-born skill. If any's still having problems understanding where it is I'm coming from or what it is I'm driving at, the next line should explicitly spell out my message. I have to ponder through tons of multiple texts to get grounded in some core areas of these programming languages. While programming goes beyond cramming lines of codes, thanks to libraries, it's still a harrowing experience fleshing out the logic behind what connect the basics of every language which as I have since found out share a common ground in a number of subjects particularly for Object Oriented Programming where I dwell. OMG! I hope I made sense with the foregoing lengthy statement but anyways, I'll proofread later.

So, what's the inspiration for this piece? Simple! I just pored through hundreds of lines to get a background peek into the programming theme for the game (yeah, I'm developing a game) I hope to build. After enduring an hour long stare at the monitor and confident enough to say I have an above average grasp of the concept, I took a detour to one of my favourite pages, naijastories where my recent publication juts got published. So, I woke up to see my piece titled "Nature's burden" had been put up with one comment so far. Then I thought, this means I'll keep going back and forth to see the number of views and comments it receives over the course of a week. This has been the routine whenever I put a piece up for public consumption. I'm eager to get feedback on my work as it spurs my energy to keep up my interest in writing. Away from that, the relationship with my programming skills and related ideas is such that I hope and believe same gets replicated when I eventually have this gaming product out as a software or app. Yeah, that's where I'm headed by God's grace. I hope to have my product up in the market for people to buy then scale to port across multiple platforms or devices. That's where I'm going. I love what I do even though it's very challenging but the motivation itself derives from bracing up to conquer the very challenges.

Financial rewards? Well, it's a considerable factor that just will come. For now, I'll keep doing my thing.

Random Note

Arrgh…that’s the quiet sound that goes out of my mouth as I drag me to my system. A broadcast message I got lately goes thus, “there is stress that is caused by working too hard. However, there is also stress caused by not working hard enough”. The message ends with a prayer that the Good Lord helps us in finding the balance between the two kinds of work. A part of me wants to dissect the word stress before going further with this piece. My English Encarta dictionary defines it as a mental, emotional or physical strain felt by a person due to overwork or anxiety. Well, looks more like the former but for clarity, I dare say that the results of not working hard enough are enough to produce stress considering such effects as a nagging mate, empty pockets and bad diet. Need I say more?

Only recently, in a bid to reestablish my passion, I heard a message by Marcus Buckingham, the famed apostle of the strength revolution. One line that did catch my attention was the need to devote more time to things that speak of our areas of strength as opposed to working on our weaknesses. Thus, I've decided that no matter how cocky my writing skills are, I better drag me to write something.

What follows is the inspiration. While I may be accused of writing too much about Lagos, I honestly can’t deny how much of an inspiration I derive from the city of excellence.

It seems there just is something out here that catches my attention and has me penning down my thoughts. Add that to the fact that I love the subtle sound of my keyboard as I type on my system. So, I stepped into the city after weeks out in a neighbouring state. Not like I expected much of a change if any given the enormity of task required to put things in shape. From the express, I must have counted a dozen or so religious houses spread over tens of acres. Their use, specifically for worship at a time when what’s required are industries to engage our teeming youths, unemployed citizenries many of them able-bodied. I shook my head wondering aloud if this wasn’t a clear case of misplaced priority. No offence to any but religion to me remains a personal relationship between my humble self and God. Just like the individual I was to face in the bus, I imagined the self-acclaimed man of God dishing out sermons laced with quotations from the Holy Book. Only this time, carefully, interpreted to appeal to what many of the congregation long yearn for. In this age and time where insecurity is rife among many, it’s no wonder thousands throng to this places to seek succor. A situation where the ineptitude of the government translates to seeking divine help even for problems as physical as our epileptic power situation. Even more, it’s no wonder that the very roads leading up to this places lie in dilapidated state. Yet who cares in a world where the message of the day reads as a roadmap to heaven; the believer’s ultimate land of bliss. It doesn’t matter that the man of God journeys across the globe in private jets bought by the contributions of the congregation. Even the politicians call on God for help. Yet, my Holy Book reads in one of its passages that God cannot be fooled. I've since come to the conclusion that no matter how obscure the teachings of any religious following, there must at least be a number of followers whose insecurity the religion addresses.

