Life of a Celebrity
One question I have often asked myself whenever I think about what the future may hold for me is the possibility of becoming a celebrity. believe me when I tell you, I have for the longest time dreaded being a celebrity, and even now, I still dread it. It is almost impossible for at least one celebrity to not trend on social media every day sometimes for something good, other times for something not so good.
I always wonder how and or who usually break out the news, even when it comes to something intimate like their married life or family. Well, surely, it has to be someone close to them and the problem with celebrity news is that they travel faster, basically, the rate at which a news spreads and how wide it spreads is proportionate to how famous they person in question is; (was tempted to add a mathematical equation at the end of that).
I was recently having a conversation with my sisters when they suggested I auditioned for a reality TV show which will turn me into a *'celebrity'* if it was successful. I had thought about it for a moment and told them I wasn't sure if I was made for the celebrity life that comes after that considering I don't like my business to be out there, neither do I feel I should be compelled to think about how my actions can affect my public image, not to mention the fact that I can't just move about as I see fit, I have to go to certain places at certain times, also, with an entourage and all the paparazzi.
Surely, there are perks with being a celebrity, and you could easily get endorsement deals and certain opportunities will be open to you because of your social stance and the crowd you can influence with your public image. So, you are likely to be rich because there is money to be made from these opportunities. I suppose in the give and take world we live in, nothing goes for nothing, thus, with all the pleasure comes the discomfort, how ironic if you ask me.
Well, I would be exaggerating if I said celebrities have no privacy at all because there are those who have deliberately made the effort to keep their private life off the internet and away from the general public, they only let people know or see what they want them to and keep other stuffs private too. I suppose to a great extent, it depends on the person.
Another problem with being famous is that people will have a perception of you and inadvertently an opinion of you or your actions. People expect you to always be the bigger person. Well, that would be good if their expectations doesn't also encumbers you not being emotional: *"you are not supposed to feel this way or that way"; "you are supposed to feel like this or like that"*. Some even take it a step further by dictating how you should live your life: "you should do this and not that"; "you should do it like this and not like that".
Surely, all the perks of being a celebrity lifestyle will be good to have, except for the encumbrances that comes with it are desirable and if the life does come, it will be up to me to make the effort not to put my private life out there. Well, perhaps, I might consider becoming a reality TV star in the future, but for now, let me focus on what is at hand, one step at a time. To my readers:
WOULD YOU WANT TO BE FAMOUS?
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Talent and Hard Work
As a teenager and also as a young adult I have had to ask myself: **WHAT IS MY TALENT?** In fact, for as long as I can remember, this has been something I have been asking myself. I know I am not a good singer, neither am I a good dancer or a good painter. I have always found solace in the fact that not everyone will be good at these things, and even though I haven’t found the answers to the question I have been asking myself for the longest time, my mindset has been configured a certain way.
If there is something I know, it is trusting my instinct, I also know that I am a fast learner and I am constantly thinking of new ways to do old things.
Some of you are familiar with the **10,000 hours rule** which simply says that:
*If you practice something for a combined 10,000 hours, you become perfect at it.*
10,000 hours is no small time, it is approximately one year, fifty-one days and sixteen hours. Can you imagine practicing something for 10,000 hours straight? Of course, a general rule of thumb is that these kind of rules doesn’t apply to everyone.
Just the other day, I was listening to someone on TV talk about how he believes hard work will always trump talent. While others may believe in something different, I spent some time really thinking about what I believe. Do I believe in talent or hard work?
In the first paragraph, I had mentioned in that I had been asking myself what it is my talent is, but I have not gotten an answer yet. Truth is, I believe in putting in the work to achieve anything, if I want to be a good dancer, I’ll practice dancing, if I want to be a good guitarist, I'll practice how to play. I believe one can do anything they want to, you can be anything you want to as long as you put your mind to it, you just need to put in the work, be dedicated and be consistent.
This is by no means an attempt to downplay talent, I believe there are certain things or something that comes natural to people, you are just by nature good at it even if you’ve never done it before or practice. But, you would agree with me that to nurture talent, you still have to work on it, polish the edges so it becomes smooth, because what is talent if you don’t nurture it? Wasted perhaps?
Talent gives you an edge over others, with talent, you may not need to practice for that long to be perfect unlike the untalented. Also, there is something, call it a smooth flair if you will about watching the result of talent and hard work, watching a talented person who has put in work to develop their talent can be aesthetically refreshing.
I believe hard work and dedication will always beat undeveloped talent, the talented is likely to feel relaxed because they believe they already have the talent, the hard worker knows what they want and also what it will take to get what they want, be where they want to be, so, do not fret if you don’t have the natural talent, you can do it if you believe and put in all you have you can chase perfection, and if you don’t catch it, at least you’ll catch excellence. Never give up! Whether it is by talent or by hard work, same doors of opportunities will open.
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What is Success to You?
In life, while some people were born with different sort of precious spoons — silver, diamond, gold — not in the literal sense of course, what that simply means is that some people were born into wealth; born lucky some might say. Others on the other hand are not so fortunate, in fact, they may say that they are lucky to be born. But, no matter, being successful is much more than luck, sometimes, sheer hard work and consistency can get the job done. By no means am I under playing the power of luck too.
I remember sometime ago, I went to the ATM to make a withdrawal, I met an older man there, but since there were two machines, I decided to use one while he used the other. Halfway through, there was a network glitch and our debit cards ejected automatically from the machine. We looked at each other as though we could see how thoughts and recognised that it was the same. Generally, when things like this happen, we are usually skeptical about putting the card back in even if the card slot is blinking green.
I asked the guy if he wanted to try again, but he said he doesn’t want to lose his card since the machine is acting up. I decided to take a risk and — if you must say — try my luck. Lo and behold, I withdrew the amount I wanted to and left. While walking home, I couldn’t help but think about the situation that played out back at the ATM booth. I thought to myself:
*How many times have people been skeptical about taking a risk and just trying their luck only for someone else to try theirs and be successful?*
*Is look specific to an individual or is it non-specific, just there for the taking, for whomever is willing to try at that moment?*
*What if there was no luck involved, and it was just a matter of first come, first serve. In this case, first try, first get?*
*Did the man have any regret about not trying when I asked him? If I was in his shoes, what would I make of it?*
There are many ways you can look at the events that transpired, but perhaps I was just bored and was looking for something to think about and said: “why not my luck back there?”
Success is more than taking the first step, it is also the second step and the many steps you take after that first step, after that first push. It is **CONSISTENCY**.
Success is much more than being lucky when you try, it is about knowing when to try and when to not try. It is **DISCERNMENT**.
Success is much more than sweating off every liquid in your body and even giving your blood to the cause, it is about **TIMING**.
Surely, different people have different ways with which they describe or measure success, so I ask you dear readers: **WHAT IS SUCCESS TO YOU?**
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Thanks to @Mictorrani for the sponsorship renewal, really appreciate your unwavering support.
