Àsà things...last day of d Great One's Month

9:57 AM, 14th Floor, Nitel Building (NECOM House), Marina
Okay, morning to me and whoever's peeking at this in the bank end. The internet world as we know today to be is one in which our privacy's been sacrificed. Forget what the privacy terms say. Who reads them? I figured a long time ago that since I don't have any hidden plans to terrorise the free world, I may as well not be bothered by all the invasion of privacy from Google and all this big guns running the internet. Well, that's not the agenda for today's piece. Oh, forgot to take note of the time...back to the top and quick return to this.

Yeah, I feel good this morning. Much rested night even without power supply and lotsa heat. Anyways, one of those regular nights with Àsà making occasional appearances in my dreams. It was in form of ideas and so, it was no surprise that I woke up with new ideas as to what nest to work on in respect of what's already in the works. A bit of update over the weekend. The Android version once again went through some tweaks and I now have something of a stable backend sorted out even though I'd had an alternative solution in place. Well, so far so good. I had an idea over the weekend to work on more modules as separate apps for the mobile but then just this morning, I got thinking, "Why add more apps when all we're tryna do is test the market? Rather, I should work on optimizing the one module to fit into as many supporting platforms as possible (Android phones of different densities, sizes; BB Playbook), multiple lingos plus build the social media pages". In fact, probably one of the brightest ideas that crossed my mind over the weekend was the need to build the facebook and twitter pages first as possible alternative to the website. Yeah, I figured with the whole social connection we're tryna build to get maximum feedback and analytics from the users, a facebook and twitter page best suit our need. And so, today I'll be working with Ebrahim to build that supplying graphic assets as best as I can work my skills in photoshop. As a friend mentioned the other day, the product is what makes the brand so logos and all them branded stuvs can always change.

Nuff talking, lemme hit the ground working. Should be back here before the end of the day though...hopefully.

4:30 PM
...and so, I've kept to my words and truly made it back here. Had the facebook and twitter page set up plus custom icons for the app itself. Ebrahim helped out with the social media pages while I did the icon thingy. So,  Àsà officially has its facebook and twitter pages but not without some changes to the url with our initial choices taken already. For facebook, it's www.facebook...(wait! Shouldn't post this in case someone's truly reading this). Hmm...May's the set date so any prying eyes have to wait.
Oh, I also gt words from the ReadItLoud event billed for this Thursday at the US Consulate. Their response, "time and space limited so I'm booked in for next month's event". Not bad if you ask me. June's not too long a time away to network, put myself out there as usual... I'm good.
Having a light headache...arrgh. Should be out of here soon and do so knowing at the back of mind I've achieved my agenda for the day. Ikechukwu's at work at the cchub so makes for a convergent result at the end of the day, God willing. I'm pretty confident all these steps are geared for the greater good. After doing as best as I can with the development, next phase is getting the word out to as many peops on the target platform as possible. Then with considerable numbers in, approach prospective partners for more collabos. The bottomline though woulda been achieved, God willing.
Time to hit the ground floor in time to join the BRT queue to festac.
Good night.

Implementing Disqus

Okay, the title says it all. Just to be explicit for those (Hello, you have just one follower :-). A smart one in Myne Withman...spelt Omy Withman in one of my blogs :-). Correction due soon as I get to do a total edit of my blogs someday) who still do not get it. Anyways, I'm trying to test out the commenting functionality for the 
Àsà platform hence, it's integration to my blog. In other words, this blog here is my lab rat...hehehe. I plan to do same on a site hosted as a sub-domain too but this is where I start from. So, nuff said, back to the experiment.