Two days after I pitched my idea before a set of would-be investors only to have it torn to shreds with the words still echoing in my head, I found myself on the other side of the table. This time though, it was a setting far from the conventional court-like arrangement where the panelists sat arch-like baring down on me like sharks. It was in one of Lagos' infamous public buses. I’d barely sat boarded the bus from Oshodi enroute Mile Two after 6 weeks out of the city. Like a gentleman, he gave out his seat. Next, he’s appealing to passengers to move in to allow for spaces. At first, you may mistake him for a second or third conductor. But his looks gave him away. He’d tried as best as he could to wear a corporate look with a white shirt soaked in sweat that’d seen better days. With the bus barely in motion, he swings in with his nylon bag, brings out a product and starts pitching. He starts out with a welcome message to passengers then ushers a brief prayer for a safe trip to our destinations. That in itself is clichéd given how many of them I’ve since come across. In Lagos, even an intra-city commune could well be a journey equivalent in timing to an inter-city travel. Then, he goes on and on about the different types of dreams that’s common amongst us. In a carefully crafted manner, he takes us through the spiritual connotations of each dream, many of them laden with hellish omen. From eating in dreams to having sexual intercourse in dreams, he painted pictures of the hunting demons. Jokingly, a friend once remarked to me that the economic situation prevalent in our country has spread to the spiritual realm where even demons can’t get tasty bloods to suck. Lastly, he runs us through the finances starting with a lump sum which he says he’s had to cut down to a few hundreds so that the populace can afford the book. He calls out to all to grab a copy before stocks last which is just another way of saying, till the bus reaches its final destination. Me, I couldn’t be swayed by his pitch for whatever reasons. In fact, I’d trust that any enlightened Nigerian wouldn’t buy that. But then, this Nigeria, a nation with a high illiteracy level. Furthermore, this is Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial nerve center where anything goes. The first call came from the back for a copy then another from the front. Before I alighted, I must have counted close to 15 copies sold out to passenger, old and young amounting to 3,000 naira. Not bad for a day’s sale. He pays the conductor and moves on to the next bus.

Originally written 30 Sept. 2011

War stories: reality check

Home!

Never could get me to lie to paper as its contents come straight from the heart; an indulgence I crave over anything else. Coach says it’s my way of praying. I’m not sure I quite understand that but then, this medium is at best my preferred manner of communicating.

Mom’s in good shape. There’s a war out there! Stepping out of the confines of my four walls paints gory pictures from insecurity, gross misconduct to massive unemployment: epidemics! It becomes clear how much responsibility lies on my shoulder.

Few days ago, out of my four walled ecosystem, my mind was awash with the reality of the outside world. The bumpy ride ignited the harsh realities of the throes of corruption. A day earlier, the long foreseen nemesis of the society we’d sown caught up with us. Faceless individuals long abdicated by the state, long suppressed by its machines struck hitting both innocent and guilty right in the center of the Nation’s capital. In the end, we are responsible. Indeed, we are all responsible for the state in which we find ourselves and that responsibility piles on regardless of our state of denials. Yet, need anyone be surprised by the times of terror we face? It was noted that the day of reckoning would come. The day when the rich and mighty would find the streets hard to tread on with fire and brimstones burning from the ones it long tramped upon. Excuse the religious undertones to the terror attacks; unemployment, poverty and corruption are at the roots and its victims know no bounds.

Back to my journey, I counted close to a dozen religious places spread out across tens of acres of land. For what purpose? To empower my people with gospel news that translates to a life in heaven for them hereafter. Excuse my ignorance or blasphemy as may be interpreted by your beliefs but heaven’s here with me. Hedonism itself paints a picture of heaven here on earth. Or what else do the material prosperity which many seek translate to? Or even more, that which the self-acclaimed champions of these denominations live on.

For all the hellish state we’re in, the best many can offer are interpretations from the Holy books which hint at prosperity on earth buoyed by a need to sow materially towards a heaven that’s best imagined.

There’s war out here! Young ones on drugs, thugs line the streets all day collecting tolls, ladies at night selling flesh. Behold, the time is now when Messianic pursuits I take upon me pledging to do my utmost.  It’s time to put on an armour of responsibility for these scourge which plagues us. Sitting on the fence won’t help and neither will denying that which is obvious by choosing to abdicate our responsibilities to the most High.