The Last Two Months
About two months ago, I went on what you can call an '*introspective journey*', I suppose it was much needed at the time, because days were starting to feel longer and nights shorter. To be precise, the last time I published an article was just over two months ago (August 2nd). In the last two months, I have had to live a life I recently termed *The Life of a Jellyfish*. (*Image below for reference*)
The differences are the fact that, unlike a jellyfish, I am more complex and with a Central Nervous System, thus, I have been doing a lot of thinking while engaging in other activities too. It is worthy to note that I have watched more TV in the last two months than I did in the first seven months of the year combined. You may wonder what it is that have kept me hooked, like a *Remora* to a shark, it has been: **Football** - major league across the globe started in August; **Documentaries** - which I love watching because I ALWAYS learn a thing or two while at it; and **A reality TV show** - which is unusual, but has proven to be quite beneficial to my social skills and has helped me learn and unlearn things as a person.
A major part of the last two months had focused mainly on my social life. In retrospect, I was good at chatting with people on the internet up until I gained admission into the university. Of course, there had been a change in environment as well as my daily activities and it is no news that schools are meant to improve your social skills too while compelling you to engage in physical interactions. The preceding years before the start of my university life was one without much *physical socialising*, I suppose I compensated for it by being a social butterfly on the internet. The life of a university student is quite different, social relations is a key part of the system and you have indulge in it whether or not you like it.
I mentioned in one of my previous articles that the person I am when in school is different from who I am when I am at home with my family. That is not to say that I am two completely different persons, but the major difference is in my social life (not like I have the best social life when in school). I am more reserved when at home and really say less than I do when with my peers in school. I have had time to evaluate my relationship with those I considered friends - individually and collectively - thought about ways I can improve and further strengthen the bond between us.
In addition to socialising with friends and people in general, another sinking ship that needs salvaging is my relationship with members of my extended family. Recently, I attended my cousin's wedding and it was somewhat a strange experience for me, one of such reasons it was so was because I wasn't familiar with most of my relations who were present, and worse is that I wasn't familiar with my cousin too (the groom). But, I did get the chance to bond with the groom's twin brother. I was so busy helping him attend to the guests that I didn't even have the time to introduce myself to the groom (the reason I was present). Even worse is me not reaching out to them a month after I had collected their phone numbers.
The last 8 weeks or so has been somewhat like a calisthenic exercise for my mind. That is to say, the introspection has been mainly to strengthen areas of my social life by analysing my personal experience and I am keeping my fingers crossed about it. I will definitely say that I am back to being active here. I have missed you guys a lot. Going through my notifications, I saw names of some of my favourite writers, let it be known that your favourite reader is back too, LoL. As always, I will keep an open mind and look forward to reading all your beautiful stories and also learning from your shared thoughts and experience.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Special appreciation for my sponsor @Pinkchic I appreciate the gesture kind ma'am 💚💚
Little Things We Overlook That Can Make a Huge Difference.
At some point, I am sure most (if not all) of have wondered what is the secret of successful people is, what is the that extra thing they do that makes them different from most people? I remember when I read the book Outliers by Malcom Gladwell for the first time and it was really an eye opener for me. It is a book I strongly recommend for everyone.
Today, I will be writing about little things people do that can make a big difference in their daily life, and ultimately their entire life. I am not saying that I will be talking the secrets of successful people, but they are things that I have observed to make a big difference in my daily activities.
1) Waking up early
Personally, I like waking up early, asides from the fact that I am an early bird especially when it is a school night, I like waking up early because I noticed that when ever I do, the calm and quiet of the morning helps me gather my thoughts and gives room to plan my day. As a student, I also noticed that I assimilate better and when I read early in the morning after a good sleep, and I also have enough time to make myself a proper breakfast before leaving the house. Most times, we wake up quite late and while hurrying to leave the house, we may nit have the time to fix a breakfast or maybe even leave something important behind. Another benefit of waking up early is that our body adapts to our body clock, and if we have gotten used to waking up at a particular time, even on nights that we wake up late because of one reason or the other, we'd still wake up at that particular time that our body is used to.
2) Planning Your Day
Planning is an important habit, it helps you work within a template that you have set for yourself. I am a big fan of organising and scheduling things at specific time and even though it is sometimes difficult to stick to the mapped out schedule, it is a sign of discipline doing so. Planning prepares you and help you achieve your goals within a specified period. It also helps increase productivity as you go about your day.
3) Morning Exercise
As ordinary as this may sound, it is one of the *'ordinary'* things that can help you improve your overall health. Exercising in the morning doesn't have to be something heavy, neither do you have to leave your house, there are home workouts you can do in your house, and are also as effective. According to an article I saw online, regular exercise can: https://hbr.org/2014/10/regular-exercise-is-part-of-your-job
Improved concentration
Sharper memory
Faster learning
Prolonged mental stamina
Enhanced creativity
Lower stress
After reading the aforementioned, you can see how important regular exercise is, and how these benefits can help you on your day-to-day activities. I can attest to these benefits because I have observed them on days that I start my day by exercising.
4) Good Breakfast
You cannot overstate the importance of a good meal, and I say this because I am someone who skip breakfast on most days especially when going to class. I have personally observed that it is easier for me to focus and concentrate in class when I had breakfast before leaving the house in the morning. On days I didn't have breakfast, the thought of food pops in and out of my head time and again while trying to focus in class.
In conclusion, I have said that this is by no means a secret to success, but these habits can make a huge difference if we start doing or practicing them more often. Maybe they are all we need to unlocking the success we are chasing, how about we try it out and see what happens?
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
What ifs, Buts and Maybes
As humans, life will come at you in different ways. Some are believed to be lucky while others are believed to be unlucky. The problem with this is that the unlucky, clouded by sentiments and the struggles they have had to overcome think life is unfair. But I ask, isn't the fact that life is unfair the very reason it is fair?
It wouldn't be farfetched if I said many of us have been in situations where we ask ourselves ***"WHAT IF...?"*** We question everything and the circumstances we are in. As a child, I would always look at my peers who had the things I couldn't have and ask myself "what if I was them?" now, as an adult, I look at those who don't have what I have and ask "what if I was them?" it is funny how time would change your view of things and even though you're asking the same question (What if...?), you are asking the question in different directions. A simple *'what if'* can open your mind to different perspectives, and views.
They say ***BUTs*** are are mostly never good and anything that comes before the word is b*ll¢rap. I say it depends on what comes after it. Sometimes, *BUTs* comes after a *what if*, other times they serve as a reminder that we have other ideas or options, or even factors to consider before making a big decision. We ask ***BUT*** when we are not sure, when we are confused about what is and what isn't. We say ***BUT*** to to give hope, or to shatter hopes. ***BUTs*** provide clarity sometimes or brings doubts to cloud our thinking.
***MAYBE*** I am wrong about all I have said so far, maybe you see the truth in my words or maybe all those words left you confused. You are probably wondering what I am on about or what must have led me to write about this today. Maybe I choose to go out of my usual and go with the unusual. Forgive me if I bore you, maybe I don't need your forgiveness after all, and I should be unapologetic about what I am writing because it is from my heart, free writing if you will.
Maybe you don't need all the ***What ifs, buts, maybes***, but instead just do you and you alone. Maybe you shouldn't second guess, neither should you doubt yourself, your choices and the card life have dealt you.