2:20 PM
Phew (sigh). I'm back here after a few hours of work. What can I say other than that work remains a work in progress. I just feel particularly happy with myself, my level growing confidence and self-believe in the works of my hands. It's easy to get carried away with others seemingly success but in the end, if you're anything like my person, you have to dig deep sometimes to get your confidence in shape. Which leads me to a website I came across recently called http://tinybuddha.com/. Had it on en route here (cchub) just this morning and some of the stories were ones I could relate to.
So, what's cooking? Well, I'm on to prototyping the website for the asa platform. Well, more of trying out the social plugins to go with it. Specifically, Twitter, Facebook and Disqus. Have a good understanding of html and some of this web jargons so hasn't been a problem. Besides, the likes of Zubie have been very helpful. Yeah man, the fam's come in very handy. I must admit how challenging it can be working alone with little or no technical support person as in my case. Solape's pretty much handicapped and the least she can do that'll be very much appreciated at this point is to check in on how work's going. Well, for the foregoing, I haven't heard anything beyond a short response to my sms this past weekend...hmmm. No P though. Iyke's been very supportive. I honestly appreciate his support in the areas of graphics and a bit of brainstorming. Lately, there's been more connection the way I prefer my working relationships go with us getting to know more about the other. Personally, it's good to strike that balance between personal and professional relationships. I guess it's human. With the mobile platform all but ready say in the 80% range, I've had to shift attention to the web platform. Nothing out of the world really as it's just a site to hold the content of the animes and other info. Rather, the aim is the social connection I want to have amongst the different platforms for which Asa's contents will be delivered such that we're able to aggregate useful data/statistics from our users. The select few that have so far seen the prototype for the mobile have expressed their love for it but ironically, a good number of the few have also wondered what else needed to be added thus, in their view, good to go as it is. Good words no doubt but the ultimate verdict is with the street when we do eventually launch out. Some other times, I've gotten so overwhelmed with the whole that I've found me taking a break away from it. In my private moments then, I've managed to dig deep to psyche me up to keep going even if with baby steps. I tell you, it does work. Another factor that's worked is the fragmentation of the project so much that the tiny fragments look more doable adding up to the BIG PICTURE. None else matters at this point, I realize everyday. It's not for anyone to provide validation even though one could do with the encouragement as I've had. Rather, it's getting it out there with my conviction which itself will serve the energy with which to promote it tomorrow. I'm glad I'm winning in my own ways. Winning the best I can by moving beyond just having an idea to implementing it. Ultimately, when it's launched in the public sphere then I'm really there still in my own ways. It can be hard to convince or get the encouraging feedback one seeks from die business savvy peops who see nothing but numbers to any idea. I've learnt though that nothing suffices for just getting on with your thing and hopefully making the numbers count. That way, the validation is proven fact. Anyways, I can only do so much at this point. I'm a Great guy and this here is a Great product.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREAT ONE