Again, it feels good to be home. Nothing beats the country side. Well, I won’t be here for long given the war I have on my hands. Beyond bidding to put food on the table for my wife and kids, there’s even more for the citizenries. The countryside is utopia. Stay too long and I get eroded by the state of delusion. The reality is the world out there. It’s a reality check. There’s a need to regain the innocence that characterized my childhood. It’s easy to forget the ambience of the hood I once lived in downtown. 

Originally written between August 29 and Sept 4, 2011

Nature’s burden

Maybe I'd simply become rusty. After all, I hadn't attended a conventional church service in a while. That's not the focus though. Rather, it's the raging contradiction that ironically chronicles nature's very own characteristic calls. I'd been seated for 2 hours when nature posed a tempting call: sleep. Yawning and twisting in my seat, I struggled to keep the call at bay while pricking my ears to make out the preachers words. A few times, I drifted off only to catch myself few minutes after with eyes staring at me. The pretty female usher that had caught my eyes as I stepped into the church early on stared at me with a look that suggested irritation. I barely smiled. Either she was ignorant of nature's unparalleled powers or she was above human. Even then, beauties like her are themselves nature's very own produce with unconscious calls for man to behold.

At one point, I looked around to observe my immediate environment. Alas! I was not alone; neither the worst nor the best as I was caught between both extremes. On the one, fully attentive members with eyes wide open and on the other, members enmeshed in deep slumber. I fell in between amongst the mediocre. What was I to do? This was nature calling. The feeling of guilt gave way as I pondered on this.

Excuses came to mind. Maybe it was the timing. The service was just too long: three hours and counting.

Perhaps, it was hunger? If so, wasn't it one of the reasons I was here? To cry unto God for today's equivalent of manna: government contracts, business deals, debtors’ change of heart etc. Besides, I’d gone to bed late but that’s because I was living by the paradigm of working hard even if it meant sacrificing hours of sleep. To my credit, I managed to wake up early enough to keep a date in the Lord's house. But now that the same external force calls in, it seemed similar to other calls like defecating. Who dictates the precedence? Who but the self?

Or was it simply the manner in which the preacher delivered his sermon? I'd seen better captivating displays of wit by men of God with evidence to show in human and material gains. If any, this one had a long way to go before attracting the audience that could fast-track his private jet. The risk of blasphemy flashed through my mind and I quickly retracted my words. Better the man of God be without blame than I risk the wrath of nature.

I stole a glance in Nneka’s direction and pictures of her figure eight played out on my mind only to be punctuated by the blaring speaker projecting the reading of Galatians 5 which talks about the lust of flesh. She’d coerced me to this church service and I couldn’t help the feeling of guilt as the passage was being read. Worse still, the preacher seemed to be staring directly at me as he spoke picking apart the words assertively. What a burden of contradiction with nature's very creation to deal with. In consolation, I surely could be excused for falling prey to these calls which seemed rather fair and harmless even though at the expense of paying attention to the ongoing service. Tales abound of people stealing and even fornicating in church. In this regard, my sin was debatably excusable. Then I recalled the words of Mathew 5:28 “...whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” and quickly shook off the thoughts.

Again, my head lurched to the side as I danced to nature’s call. I was awaken by a call for offering. Wow! I wondered. What was it about offering times in modern day churches? Far from the dryness of the sermon, offering time was ushered in with a scintillating voice laced with carefully crafted Biblical readings that spoke of it as obligatory even against the backdrop of harsh economic realities. It’s simply called giving to God and where his name is invoked, the congregation dare not question. The preludes are carefully chosen and not a few have given out their last dimes after hearing such. I once gave out my transport fare only to realize the distance I had to cover to get home. In the end, I managed to hitch a ride with a stranger which had to be the Lord’s doing.

I glanced at my watch. Between my blurred sights, the hands seemed to have ground to a halt. I thought: this is a sign that nature's calling for a timeout. C'mon, another voice (presumably the good) said reminding me of how incomparable this was to the lengthy hours spent sitting through seminars and lectures, some at the expense of nature's very call. This couldn’t be any different. How about the hours spent waiting for big men in the name of securing favour or that spent waiting for Nneka during her rigorous time-consuming choir practices?