***
Permit the forest part of this article, it was all written straight from the heart, unfiltered. Just last week, I was filled with doubts about what the future holds and all the ways everything could go wrong. I over think these things every now and then, and other times I just leave things to unfold before my eyes.
I have caught myself thinking about what if important and what isn't and reevaluating choices I have made and have served me. Perhaps, things would have take a different turn if I had done this at some point, or that at some point. Whatever it is, whatever could have been, it doesn't matter, choices have already been made and nothing much could be done to change that.
I can only promise to do better in the future, and do the best I can to ensure that choices I make henceforth are best. Also, if I do have to make a choice between this and that, I will chose to do what is right irrespective of the consequences.
Thanks for reading my rant, I assure you that it isn't always the case, I also want to let you know that I cannot promise it will be the last time you read something like this from me.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
A Little More About me
I had thought of writing this article yesterday, but laziness wouldn't let me, so I hoped I didn't forget what it is I wanted to write. Besides, I was otherwise engaged with some other activities.
Yesterday, while my cousin and I were in the parlour watching a concert on TV, she said :
*"I can't wait to be an adult, so I can have freedom to do what ever I want, and have lots of fun. I will also go out a lot. I wonder why you don't go out. Always indoors, isn't it boring for you?"*
I could not help but think about it for a while with a half-laugh on my face. In my head, I was thinking that it is funny how kids can't wait to be adults and how adults wish they could be kids again.
I replied:
*What you may consider as fun is not what someone else may consider as fun. There is more to being an adult than having fun. Also, I am not keen on parties and don't like being among crowds. As you are aware, I don't like loud music and I don't have to leave my house to have fun. I can do that from the comfort of my house with my phone.*
Personally, I don't like to think of myself as an introvert, even though all signs point that I am. I like to think I am someone who enjoys his own company and can also socialise with people when I want to.
My cousin had observed that I am always cooked up inside the house and there are days that I practically only go out of the house to take out crash because the bin is outside the house. That is how cooked up in the house I usually am most times.
I know I quoted saying that I don't like crowds, let me explain what I meant, I was born and grew up in Lagos State, which is arguably the most populated state in the country and also the smallest by land mass, that makes it have the highest population density. As a teenager, I went to the market with my mom a lot, and those who are familiar with major markets in Lagos State will know how crowdy it can be. Being in this crowd makes exposes you to a lot of body contacts and whatnot, because of the close proximity you often are in with people. Also, the fact that everyone seems to always be in a hurry doesn't make things easier.
I am particularly concerned when it comes to what I expose myself to, there are a lot of germs, diseases and infections that can be transmitted when we are in public, and that is particularly why I don't like being in crowded spaces. Thus, one of the reasons why I don't like parties, concerts, clubs etcetera. Another reason I don't like parties is the loud music. @Kushyzee can attest to this 🤣🤣🤣. Loud sounds makes me really uncomfortable. So, when you couple all this together, you can understand why going out is not my lifestyle.
Well, that is not to say that there aren't things I do for fun, I play chess, read books, read random stuffs from the internet, I listen to music too, watch TV shows or TV series I enjoy, move my body sometimes and convince myself it is dancing and last but not least, I play and watch lots of football. I am not the most social person, but I try to be social when I want to be. I guess the question now is: how often do I want to be?
I very much respect the fact that what I do not like, some other people like it, and what I may like, some other person may not like it. It is this individual differences that makes us unique and somehow, maintains a balance. For instance, lions prefer to eat only deer, how do you think that would pan out for the population of both species?
I have learnt to appreciate and respect these differences, as well as accept them and I think it is something that has been a result of what I would call an introspective journey for me in the past few months. I hope I didn't bore you with my personal tales and shenanigans?
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
I want to use this opportunity to thank @Talecharm for the sponsorship renewal, I really appreciate it, you have only just returned and have already started supporting members of the community, you are such a beautiful person.
If I Was A Girl part 2
This is the continuation of my last article, you can read it using the link below:
https://read.cash/@Aimure/if-i-was-a-girl-part-1-ae5505e8
Without further, delay...
Will be Independent
Well, I particularly have a soft spot for females who strive to be independent. There is a social construct that men should be the one to provide for the family, and while it is something many people do not ascribe to, it is still a common 'culture' of the society. I am usually perplexed when girls who don't have money say they can only be in a relationship with guys who have money. Usually, when girls say that to me, I usually ask them if they have money? And if they say YES, I ask them why they need a man's money. If they answer NO, I ask them why they don't work for their money instead of depending on a man's money. The general question is: isn't that selling yourself to the man?
I had started striving to be independent at quite a young age. This had nothing to do with my gender per se, but on the kind of person I am. If there is something I really do not like doing, it is asking people especially for money. I genuinely usually feel bad when I do so, because I believe me asking them for money is an inconvenience to them financially. That is by the way.
In my society, I have heard guys describe girls as '*leeches*' simply because they are materialistic. Sadly, in this case, since the male is the provider of these materials, he has the right to brand the girl he is providing for whatever. I heard a conversation between two people on TV recently about how everything is transactional. Of course, one can use the transactional microscope to view the world and there would be some truth to it. After all, it is a give and take world we live in, you take in oxygen and give out carbondioxide, you give your time and energy, and earn a salary, and so on and so forth. In this particular discussion, they were talking particularly about relationships though. In the example cited above about a relationship between a guy and his materialistic girlfriend whom he provides for, surely there is something she offers him in return for all the materialistic things he provides. Well, this is not the topic for today, so let me not digress.
I personally will not depend on any man for my financial needs if I was a girl, I will strive and work to be independent, work for my own money so I can provide for my own needs. Although, there is generally a notion that ladies who are rich are usually egotistical. I think this narrative is borne of the fact that because independent women don't need men for their money, there are a lot of things they can't tolerate. It is not uncommon to see some girls stuck in an abusive relationship because their partner provides for all their needs. It is sad, but it is true, and common in my society.
Will be Assertive When it Comes to Guys I Like
Hehehe. I had to laugh because this actually a topic I have discussed with many people of the opposite gender, and only less than a handful of girls say their are straightforward when they like a guy. What I mean is that when they really like a guy, they let him know that they like him, irrespective of what the outcome is.
Most girls are not assertive in that regard, especially when they feel the guy doesn't like them as much as they like him. There is a general female consensus that if a girl walks up to a guy to confess how she feels about him, the guy doesn't respect her or take her seriously. Well, I don't know about other guys, but if a girl walks up to me to express herself, my respect for her quadruples, because even though it should be a norm, it takes a lot of courage for a girl to do that. A lot of girls are of the opinion that it should be the guy's job to do the '*chasing/courting*' well, I suppose that is another social construct, or maybe it is just natural order of things.
If I was a girl, if I like a guy, I would let him know how I feel about him, that can also serve as a litmus test for me too, as his reaction towards my confession would give me an insight on the kind of person he is, and whether or not he is worth the troubles. LoL.