Okay, so, I'm serving this raw and unfiltered as is typical of my write-ups. Here we go....
Birthday, birthday and it's Glory to God. Oh, I forgot, it's 8:13 AM right now and PHCN's gladly on my side. Something to do with the Great One's anniversary? Better believe given the world's in a giant conspiracy for my good: inverse paranoia. Anyways, it's not everyday one jumps into the day like this without a detailed plan. Well, not like I don't have a plan. Just haven't put down all the things I want to accomplish today on paper. In my head, I can place my thoughts in a number of tasks bothering on asa (excuse the missing strokes), errands... So, how's that for a birthday? Anything in the offing besides the routine? Lol...yeah, this one's a quiet celebration. At best, I just want to lay back and do the thing s I love. In order words, "play". Hence, I'm going to Keep Playing-Until-Something-Happens (PUSHing). Yeah mehn. Developing asa is nothing but 'playing' if you ask me. I love what I do and in the process the fantasies help keep the dreams of the BIG PICTURE fulfillment alive. So, I'm home today as opposed to going to the hub. Yup. In fact, I'd have checked out to B-town as I'd originally contemplated but then, I'm here seated in front of Granma's desk typing away on my keyboard. There's work (play) to be done. My discussion with Tunji Eleso spelt what's been on my mind lately in form of the enormous opportunities in front of asa. See, I ain't scared men. I'm 29 today with a heart full of praise. My prayer was very brief. Afterall, I'm confident God knows my heart desires so I just expressed gratitude to the most High.
On another note, it's good to be having a normal birthday. Yes, away from the facebook posts and all. Let's even see how many peops remember my birthday outside of facebook. Lol..not like I'm bothered. I honestly just prefer it this way mehn. Anyways, be good to have this power supply for the whole day (wishful thinking perhaps). Asa's very much on my mind. The mobile's been gaining good traction and everyone (few though) I've shown have given good feedback expressing their likeness of it. Well, it's far from completion so I still wanna stretch its capabilities hence, more experimentation follows. Heard my cheque wll be out this week but personally, I just wanna crank up this mobile to an appreciable state in terms of its features at least before Iyke is ready with the graphic assets. Money's not the problem solver for me at this point. Rather, besides paying for say the sound recordings and editing, it serves to ginger the likes of Iyke up for their efforts. I've been mighty impressed with the hommie's commitment, I must admit. Akinlabi's been very busy and I haven't gotten to see what the hommi's come up with so far. Anyways, there's even more work on my part so much that May seems farfetched in terms of ur delivery. My prayer's that Iyke's ready with the assets before the end of April and then, work on my part really begins with rigging, comps, scripting... It's a lot but I can get it all done. The web angle is equally important but it helps to just keep it on the side until the anime itself is ready. It's well mehn. The joy for now is in the making. It just feels good to be working on something that's received some appreciable level of public support. We talked about the publishers yesterday and again, the conclusion was for me to get a great product out there first. Yeah, the verdict will take its course so no shakes. About time I hung my pen (keyboards) and get plan proper for the day.
Happy Birthday Great One. Hmmm...I may be back here later in the day though.

Ruminations: Birthday Eve

Location: cchub

Time: 2:59 pm

Gyptian's hit song featuring Minaj's jamming on my headphones right now. True, music's usually always a distraction whenever I'm doing anything serious but in this case, I'm tryna see how well I can still manage to capture my present thoughts even as I have my ears blocked with music. So, what have I gotten done today? Well, Mr. Tee's task's wrapped up 24 hours after and since reached him with the results. Awaiting his word before I call it a week in the city center. Yep, thinking going back to the countryside tomorrow to commemorate my birthday anniversary and even more, spend time to myself getting a coupla things done. Not been a bad week at all so far. Àsà's not been without its own share of the progress too as the mobile version recorded some good steps in its ongoing development. Can't divulge too much at this point except that I'm happy with the pace of the work. Iyke's working as best as He can too on his part. I think something that also helps is the fact that I do my best to carry the hommie along. Specifically, I regularly present him with how far I've come with the demo.

Really just playing it all cool. If there's any driver at this point then it's the home truth that staying calm despite the fog speaks great of my faith in God. Yeah, I'm not worrying about jack. Jus straight up diligence mehn. Yeah, keeping at what I know how to do best in passion, commitment and belief. There's very little to put down here given the distraction...lol. Yeah, I know for some, music helps to get more done in work. For me, besides when I'm working on Graphic stuvs, music is a distraction. Anyways, I love its feeling right now. Okay, so maybe some typos here and there should give me some concern. But then, this is more an extension of my private offline blog. What's in common? Simple, none but me probably reads this Omy Withman? Oh, my sole follower just there to make up numbers as guess she's following hundreds of naijastories faithfuls. Anyways, I'm maintaining this blog right here like it's for my eyes only. Well, till the world catches up to it, at least. I'm doing this for the love of it, none else. Did I mention my facebook account's in its 2nd week of temporary closure? Yeah, it is and I don't think I miss anything. If anything, I'm up to date with the likes of Kachifo enough to know about the upcoming Creative writing workshop. For me, I just wanna live life off that ecosystem mehn. It's been some light years on the social network but I'm aiite with Twitter presently. Nothing much cos I hardly tweet. But then, it helps to keep me in the loop. So, am I ever gon be back on Facebook? Sure. Even if for nothing, I have to do when Àsà's flagship product is out. Yeah, there can be no letting up on all the avenues for promotion. We gotta tweet, share, post and all to reach out to as many peops as we can. I'm really excited even as we work through the development phase. I mean after the i-yearbook, it's a great feeling to be working on yet another tangible product. Bottomline, feels great to be 'making'. Yeah, now's the time to care about verdict of my intended users. Nah! Rather, time to relish the ride. In due time, the verdict and all consequent translation to clarity in business model amongst other goals of the product will be dealt with. [sigh]...one step at a time mehn. What more can I do? This here is what I'll do again even in my next life if allowed. The missing variable in the whole equation is being sorted out and that's as far as I'll say for now.