That being said, I could endure and endure I eventually did. As I staggered my way out of the auditorium with reddish watery eyes, I had a food for thought for others.  “Before u castigate that man or lady drifting off in the midst of the sermon, think about this: Nature does indeed call all mortals”.

State of Mind

hmmmph [sighs]. I haven't felt like this in a while. Sort of just lost, undefined and in a state of fog. "Wasapning"? I ask myself yet the answer's anything but straight. Last night after a few hours of dance, ethanol and mingling with flesh, I grabbed my notebook, went up to the studio and did a bit of work or so as I could barely concentrate. Next, I was in my room crying out to God for rescue. I just couldn't place a purpose, meaning or direction to my pursuits. Yeah, a brother feels lost sometimes! This calling's a two edged sword. Shared my honest impressions with my colleagues and coaches yesterday. In summary, the whole atmosphere seems to be driving me crazy, eating at me and spurring pricking questions. This time last year, the GH was in play and we'd finally begun to make up for our investments. Myself and Joe would sit through hours attending to clients, munching on hot 'masara' and talking in between sharing gossips and laughing. How I miss the times. True, I yearned for a new experience even then given my adventurous nature but then, I enjoyed the times. Things are different now. No dime's been raked in months after months making 2011 a sharp contrast to the last 2 years. Plus, I can't seem to get a good grasp of any major personal project that could have me hitting the street to make a dime from. It's all just so static. Yet, I'm here staring at the fastest internet connection I've come across after the British Council hub (Hello Melaye). Plus, I have all this resources in books, humans and a comfy environment to cap it all yet nothing. I reckon I need a feel of the outside world. Abuja marked a difference from the insanity I'd grown to appreciate in Lagos and I was able to tap into its ambience for my entrepreneurial endeavours. This woulda come closer but in retrospect, it seems a bit too vague, fake and paints a picture of delusion. A delusion which in itself fosters paranoia with the outside world at its root. Yeah, the outside world. It's my reality check and I shouldn't have strayed this far from it, perhaps. I need a touch of the real world. A touch of the war out there with unemployment, insecurity, and poverty rife in the air. I need it to crank up this brains to get working on the next BIG THING. That which in itself is not without a struggle to reap success. Time's key here baby. I love this journey but even the journey scares me in times like this. The adventurer hardly shares tales of his struggles with coping with reality. A reality that presents a picture of being lost in a state of misdirection as to where, when and what becomes of his destination. Brave as it sounds to go this route, it's no fun coping with the fears when they come hard on you. My project's in limbo partly cos' I'm in a fix as to how to go about defining its path. In the end, only me can muster the strength to keep at my game. Only me can and will proffer solution to my "X" in this equation of life.

Signs:: Reality Check 101

Mehn! Blog's seen some quiet times lately online and offline. There's little smiling going on here, believe me. Struggling to kindle this flame and boys be bidding down the clock as it gains speed. Crunch time's what time it is. And I ain't referring to this make-believe ecosystem. Nah! The real world comes to mind. Yeah, can't live consistently oblivious to the callings of the outside world: reality check 101! So, what's your boy been up to? Same ol' I guess. Tying up the strings of network, upping skills and working towards the next 'one'. Promises and expectations of a game changing experience fast fading with the months. If any, yet another block towards the peak of the pyramid. Some things never change though: still no room for dramas in the name of anything (emotions or whatever). Energy's all but waned down and the outside calling dictates a swap in which game best represents an insurance. Yet, this is what I've lived for since donning that gown and scroll back in 2008. Memories of the street hit me in the shower and in my sleep.

Can these bones still go as far as they've gone? Sure with more calcium and its equivalent to the soul. Yeah, I gotta musta all the strength and energy to keep me motivated for the cold cold street.

Flinching? Never me.

9 to 5s? I simply laugh. Made my choice a long time ago!

Ma? C'mon, I know your concerns about the lifelines. I'm as concerned as you are.

Dad? A man's gotta be a man. Gran's spirit lives within me.