In conclusion, I am a huge fan of women who know they are above social gender constructs and live their lives to the fullest, and are unapologetic about it too.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
If I Was A Girl Part 1
I have been away for a while now, just over two weeks, if I am not mistaken. Although, I have been popping here on and off just checking to be sure that the platform is still functional hehe and also interacting with some posts, I was on some sort of break from the screen, so I can finally have the time to focus on writing my report for my Field Practical Training that ended in March. Well, I am ashamed to say that procrastination has gotten the best of me. I must confess that I missed you lot, and I am happy to be back here again. Though, I have been feeling unwell for some days now, but I am not exactly sure how serious it is until I go a checkup.
I have often caught myself thinking about what would have been different if I had been a girl. Well, of course, one's gender plays an important role in the kind of personality one has. As much as there may be contrasting opinions on the matter, I believe I am merely sharing my opinion on the matter. I was have often hear girls ask what guys find exciting about football, since it is just a sport where they chase a ball around all sweaty like their life depends on it. In the same sense, I think some things most girls I know find interesting is not worth the fuss.
Even though there are guys who don't like football, as there are girls who are not fond of heels and whatnot. Our gender has: conditioned us a certain way; our parents raising us a certain way; and society having certain expectations of us. Well, we don't have much of a choice when it comes to choosing our gender, on second thoughts, it is better to say we don't choose our **biological gender**, for the fluidity's sake. LoL. But that doesn't stop me fro asking myself questions like: what kind of person would I be if I was a girl? Would I love football as much as I do now? Would I be any different than I am now in terms of my personality? Well, I can't answer that for sure as it can only be hypothetical. But, I do know that:
Will Not Succumb to Society's Role
unfortunately for us, society or should I say nature (not sure which) has paved two roads for us as humans, the path we take of these two roads largely depends on our gender. That is not to say that there are not those who create their own path. In the society, there are certain expectations of women. Well, I cannot categorically speak for any society I am not a part of or have not been a part of. So, what I write about is based on MY SOCIETY and not the world at large.
To start with, I will make an example using an event as a case study, if there was an event, which both males and females will be in attendant, most of the female attending will have a makeover, but you would agree with me that most of the male won't. If there was a female in attendance who is not wearing a make up, she will be like the odd one out in the bunch. This is the example I can use to paint a picture with two views. 1. That wearing make up is a female thing and not a male thing. 2. If a woman was to go against wearing a make up to an event, she has gone against societal norm.
Other things are marriage, and a woman's role in it too. I think I have written a lot about marriage in my time here, so I will only just mention it and not exactly elaborate it. But, I guess my point is that society has a certain expectations of the female gender and if I was a female, I wouldn't live my life how society wants me to live it.
*TO BE CONTINUED...*
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I want to use this opportunity to thank everyone who renewed their sponsorship even in my absence @Mictorrani @Ellawrites @Theblackdoll @Tomi-Ajax I really appreciate your unending support. Thanks so much.
Feathers and Hood
Hello beautiful people, it has been days since I last published an article. Asides the fact I was taking some time off to rest, I was enjoying the Eid celebrations. Oh well, one of the activities I was involved in had given rise to this article. On Friday evening, a family friend (who is a Muslim) had brought two Cocks 🐓 (roosters). We couldn’t kill them on Saturday because it was a busy day for us and we barely had time to do all the work involved, so we stuck to what would be easier to cook.
My cousin mentioned to me that she was scared of them and I teased her if she’d be scared if they were in a pot of stew. She laughed and said “of course not”. It was later in the evening I learnt that I would be the one to kill, remove the feather and also cut the chicken into pieces. Well, I was one of two people in the house who could do that. I was surprised when my cousin who is in the same age bracket as me said she doesn’t now how to remove the feather.
Growing up, killing and removing of feathers from chickens is a common tradition in almost every household especially during festive seasons. I remember a time my dad had told me he bought four chickens for 2000 naira ($4) each. Now, they sell for about 8000naira (about $16). How time had changed. As a child, I always knew all what had to be done when it comes to the aforementioned tradition, but I never really took part in it until I was much older. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of times I have killed a chicken myself. Killing a chicken wasn’t really the problem, the real problem was removing all the feather after. For one, I have seeing residual feathers or shaft when eating a chicken. It really makes me lose my appetite.
So, whenever I am tasked with removing the feathers, I take my time to be as thorough as I can be. Thus, I can be at it for hours. Picking the feathers carefully and ensuring the skin is intact too. Also, butchering the chicken is usually done carefully so that the bile duct isn’t punctured. It is believed if the bile duct is punctured, it can spoil the entire meat, making it taste bitter. Well, I don’t know about that, because I have never experienced such.
Doing the work made me reminisce about my childhood, all the fun I used to have as a kid. It is strange really, how age and time can conform preferences. As a child, u watched a lot of cartoons, and when I am not doing that, I am out playing with other kids in the neighbourhood. I played a lot of street football, as well as video games too. Little or no worries, except about what you want to eat or which uncle or aunty will give you money. Now, as an adult, I still play football, but not exactly with people in the neighbourhood as I used to as a kid.
As I removed each feather from the chicken for the first time in over ten years, I thought about the responsibilities that comes with adulthood and how we often romanticise about being a child again. Perhaps if we stopped and embrace adulthood and all of its beauty too, maybe, just maybe we will enjoy it more than we did our childhood. On another hand, there are those who had a traumatic childhood, and only had the opportunity to overcome that trauma now that they are adults. Adulthood has a lot of its advantages too, and maybe I will write about that subsequently in another article. Until then, live your lives to the fullest and be happy. Childhood is in the past, and we can only cherish the memories it gave us.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
A wardrobe of many colours
Today has been one of my lazy days. This has mostly been because of the weather. It has been cold, just how I like it, and it is because it rained all day. I was indoors and because the condition was perfect, all I did was basically catch up with one of the series I have been following. Also, spent some of the day sleeping and reading a book.
I was going through my gallery and saw some prompt photos I had downloaded before and I thought: why not answer one? I honestly don’t remember whose article I downloaded it from, so I can’t mention anyone so my apologies for not giving credit to whom credit is due. Without further delay, let’s get on with it, shall we?
WHAT ANIMAL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE MOST LIKE?
The thought of this question is overwhelming, seeing as many animals are coming to my mind, all the documentaries I had seen of different animals comes flashing in my head, but I am stuck on the Eagle 🦅. Aside the fact that they are majestic in the sky, I am particularly thinking about their attention to details and precision when they hunt. Hardly miss their target because of how meticulous they are. I am somewhat like that, meticulous as I am careful and pay attention to details. Somewhat a perfectionist, but even I know perfection is an illusion and in chasing perfection, I will catch excellence. After all, whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. https://read.cash/@Aimure/chase-perfection-catch-excellence-f442b29a
**WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE FRUITS?**
Hehe. The counter question would be what are my least favourite fruits, but I can’t think of any. But there are certain fruits I’d always prefer to other fruits though. The first has to be grapes 🍇. I eat them in a strange way; first, I put them in my mouth and carefully feel it inside my mouth before bursting it and savouring the taste, almost as though it is melting in my mouth. I never put two at a time, just one after the other. I know I am not the only one who does that right? 😅. The other fruit will be banana and apple, I love those too.
**WHAT COLOUR IS MOST OF YOUR WARDROBE?**
I laughed reading this 🤣. Not sure what colour is most because it seems I have many colours, so it is a colourful wardrobe. But I can say that the most dominant colour is white, because I have more white shirts than any other colour because I really like wearing white shirts.