Àsà tales; 7 days to Birthday

Location: cchub, Yaba

Time: 12:11 PM

Yeah, yeah, I'm back here again with you-know-what...:-). The title's the give away so you guessed right: it's everything to do with àsà. Just last night, I sat thinking through the whole and was like, "I can't keep going like this doing very little even while waiting on Iyke to turn in the graphic assets for the folk tale". I thought even further, "is that all I hope to make out of the content given me by NICO"? As in, turn up after 3 months and just present a "folk tale". Nah! There was a lot more I could do with the contents specifically in line with my original idea. I just had to go back to where I was a few weeks back. In fact, even farther to the where I was before the name àsà ever came to be. I needed to forget about what exists in competitive products or ideas given what I hope to achieve the whole. Plus, I couldn't make excuses on the basis of my more efficient DELL notebook. I needed to get my mojo back and self-discipline's key to that.

Anyways, nuff of the intro. I have a working plan that I quickly put together early this morning while the world slept. It's a basic 4 week plan to see me put some good stuffs together. And I already commenced so there's no waiting until this or that are in.

So, what have I been up to? Well, I've been making the most of what exists in assets and resources to learn and practice.

Away from àsà, in other developments, I stumbled across a news of interest in form of an upcoming creative workshop by Kachifo. It's a 10 days program that'll involve the likes of Chimamanda Adichie (one person I'd always wanted to meet) and is bound to be very interesting. Anyways, long and short of it is I'm definitely putting in for it and expecting the best. One interesting dimension to the development is that I actually got it via twitter given I'd deactivated my facebook last week Friday. It's a temporary thing but the point I'm tryna make is that it's not an easy decision living outside of major virtual ecosystem as facebook in today's world. It would help if had a good enough network on twitter as I do on facebook but I just haven't ever really gotten the hang of Twitter. In fact, my Twitter account lay dormant for donkey years until a sometime this year. The reality of my temporary Facebook account deactivation is that I don't have as much access to some updates as I normally would. I've been rethinking my decision cos the decision was itself taken to ensure self-control over my itchy fingers. Anyways, stil thinking sha.

Back to work...

WAITING FOR BIG MAN (27 MARCH 2012)

The PA walks past me for the umpteenth time and says, “Well done my brother". My response, "thanks jare". "I'm used to waiting", I added with a smile. "Hmmm, I don't envy you o", she responded.

That remark prompts this write-up as I sit here waiting for my supposed client. And so, I draw my ‘Motorolla’ third screen out of my pocket and start working its keypad. Just in case you're wondering, I'm not a journalist. I play in the interactive multimedia space. Whatever that means, I just know it comes the easiest in describing what I do to people. A bit of explanations could help. See, I have a couple of interests and it's along those lines that I practice my profession. And since Information Technology is too wide a term to describe my job given it can mean anything from a photocopier or typist in a business center to one as eye catching as a network engineer (Telco style; I wish not! :-)). Anyway, enough of the background info. I practice between website development, programming and 2d animation. Before you ask for my portfolio, let's just say I'm a work in progress. As a start-up, I also double as a business developer. Oh, a financial analyst (ok, triple role) too. Oh, and a marketer (quadruple)... Wow, a dozen other roles I juggle amongst just keep popping up in my memory. Hmm, so now, I'm losing count of my roles and even more without the vocabulary to define its multiples.