Creditors; I'll redeem all that I owe before my time winds down. My contact details remain same. Hola with the tantrums! :-)

Debtors; I could do with what's mine :-)

S.H.E; please bear with the times. For better for worse comes even before the long walk down the narrow aisle.

The story of my life has since gained traction online and offline. Who knows? It's probably where the goldmine lies. I love this game! It remains a twist though caught in the mix of life's X. Solving them one step before the other. Sometimes, wish I had guarantees but besides taking the thrill and excitement away, it just doesn't hold in this life. Sorry loved ones.

Gotta move on. I'm walking back into that door come November. From one to the other. The journey never stops. Countryside slangin' with the fam just to cool off. Stay only as long as the next call comes and I'm off. Down the same route, bad roads, shark infested streets, flee infested motels, cunning business men and dirty notes. All in a bid to express myself in the ways I best know how to. The struggles to keep my body and mind protected. In the end, love in the arms of my one true bloods. One down and then the next call. I'm out...Victory is certain!

Bored!!!Bored!!!

Oops, boy, am I bored! Sitting through this is like sitting through biology class back in senior secondary. Yeah, I'm bored to the point of falling asleep. And just in case, I did try drifting off only to awake again. Lately, I've found me questioning the very purpose of this journey. The curve's kind of slipped for me. The initial fire that had me going at the start has really lost its hold on me. Bounced this off a few fellows just to get a feel of what others are feeling and unsurprisingly, I'm not alone.
Confusion seems to rein. My perception maybe but guess what, the hommie beside me just admitted to feeling the same way. In a sense, classic example of Abillene paradox. What more given the times? Not a few appear caught up in a foggy state yet getting bombared.

Reactions

How different things can be even within the spate of a short time difference. Just weeks back, I'd had my first real taste of real life experience with prospective investors and it's been hell! In simple words, I'd gone from wishing for the ground to open so I could be swallowed up to one of clueless about who I was, what I was trying to sell and question marks about my efforts. As with anything in life, it left a positive mark on me so much that it led to a redefinition of my very passion cum strengths which further translated to a purposeful re-connection even as far as my team formation. As I speak, I say with all sense of purpose and confidence that 4 months into this incubator program, I'm clear about the direction I'm taking with regards to how my passion, skills and ideas connect. What that translates to is that I'm good going forward.

Today's was much refreshing and without any iota of bitterness. It was both a relaxing and learning process going by the humor and issues raised. What could be more? I'm in zone that's best defined as "comfortable" given the synergy that exists with my partners for obvious reasons. Clarity which to me spells simplicity characterizes the ideas and vision that we have going forward. Others are the lack of redundancy, experience and expertise all in a well defined format so much that they are measurable. No offense to anyone but for me, I'm in state of reality in contrast to the 'cloud' I seemed to find myself a while back. True, my scope of sight may be limited. True, it may be that I'm not a big picture person. True, true, true but my interpretation of the foregoing perceptions is one of a guy who rather prefers to play in areas well defined in practical terms for me to key in my inputs vis-a-vis get my hands dirty. A number of times I;ve found me in states where I'd rather just be 'doing' as opposed to conceiving and talking. Yeah, I love learning things and breathing life to ideas that have been conceived along the areas of my interest and I need mention, shear reality. Why? Because I have a problem without seemingly white elephant or fancy ideas that have n practical connection to what I can offer in terms of possessive skills even if on a small scale.

Back to the session with the Engineer, it's for me an issue of researching more into our product offering plus building on what we have lined up already. Nothing to do with switching ideas or searching for new ones. Nah! Rather, I make bold to say that the moment one has a clarity of what he's engaged in to the point of connecting his passion, interest, skills and knowledge [to it] then not only can any form of external opinion not sway him but one also remains convinced of the potentials of it. The foregoing best explains my state.

Date with the Master Storyteller

Okay, I hope I can serve this while it's still hot and fresh. Anyways, besides being a snap one for the obvious reason that I'm in the middle of another phase of the very project the meeting sought to serve, I do still have the luxury of coming back to edit this.

And, so, a simple phone call to a dear friend (once a prey I never took serious: stale news) to wish her a happy birthday results in Elder Jimi Solanke, the one and only, unrivaled storyteller in a little over 24 hours. That was over the weekend. Fast forward to today, the first lady of the Genii factory did her thing captivating the attention of the genius himself and setting up an appointment that can only be termed divine given its timing and location. 