**FAVOURITE FICTIONAL CHARACTER?**
Whoosh, this is a tough one. As I have many fictional characters I like from TV series, sitcoms, and animes I have seen. But if I had to pick one as my favourite, I will choose Phoebe Buffay from the sitcom FRIENDS. Popular as the series was, I watched it in 2020 thanks to the plenty time lockdown gave me. The character was Phoebe was played by Lisa Kudrow and I have chosen her as my favourite character even though some might CL her the odd one in of the group. The character was comfortable being different and took no shame in it. That is why I have chosen her, as she taught me how to be comfortable being who I am, even though other people think I am different.
**DO YOU TAKE A LOT OF NAPS?**
Hehehe. Guilty as charged. I do take a lot of naps, but in my defense, it depends on whether or not I have a lot of time on my hand. When school is in session, I hardly have the time for naps. But when I am home, with so much time on my hand, I tend to nap a lot during the day and that is probably because my sleep routine is usually different and I take short naps at intervals instead of long sleep at a stretch.
**HOW TALL ARE YOU?**
I am about 1.8m (180cm) tall and that is around 5”11’. Unlucky that I am just about 3cm short of 6ft 🤣🤣. But hey, I am taller than the average man, so that is some consolation eh?
DO YOU HAVE ANY KINKS?
Not sure I can answer this question as there are a lot of things I have not done yet 🌚. But I have a thing for girls that wear glasses. Strangely, every girl I have been in a relationship use glasses 😂. It’s all a coincidence though, as I don’t exactly plan it, it just happens. Weird coincidence.
Thus, the end of this prompt. I had skipped a question because we don’t celebrate Halloween here in my country and even if we did, it is not until November right? Ergo, that question is null. Let me also use this opportunity to wish all Muslims here a happy Eid. @Bilqees, I haven’t forgotten the meat you promised me, so this is a reminder 😁😁.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Religion and Marriage
It would seem I am on a marriage row. This is another of my marriage talk series. As I was engaging with the community earlier today, particularly on @Bilqees article. Something made me think about an hypothetical situation. I am not going to share the details about that, but I will be talking about the epiphany it gave me.
Surely you know marriage is the theme of this article. Today, I will be talking about the reaching a compromise in differences in belief. Surely, two people who want to commit to each other will be different in more ways than one. One of those differences can be in culture or native language. Here in my country, even though there many different ethnic groups and culture, marriages are often between people from the same ethnic group.
Well, today’s article is not particularly about cultural differences, but religious one. With my country as the reference, there are two major religions in my country; Christianity and Islam. It is uncommon to see two people from different religious background get married, at least in my part of the country. When it does happen, you hear one of couple either converts to their partner’s religion or each of them continue with their respective faiths. I think the call for same religion is to make it easier to bring up their offspring in one faith.
I am not a religious person, some may even say that I am not religious at all, but I grew up in a Christian home. I had often think that we are faithfuls of religion we were born into. That is why this religious difference can pose a problem to the children. Also, it is why I think one person changes to the other person’s religion. Most often, it is the woman who converts.
I think the first question I’ll ask my readers, which is an important one is whether you can marry someone who is not of the same religious background as you? People look at that too as a criteria. I have heard Christians say that they cannot marry someone who is a Muslim and I have also heard Muslims say that they can marry someone who is a Christian. For one, the two religions does not the same forms of marriage. As far as I know, Islam isn’t against polygamy but Christianity on the other hand is. What I don’t know is if Islam supports polyandry (my readers can help me out with this).
Personally, I can marry from either of the two religious background, as long as there is a mutual understanding between us. I cannot think that love can or should be bounded by religious (for the lack of better word) bigotry. Also, I wouldn’t compel my wife to go against what she believes and follow my belief, but I guess it is necessary for smooth operation of the family, especially the children.
Growing up, I can say that religion was forced on many people, you are forced to go to church and forced to go to the mosque not. Children don’t really have much say in that aspect of their life, at least not until they become adults. A lot of people may not agree with this, but it is the harsh truth. If we were not forced to churches or mosques, we may not have grown up to be Christians or Muslims respectively. Maybe pagans or agnostics or atheists. There is a fine line between all.
So that I am not bounded in perception to just Islam and Christianity, it is worthy to note that there are thousands of religions in the world and each of them have their specific doctrines and what they believe is true. Marriage is a common institution across the world and it is mostly a union between two people who are different from each other and from other people in the world.
In conclusion, the question I want to leave with you all is:
**CAN YOU MARRY SOMEONE WHO IS FROM A DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND?**
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Special appreciation to my subscribers, sponsors, readers and upvoters. This blogging journey would not have been a smooth sail without you all and I very much appreciate all you’ve done so far. Thank you so much.
"Cannot Marry"
I have always loved biology right from secondary school and I think it has to do with the fact that it teaches us about living things and the environment around us. Another subject that caught my fancy too right from time was Mathematics, playing with all that numbers and equations always tickled me in the right places (don't interpret this wrongly). You would agree with me that there is a point where two subjects meet, and one of the places Mathematics and Biology met for me was at the point of probability and hereditary; Genetics.
I have the habit of always attaching a probability value to events. It has become a hobby for me, I'd always think about the probability of whatever outcome of my actions in hopes to set a realistic expectation and prepare my mind for possible outcome(s). Genetics on the other hand is just so interesting to me.
One's genotype has been an important thing to know since the advent of technology. In fact, it has been one of the most important criteria for the compatibility of marriage. Makes me wonder if the goal of marriage is procreation, more so than it is companionship. Oh well, There are five genotypes in humans, which are **AA**, **AS**, **AC, SC** and **SS**. Although, AC and SC are very rare, and I only learnt about them two years ago.
AA is considered normal genotype, while AS and AC are abnormal, while SS is SC are practically sickle cell anemia, which is a genetic disorder which affects red blood cells which transports oxygen in the body by changing its shape (reducing its surface area) and inadvertently affecting its oxygen carrying ability. The following is the compatibility test of the common genotypes with respect to procreation:
AA x AA = Compatible
AA x AS = Compatible
AA x SS = Compatible
AS x AS = Not Compatible
AS x SS = Not Compatible
SS x SS = Not Compatible
You may have noticed that I wrote above "...with respect to procreation" because I believe people can have different reason for marrying, and not necessarily because they want to procreate. If procreation is part of the marriage plans, then it is important to know the genotype of your intended.
An erroneous impression I want to debunk is people's opinion about the compatibility of AS and AS. A lot of people think that why they are not compatible is because 1/4 of their offspring will have the sickle cell anemia. It is all probability really. It just means that when two AS want to procreate, the probability of an offspring being SS is 0.25 (1/4).
I have my personal reservation about the compatibility of AS and AS. Well, is if the two parties involved are willing to gamble their peace of mind and take such risks for the sake of the 'love' right? I mean, what is worth risking it for if not LOVE (evil smirk). But on a serious note, the odds are in their favour, I mean, a 0.75 (3/4) probability of the offspring not being SS as against the probability of 0.25.