So, this here is my 3rd hour of waiting. Yesterday had me waiting for 5 hours. And just as I type this on my third screen, I suddenly realize I could write an epistle on the times I've spent waiting since I got this calling to my game 4 years on. Phew...4 years seems ironically long or in some cases, just like yesterday: depends on the context. Nevertheless, it's rich in content with my experience playing a role.

Fiddling with my phone, gisting with fellow waiters, dozing off, chatting up etc. The preceding amongst a dozen things that we do while waiting. Here then, a bit of digression, "how has waiting changed over time"? Specifically, what was it like to wait hours in a reception before the advent of mobile devices in good old Naija? My best recollection is having to flip through newspapers or magazines where available. Oddly enough, some guests coming from the zanga (ghetto) have been known to avail themselves of rest rooms which offered more convenience than what they have at home. There've been many like this to kill time.

Anyways, back to the koko. When it's finally time to see big man, he barely spends micro fraction of what's been spent waiting. Okay, I'll do the mathematics. After all, I'm in that state again where I'm trying to kill time. So, here we go. Just to put this in context, I'll use a personal experience that's formed the theme or inspiration for some write-ups in the past.

Total time spent waiting: 11 hours. Wasn't at a go oooo. Nah! 5 hours on day 1 n 6 on day 2. The days ran consecutively though. And guess how much time oga had for me wen I was finally ushered in? 5 minutes! And believe me, that's a conservative figure! Or to be fair, maybe the horror (rumination exp of naijapreneur link*) that played out just happened too fast. Anyways, 5 minutes it was. So to d maths, "what's 5mins of 11 hours"? First, let's convert the units to seconds for uniformity. 60 seconds equals 1 minute thus 5 minutes equals 300 seconds. And 11 hours...if 60 seconds equals 1 minute and 60 mins equals an hour then 3600 seconds makes an hour. 11 hours is then 39,600secs. So finally, 300 seconds of 39600 seconds is...0.75 percent! Another way to interprete the comparison is to see my waiting time in the tens of thousands compared to the time afforded me in the hundreds! Yes o!

So, now it is clearly understandable why many settle for a more convenient call as captured by the PA's remark.

So ri (you see), emi ti gba calmu (I’ve accepted my fate). This is not one of those choices driven by conditions. Rather, a personal and conscious one that's never been a regret. Some things come with the territory that are jus simply beyond your control. And when they do come as irregular as they do, I live with them. Yeah, I'm forever mentally braced up for them. Why? Cos, it's the warp zones that come between the next pay-cheque as I have come to realize. Yeah! So, when I left home this morning, it was without doubt that I had my mind prepped up for the worse and the best. Worse being hours I'd have to spend waiting and best being, a successful outcome: green light, we have a deal, we're in business.

Want to know how I prep my mind? Well, it's as easy as keeping a positive mindset. Yeah! I mean, I don't recall ever going for a meeting with a prospective client to sell a product or service in a negative frame of mind. Nah! Rather, I usually am taking on role plays days or hours before as to how successful it'll play out. So, in a play that only has me playing multiple roles (Eddy Murphy style), I speak for me n for them. Yeah, my bias translates to positive responses from the client character: before nko!

Specifically, in my present situation, I have my mind on tonight's UEFA Champions League game. Yeah, a done deal is what I see so mind's on the after: relaxation. Yeah, swig of beer, grilled fish in front of a large screen with fans alike around under the open air. What's perhaps even ironic is that any deal or signed agreement doesn't automatically translate to remuneration even after much efforts and resources. Sorry if the game of entrepreneurship sounds a bit discouraging. It just is the truth. And in some cases, maybe partial remuneration. Full remuneration too :-). Hmm but come to think of it, it's a rarity a situation where one's paid in full. You have to squeeze out money for the PA and co. Well, that's if their entitlements (unspoken truth) isn't deducted already leaving you with the change. See mehn, I don't know if it’s peculiar to me but all of this dramas r what make for my fun too. Sometimes when I steal out time to relax, I think through situations like this dramas or perhaps when reading thru my old journals where I blog about this, I can't help the smiles.