An hour later, we sat in a hidden bar somewhere in Sagamu, cosy, cool and African.

If any thought baba had lost it due to age then I say boldly that you're mistaken as even at age 69, He still has his aura about him. It was so much fun laughing and giggling at his jokes and performances.

He stole my heart when He mentioned his wife describing his fondness for her and placing a call to her right there. You could feel the love in the air as he laughed over their conversation before passing it on to the first lady. ...k, nuff for now, I'll run dis to the end later. Plus, I have an image to attach.

*blank*

How do you tell what your interests are? Put it in another form, "how do you tell what you're passionate about"? Some (if at all any since I have no follower as of this write-up :-) may wonder why I'm asking this. Well, it turns out that I can tell without mincing words that I love writing. That I'll make a living from writing remains unclear to me now though I would cherish the ride. Anyways, I think it's become obvious to me how much I love the act given its appealing attraction. While my writings are not without typos and grammatical blunders (English remains my second language), it still comes easy to me. The words simply flow from my brain, mind through my hands onto the keyboard or pen. I don't have to have any societal topic or academic one to write about. In fact, I'd say they're rather boring and some of my best write-ups are ones that simply echo from happenings around me. The words just stream out and I put down as much as I can. But then, it takes a lot in time and effort to restructure these pieces until they're fit for publication. It's no wonder I prefer flash write-ups. By that, I mean ones without any real theme, no care for spelling checks or grammatical structure to them; you just write as it comes. I could say 'write-ups without borders'. 

Just so you know, there is a motivation for this blog. I'm up early for my morning ritual (now rediscovered owing to the times - crunch) and just two chapters into it, I feel the attraction to write. I know it sounds rather awkward considering the attraction to write is not driven by the need to churn out a bestseller neither is it for lecture paper or newspaper article. All I know is I felt a need to write down my thoughts. So, this here are my thoughts. If they turn out rather boring to the reader (who?)...well, think of it this way, "The contents of a clean mind". Sure, we all have our demons and I'm inexcusable. Know what too, I have this song playing over in my head since God knows when. It's like it was place on auto-repeat as it keeps looping its lines up in my head. It's in its last days though as I've resumes my sanction on all forms of audio songs. In fact, besides the audio books in my music library, I only have a few (under a dozen) which only serve my sound needs in Flash (Adobe). I realize that to change my life (I haven't been impressed by my utterances), I'd have to change my thoughts and these are directly related to the things I take in visually and aurally.

That said, it's time to resume my classes. 5:31 am...about 90 minutes to go. I'll proofread for typos later but first, a title for this...arrgh, blogs!!

Minutes before take-off...[yawn]

[yawn]...k, finally, a positive angle to blogging. So, I get into my room a few minutes ago (it's 3:28 am now), sleepy and couldn't get me to pull my Dell studio out of my bag for a quick write-up. Then it hit me, "I didn't have to"! I had this good ol' Veda laptop open in front of me doing a 25 to 35 kbs download. So, all I did was run my url and bingo, I'm churning these out, yawning and peering at the plane (excuse me, bed). What's to talk about that I had to do this? Turns out for a person like me there's so much to talk about. I'd even considered naming my blog "apere" (basket) at some point but decided against it. The GETTO component just had to have its way in whatever speaks of me.

Anyways, it's the weekend already and I have to myself a much cherished solitary confinement save for a few exceptions (breakfast, lunch and dinner times). Plus, the first-lady of the ecosystem could call on me for an impromptu meet to which I'm obliged to heed :-). I'm aiite, trust me, I don't flinch over my responsibilities; how much more the things that concern me. I could write a dozen page epistle about my first week with the Genii especially considering the first-lady's onboard. In simple terms, challenging in an interesting, exciting and enthusiastic way is the best way to describe my week old experience :-). Never expected less from a smart , confident and matured lady. But, I still have to deal with lady stuffs. You know...mix of gists (gossip's not a good word considering readers would stilll find it hard to buy any argument that I simply try to listen) even if I just want to talk about work :-). Failure to bend translates to being too rigid, boring and unexciting so I try. Besides, who says she'll listen to me if she's tuned off to a gisty channel (mood). Again though, where would the world be without ladies? Appreciate all the women folk.