Also, the advancement of science has made it possible to know the genotype of the baby during pregnancy. But why go through all that stress? More importantly, what happens when the genotype of the baby is SS? Abortion? Surely, that will take its toll on both parents.
In conclusion, I'd say you do whatever makes you happy, and if that includes marrying someone you're incompatible with, it is up to you two to figure out and come to a conclusion on what is best for you all. Haven't been active for some days now, and that is because there are some problems that came up, making it difficult for me to be active here.
Arranged or Love Marriage?
These past days, almost all the movies I have set my eyes on TV has been about marriage. To some, marriage is not a must, and I agree, everyone is free to live how they want to and marriage should not be used as a yardstick to measure a fulfilled life. For others, marriage is a must, and it is their dream. In fact, I have often see movies where marriages are portrayed to be *every girl's* dream. Well, I can't speak for the ladies, but I do know that it is a fallacious thing to say that every girl's dream is marriage.
It is not so hard to see how society has it's claws deep in our skin, as well as its right and wrong social constructs. Can't a girl dream to be a successful businesswoman? or a doctor? or a lawyer? Well, let me not digress, I suppose the ladies can speak for themselves whether or not marriage is their dream. For clarity's sake, by no means am I saying that having marriage as a dream is bad or wrong.
Marriage is scary, the thought of committing your life to the wrong person and having to live with that choice every day of your life I would say makes it so. In some parts of the world, arranged marriage is the norm. This is not a new tradition, it has been in existence for as long as I can remember. Even longer than love marriage.
I often picture myself in an arranged marriage, and ask myself what would be the basis of that arrangement. Why would I even accept such or want to be in such a marriage? Arranged marriage was not uncommon in our society back in the days, in fact it is the most prominent type of marriage. Parents and sometimes relatives are responsible for setting up the couple and making arrangements for their marriage as long as the parties involved have no objection about it. Sometimes, they don't have much say in the matter and it is entirely up to their parents to agree to it, and it was settled.
Time does a lot to the mind and one's perspective. There was a time until recently where I'd always frown on arranged marriage and wonder why two people will/should marry when they are not in love. I have limited myself to seeing that without love, a marriage cannot work. Permit me to say that I no longer hold this notion. Two people can coexist, or, so I do not trivialise marriage, forgive me for saying 'coexist'. Two people can successfully be married even if they weren't in love at the beginning. This is because I personally have reshuffled my list of what is important for a marriage to be a success, and love is not at the top of the list.
I have ranked **Mutual respect,** **Understanding, Commitment** and **Trust (**MUCT**)** above *love,* and this is simply because love is not independent of MUCT, but MUCT is independent of love. What I mean is, I can be committed, trust, have respect and understand someone whilst not being in love with them. These are sufficient to have a successful marriage, as long as it is genuine and does not waiver. Two people can start a family under this 'guise'.
This is by no means an attempt to deprecate the importance of love, especially in marriage, I am just saying a marriage can thrive without love itself, and also justifying arranged marriage. It isn't the worst thing in the world. Love can also grow on you, when there is MUCT, there is already a fertile soil form love to grow. Wouldn't you agree?
I reckon that a lot of us are only interested in love marriage, and no one is interested in an arranged marriage, but it is still a common practice in many countries, especially in the continent of Asia. It has served society quite well in the past, and will continue to do so. In conclusion, a question for you my dear readers:
***WOULD YOU ONLY MARRY FOR LOVE OR MAY CONSIDER AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE IF THERE IS*** **MUCT*****?***
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Special thanks to @Mictorrani for the sponsorship renewal, I am sorry it is coming late. I really appreciate your support.
Can we be Truly Fair?
This article is a sequel or if you want to, say a spin-off from my last article **For Friendship or...?** as I was reading through the comments, it occurred to me to ask: https://read.cash/@Aimure/for-friendship-or-ff93a597
***"CAN WE EVER NOT BE SENTIMENTAL?"***
Even with the story I had shared in my last article, I remember I had also abused the fact that I was a senior student too in the school. There was this particular junior student in SS1 whom - even though I don't remember how we met - my spirit bonded with. There are such people yeah? She would always greet me whenever our paths crossed with a cheerful smile what I found remarkable was the fact that none of our encounter had seemed forced or fake. I remember on this particular day, I had gone out of the school to run an errand one of the teachers asked me to do. On my way back, I saw her among the group of students who came late. I stopped and greeted my classmate who was the prefect in charge, and as I walked past the group I asked the girl to come with me. I can still picture the shock face when I did.
She knows I am not a prefect, so why'd I ask her to come with me? She was hesitant, so I had to say it again before she stood up and followed me. After we have walked a bit further, I asked her to go to her class. She was surprised, and was beaming with joy and gratitude. Doing that made me feel like I was some powerful person, hahaha, I wasn't. I think my classmate was of the impression that a teacher had asked me to call her specifically, because he said nothing and asked no question. Thinking about that event now, to the girl, I had done her a favour, but wasn't that abuse of power in the eyes of another? Not like the power was mine to abuse in the first place.
Favours and special treatments to others has tipped the scale of fairness in the eyes of many, as @Deeepensiverse had said on my previous post:
*...Bending the rules to suit someone you know happens everywhere, it could be as little as giving your friend an extra plate of rice at a party or using your position of power to admit your friend's son into the University you work despite not meeting the cut off.*
*Humans only complain when it doesn't favor them...*
I couldn't help but think about a common saying in my country that *connection* is more important than any degree or qualification. If you want a good job, you have to know someone in a high place, then they can help you get the job either as a favour which means you will be in their debt or as a result of how much you can pay for their assistance or as payment for a favour you or someone close to you had done for them before. I can argue this *culture* has made it conducive for corruption to grow and thrive in the society.
Even to gain admission into most federal institutions, especially for competitive courses like Medicine, Law, Pharmacy, etcetera requires connection. The disadvantage of this is that, more often than not, people who get into these positions are those who aren't qualified for it, so, you can see how this can affect the society and lead to a cataclysmic disaster altogether.
I had said in my reply to a comment by Olasquare
***Sentiments, even though we don't like to admit it, is part of being human. More often than not, we do succumb to that part of it, especially when it comes to people we love...***
Being human makes us *'slave'* to our emotions, this is why I believe we can never be just and fair, especially when it comes to people we love. We would always favour those we care about over others. We would always be bias when it comes to them.
Surely, someone would have their reservation about this, and perhaps a contradicting opinion altogether. But it is one of those hard truths we do not want to admit. Then again, I am open to correction. I'd like to hear your thoughts, do you think we can be completely fair and just even when it concerns our loved ones?
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
For Friendship or...?
I had opened the tab to write and was staring at it for about 10 minutes, thoughts about what to write and how to write it kept flowing in and out of my mind, but, none could stay long enough to take form. I had spent most of the afternoon staring at the computer screen, and that often have its effect on my eyes. Well, I had to help my cousin register for admission into a university. Found it weird that the school needed so many information, some of which I would term irrelevant. I guess different schools have their own policies, Because I remember when I registered for mine, they didn't need so much information and documents too.