But then, you just celebrate every phase. At least I do. I celebrate from the seeds to the harvest knowing everyone of them represent the ultimate reason I signed up for this: self-fulfillment. Yeah, this choice is the only one that has me expressing myself in diverse manners.

And what kind of person is that figure behind the thick iron doors separated from my by PAs? Well, it turns out he has a human face. There are different manners of big men. Some with human feelings I have encountered who offer apologies or explanations for keeping you waiting. Some perhaps too consumed with their own issues say nothing. In their mind’s eyes, they are even doing you a favour. In fairness, the latter probably never knew you'd been in waiting. But just to add. Which matters? The oga with human feeling who for all his niceties still doesn’t patronize you or the oga who despite his seeming lack of human feeling patronizes you? Just a thought. As in my recent experience where Mr Nice oga after much waiting, 3 demos translating to money, time and creative efforts still offered more nice talks and no deal. Jus something to ponder on. And to cap this up, there r indeed those who r both considerate and give deals.

Oh, lest I forget, big man's that individual that's independent of class, status or position. He is the customer.

Curious to know how this ended? Sorry, I'm still waiting...PA's yet to usher me in.

Àsà tales; Good Friday Eve 05 Apr

Location: CCHub

11:20 AM

To say that I'm not bored right now is an understatement. To tell the truth, I'm fiddling with this post out of boredom. Yeah, bored from staring continuously at this laptop screen. Ain't easy man! It's all a part of what I now know as the 'small things' I need to do towards arriving at the 'BIG PICTURE'. Good to see the practical effect of John Maxwell's 'Thinking for a change' which I'm still reading (I even built an Android app out of it to keep some key excerptz in front of moi :-)).

So, question is, 'what are these small things that have had me staring at the screen for tens of minutes to the point of boredom'? It's all to do with àsà o! Yes o! I have the product on my mind like every time. Personally, my way of keeping it on my radar even as I try to sort through satisfying my immediate needs. The latter's in the form of Intentio's callings. Anyways, as long as I don't lose sight of àsà then I'm good.

Ordinarily, I would be writing this in my personal journal but guess what, there is something particularly interesting about posting this live. It's a bit inexplicable but I'll try anyways. See, I have a firm conviction in what àsà represents so much that I can already see the product in its physical state. Yeah man, I have this sketch (lemme send from my phone to this PC and have it here...just a minute). So now, it's up here for me to view online too beyond sitting on my third-screen Android as a wallpaper. There's just this unspoken confidence, inspiration and motivation that comes with having the picture before me. I don't know how best to explain it but let's just say it helps to keep me going. Of course, the ultimate verdict lies with the street (public) specifically in terms of its acceptance for sustainability amongst others. For now though, there are some critical things that àsà seeks to solve amongst which are clarity in terms of a business model which itself ties with the product's acceptability, refinement in terms of the product itself going forward... I could go on but I have to get back to the reviewing my lessons for àsà's mock-up. Yeah, it's a progressive developmental strategy towards getting out this Minimum Viable Product itself. For now, lessons then a mock-up. Just have to keep at it cos it's the day's main event and if I get bored again then I'm back to appending to this piece. Soon as I'm done with the lessons, I may then consider good ol' naijastories for a piece I have waiting. K.

12:36 PM

K...another break after 5 straight video lessons. Boredom again? No! Rather, hunger. Yeah, time to hit the all too popular "White House" here in sabo. This system can only do so much in terms of work without food. Sodiq, the handy chap in-house seems pretty busy to help out so have to make my way don there. Hopefully, should be back stronger. On second thought, I'll do say 5 more video lessons before breaking for grubs.

3:23 PM

K...back again after grubs, a quick nap plus few lessons. Time to practicalize what's been learnt so far. I'll have some jamz playing to block out the distractions around. So, here's giving it a go... Think I might even convert the finished work to video and upload here (hmmm....interesting)