This keyboard keys are cruel. Nothing like my 15" baby. My flight itself seems to be taking much longer than I'd imagined. Yet, I wonder why cos' I was indeed spent over the course of last night into this morning. From the 30 minute meeting than spanned hours, "thanks to miss Genii :-)" to the funny, unserious talks over in the lounge (playful me!!!) and then, work, work and work (with even much more to go).

[yawn]...Glory to you Lord...quick prayer then it's bingo.

Eureka!

To blog or not to blog? Hmm, it's a dicey one given the characteristic insecurities of the virtual world. So, I just stumbled across this idea and can't wait to bring it to life but right now, sharing with y'all out here in the virtual world is a bit of a concern. For one, I simply could get me to lie to anything besides paper (virtual and physical) so much that if anything in my life can be considered a secret, it only goes as far as a peek into my journals would reveal. Let's just say I knew what temptations I'd be exposing my harmless self to when I signed up to this blog just under 24 hours ago. I'd resisted the urge to get on board for this specific reasons. Now that it's done, I only hope my 4 year old blog sitting on my hard disk doesn't pay the price but I reckon that'll be dealt with by my irregular access to the internet. But then, google's so smart that it ensures I still stay connected from the confines of my third screen. Then there's the temptation to blog about just anything and everything. Well, I'll try to keep the characters of some people protected. Not to worry, I don't kiss and tell - I'm a Believer and Ephesians 5:3-4 means a lot to me.

Anyways, you've probably heard about how much excitement can have one spilling things rather unconsciously only to realize the effect when the damage's all been done.

No idea's original I know. But I also know that there are zillions of brilliant folks out there in the virtual world waiting to prey on ideas for the holy grail, "money, fame and respect".

Anyways, I'm sticking by the old rules that simply says, "Shhh".

Flashing thoughts 10:45 AM

Okay, so, i figure a blog is kinda like a notepad where you just pour out what's running through your mind whenever, however. Unlike my typical scribbling in loose sheets, MS Word..., I have to entitle each one here which can be a little daunting but anyways, I'll go with whatever comes to mind. Right now, I'm 30 minutes into my Adobe Illustrator lessons and my sight's a little hazy hence, this time out. I can feel the strain within as I brace through this ill feeling that started off as a chronic cough. Plus, think I'm done with the medication so I'll just see out the rest by taking a nap. If only I could have a truly smooth nap devoid of these pictures playing out on my mind. It's like a dream that just won't go away, the thoughts and scenes of my prototype. So, I have an almost perfect clarity as to what I want to create. The hard part's putting it all together in skills. Simply put, I have to delve into acquiring the skills needed to bring my idea to life. A brief peek into Adobe Flex and Air revealed just how much I have to study to realize the whole. Do I like the challenge? Sure I do but there's no denying the obvious mix of boredom and strain that could pop up along the way. Coding, scripting or whatever they are suck but its results are enough to make one go through the pain hence, my interest.

On the other hand, one has to wonder why I'm still studying the use of Adobe Illustrator with what lies ahead in  bringing my prototype to life. Funny me but I owe me an obligation to follow after my plans. "Know thyself", the one statement that's been repeated in this ecosystem. See, I've had this tendency to switch from one thing to the other out of interest and midway through the former. Illustrator lessons came to the fore cos' I needed to have my blogs and write-ups go with descriptive graphics. And now, I'm equipped enough to put up simple vector graphics, you'd wonder why I'm still keeping with it. Well, I have a responsibility to myself to  ensure I wrap up the reference text. Besides, it's just an hour long lesson so shouldn't hurt other lessons on my schedule.

Hello World

I didn't have to think thrice about the title given it's been the characteristic opener for every programming lesson. Anyways, I'm live in the virtual serving out my epistle in fiction, non-fiction and what have you. No secrets, no censoring...just my thoughts at the times of writing. Well, this should do for a maiden post before I go on to ram in the backlogs sitting on my hard disk.
Oh...lest I forget, the inspiration for this came from Wil Shipley ( http://blog.wilshipley.com/search/label/code ). I couldn't resist the appeal of his blog so it's goodbye WordPress.