Today, I caught myself thinking about my childhood when I saw one of the neighbour's children refuse from from his mother. I couldn't help but laugh, because i remembered a time I used to be that way too. I remember whenever I was angry, I would go on a hunger strike just to prove a point to my parents. In retrospect, I don't think the hunger strikes were necessary, because I can't say it had the effect I had wanted on my parents. They would act as though I had not embarked on a strike, and even give out my food to my siblings sometimes.
Time is a strange thing, or do I say that change is. I have recently lost the willingness or ability to argue or drag anything. Believe me, there was a time I care enough to make my point known, and I would go to any lengths I could do that that. I was having a conversation with a friend recently, and during the course of our conversation, she made an attempt to lure me into a debate severally, which I shrugged of by saying "Oh, alright" every time she did. The third time I did so compelled her to ask: "Are you alright?". I paused for a moment to think about why she would ask the question before answering "I am alright".
A person's willingness to indulge you or just let it be depends on a lot of factors. Oftentimes, it is one's mood that determines whether or not they are in the mood for your jibby-jabber. But the question I'd ask is: how far are you willing to go to prove a point? Let me share a story from my secondary school days;
When I was in my SS3 (The last class in secondary school) some of the prefects in the school were my classmates. I remember this event because it happened between the two people who sat in front of me. One of them was a a prefect, while the other wasn't. Apparently, the conversation between them had been whether the one who was a prefect would punish him if he ever came late. This was quite funny when I heard him say it, and couldn't hold my laughter.
Well, the prefect didn't find it funny, and took offence. He blatantly told his seatmate he won't be spared if he came late, and that like every other student of the school, he wasn't exempted from the school rules and regulations. Barely a week after that, something had ensued between the two of them, and that is actually the main story I want to tell. For the sake of easy reference, let's call the prefect Brian and his seatmate who isn't a prefect Zion.
Barely a week after that conversation between Brian and Zion, Zion was late to school this particular day, and Brian happened to be the one who was on duty at the gate, punishing latecomers. From the story I heard of the event that transpired that morning, as Zion was walking into the school, Brian had asked him to stop and join the group of student who had been asked to stay back to serve their punishment for being late. Zion refused to wait behind and walked past Brian with a smile on his face, as if to say "I told you so". Well, he was a senior student, and not only was he Brian's classmate, he was also his seatmate and friend.
To Zion, he was above any rules Brian was out enforcing, especially something as 'ordinary' as punishment for late coming. Brian in the end let it go because he didn't want to escalate the matter by bringing it to the attention of the school management. I asked him later why he didn't, and he said it was because Zion was his friend, and he wouldn't want him punished because of him. Surely, there are many ways to look at this situation, all things considered. So, I'd like to ask my readers, **if you were Brian, will you take up the matter or just let it go like he did?**
I would really like to hear your view on this.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Is Success Not a Guarantee?
It is with a heavy head and heavy eyes I write this article this evening. Sitting in the room with my family as the words "Extraordinary Every day" blares from the TV, thanks to my sisters who are watching Zeeworld channel. I really don't know why they love the channel and their series too. For one, it is predictable, as it the story line are usually filled with loopholes. Oh well, I guess one man's food is another man's poison.
As I write this article, I find it hard to concentrate, I think the fact that I haven't had a good sleep in the last one week or so is taking its toll on me. Last night for instance, I had gone to bed 4am and woke up at intervals because I had to do one thing or the other. I can practically feel my head banging. Oh well, I will try to finish this article as soon as I can, and hopefully, go to bed early.
For the past two months or so, a competition has been going on in our community, this competition is in sports, and more specifically, a football competition. I had followed almost every team in the competition closely, as games are only played on weekends when everyone is around, so I have had the time to watch a lot of the games. Today, like most weekends I went to the pitch to watch the semifinal game between two of the semifinalists. I really enjoyed watching them, and it was a really good game. But, unfortunately, this was one of those times where the better team loses. The game dragged on into penalty shootout, and they lost.
I spent most of the journey home thinking about how the event had turned out today. Everyone was confident that they would have made it to the finals. I couldn't help but ask myself:
Because the other team won and advanced into the final, does that make them the better team?
Now, this was a question I thought about the two possible answers. If triumphing over a team doesn't make one better, does that mean that sometimes, luck may not be on your side? Also, is it possible that the best just always wins, and it has nothing to do with luck?
I have always been a practical man, I believe if you want something, you work for it. If I am being honest, I have never really believed in luck. Truth is that there is a chance that anything will happen, there is a probability of any event happening, however slim it may be, 0.00000000000001 can make all the difference even though the chances of the event happening is one in 100 trillion.
I guess the point I am trying to make is that success can elude even the most hardworking, talented, determined and committed person needs a little luck to for the success they want to be possible. But I am thinking about whether the work and effort is what put the odds in their favour or luck plays a part too.
Whatever it is, being the best isn't enough, all other factors have to be right, the environment has to be conducive for everything to work out exactly how you want it too. Maybe this is me admitting to luck playing a role in success and it doesn't always follow a trend. Well, I hope our efforts is never in vain.
In conclusion, it turns out nature won the battle and I couldn't keep myself awake long enough to complete the articles, well, I really needed to recharge fully, so nothing to be ashamed of. See you another time.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Responsibilities
As humans, we have been cursed with the burden of responsibilities to **ourselves**, our **family** and loved ones and lastly, the **society**. much as some may argue that we owe no one anything, is that really so? Let me use a basic example of Family. We were brought into the world oblivious of everything. But, we were someone's responsibility - be it our parent or guardian. I would be saying my piece under three headings.
Self
Family and Friends
Society
SELF
Much as we care about other people and our responsibilities to them, we also have responsibilities to ourselves. For starters, it is our responsibility to keep a good personal hygiene, a lot of people do not really care for their body, and it is strange really. It is one thing to no be a fan of things such as body spray or perfumes. But, you can't say that you're not a fan of bathing or shaving your pubic region or even brushing your teeth. It is your duty to do all these for yourself, unless of course you are a toddler, and I don't think anyone reading this right now is one.
Furthermore, you also owe yourself the responsibility of living right, and this includes eating well and keeping your body healthy and happy. They say health id wealth, and even though good health is underrated, you mustn't take it for granted. Lastly, you owe yourself the responsibility to be happy, Whatever you are, whatever you do and wherever you may find yourself, always give yourself happiness, have fun, take that trip, buy those shoes. Just be happy.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS
From birth, we automatically become a part of the family we've been born into, bonded by blood and not by choice. Our parents too, have also birthed with us a responsibility to care for us, at least, until we are old enough to care for ourselves. Since we have no choice about who we are related to by blood, there is also the compelling expectation of loving those in your family. That is a talk for another day. We do owe our family a duty or care and love, wouldn't you say? Our parents, we are to take care of when they are old and frail, not abandon them.
I have said before that friends can be family too, just that we are not related to them by blood. Loyalty to those we love, trust and commitment too. All these are responsibilities for us to those we love. A man for instances feels responsible for providing for his family a well as keeping them safe. A woman, feels responsible for caring for the home, husband, as well as her children. It is her responsibility as well as that of the father to inculcate morals and values as well as knowledge about certain things.
SOCIETY
Well, I am particularly careful about this heading so I do not say what someone else may misinterpret wrongly. But what are our duties to the society? I would say it is to to be good humans. I have personally been an antagonist of a lot of things that is normal in my society, and that is because I find them flawed or simply inappropriate.
Unfortunately, society has bestowed upon me, as a male, many other responsibilities as it has the female gender too. It is her responsibility to take care of the house chores, it is his responsibility to work and provide for the family, it is they duty of the man to be strong and not show any emotion in trying times.
Much as it is important to be a responsible member of the society, family and to one's self, we must be careful not to succumb to responsibilities that would weigh us down instead of lifting us up and keeping us on the path to success or fullfilment. Always remember to stay happy, and do not let responsibilities make things very difficult for you.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Who Would You Save?
Today, I am writing about an event that happened about two years ago or so, this memory was triggered earlier as I was reading an **Her water didn't break !** by Bilqees. On this faithful evening, my former roommate had one of his course mate over, and after having dinner, we were chitchatting until a question was popped. https://read.cash/@Bilqees/her-water-didnt-break-a1abda3a
This kind of a situation is not uncommon for us, we often just pop up random questions or paint certain scenario or event to know how we'd act or react in such situations. This overtime had become one of my favourite things to do, it doesn't only give me a new perspective, it also make us bond and know each other better. Although, I do not remember who asked this question, I do remember what was asked. The question was:
**"IF AT CHILDBIRTH, THERE WAS A COMPLICATION, AND THE DOCTOR SAID ONLY ONE OUT OF YOUR WIFE AND CHILD CAN BE SAVED, WHO WOULD YOU SAVE AS THE HUSBAND?**
My roommate was the only one out of the three of us who had said he'd save the baby. His choice was based on the fact that he wouldn't approve the life of an innocent baby be exchanged for that of another human. According to him, the life of the child is just as or even more precious than that of the mother, and the very fact that it is a new baby, he/she deserves the opportunity to experience life too. Though, he made a good argument, I couldn't help but think his perspective stems from a place of sentiment.
I had asked why he wouldn't just save the mother since they can always make another baby? Then he pointed out that anything can happen, and fate may have just that baby for them, they may try to have another and never be successful. This argument was a long and heated one, and the problem was that none of us was ready to accept the opposing choice. Personally, I feel choosing is the logical choice, but that doesn't mean I should invalidate another person's choice because it is different from my choice.
I have always been an analyst of everything, often, I have been an analyst of people's choices. When I try to understand why a person said what they said or do what they did, I have often taken the multiple-perspective approach. People's choices, however irrational it may seem is always based on something, and believe me, more often than not, these 'things' they are based on may be logical to the person involved. There is always a backstory which is only known and understood by the person.
One mistake we make is consciously or unconsciously having an expectation, we like something, so it is strange to us when someone else says that they do not like that thing, so also when we have a particular opinion or make a choice, we are usually disappointed when others do not share our chain of thought or choice(s). We are all different and unique in our own way. Our experiences are also different, and so is our backstory too. Just as we have our reason(s) for choosing A, so does the other person have their reason for choosing B.
Recently, my friend mentioned that he had participated in a writing competition wherein he had written his stance on the argument we had years ago, and he had also won the competition. I haven't been able to ask him to send me his entry so I can read it too, but I guess he made a well articulated argument the judge(s) found logical and reasonable.
So, my dear readers, let's not discredit other people's choices because it goes against what we find logical. Also, I want to use this opportunity to ask you too, if you were in the situation presented above, what would be your choice, save the child or the mother; your wife?
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Special thanks to @BCH_LOVER for the sponsorship renewal, I appreciate your unending support ma'am.
Thought Continuum
For Dennis, reality has always been stranger than fiction. As he sat at the bar sipping red wine, thoughts about his childhood, bittersweet like the wine he is drinking. He remember how growing up was all jolly with everyone until a ghastly car accident had stripped his father of the ability to walk, if that was the only case, perhaps, it would have been an easier blow to bear. Unfortunately, his dad hadn't just lost only his ability to walk, he also lost the ability to talk or move.
His father was what some would call a vegetable, confined to a wheelchair for when he was to move from point A to point B. The accident had made him to lose his job, and that had made their family decline into a financial crisis. The catalyst of this financial trouble had been the extravagance of his stepmother which his father was oblivious of until the bank had come to the house to seize it as collateral for a loan his stepmother had collected and couldn't pay back. That was how they became homeless.
These chain of tragic events had shaped him into the person he is today, and his step mom had been the reason he had vowed never to marry an extravagant woman. Now, he is at the point where he had to make a decision, one would think it should be an easy one: choosing between two women who were similar but different in how they spend money. One is frugal, and another was a reckless spender. A simple choice many would say, but there was one problem.
Dennis had feelings for the reckless woman much more than he does for the austere. You see, this was one of the classic battle between logic and emotions. His past experience seems to have become the enemy of his future happiness, at least, that was how it seemed at the moment. What would his choice be?
I had started this article as a fictional story that was supposed to have been only fiction and nothing more, but, I couldn't stay long in the world of fiction, as reality was calling out to me, with its sweet yet scary voice.
Growing up, I have had to learn and unlearn the meaning of love and my perception of it, I have always believed that it is a feeling that goes against logic, and the two does not mix at all. I have also nurtured within me the notion that both can go hand in hand and complement each other. Loving someone is not being blind to their flaws, it is seeing their flaws and still choosing to love them regardless.
Many familiar with me may find it strange that I am here, writing about love, it is not something I have been - to paraphrase a friend - "somewhat open to or expressive about". But I have also said to someone earlier today:
*"Sometimes, do what you don't want to when you don't want to. It is good for growth."*
I had just said this as a response to what she said to me, but it wasn't until later I really thought about it and I realised that there have been many times I have been spontaneous and do something out of character just for unpredictability sake. This may sound strange, but let me open your mind by requesting you take a pause, go back to the beginning of this article and read the first two paragraphs.
Now, I ask you, could you have predicted that this would be the turn the article would take and that you'd be reading about how spontaneous one can be at any time?
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
I want to use this opportunity to thank to @Tomi-Ajax for the sponsorship renewal, I appreciate the support sir.
Day 4 - Places I Want to Visit
Travelling the world has been a dream I have been harbouring for as long as I can remember. I have always felt the world is there for me to explore, and witness its immaculate beauty. But, in my head, I have it all systematically planned. I believe *charity begins at home*, and if I ever want to travel the world, I must first start by travelling to all the amazing places here in my country. So today, I will be talking about all the places I want to visit here in my country.
Although, some people who are not Nigerians may not know, that the country is made up of 36 states and a Federal Capital Territory. All of the states have their peculiarities as well as their similarities too. So, sit back and watch me take you on a ride through places I'd live to visit in Nigeria.
UNESCO Heritage Sites
This is a category of UNESCO heritage sites I want to visit in the country. There are only 6 of such sites in Nigeria, but I am being particular and keeping this article strictly to places I really want to visit. Without further ado, let's get on shall we?
Oke Idanre Hills
Image Source https://guardian.ng/life/check-out-these-six-unesco-world-heritage-tourism-sites-in-nigeria/
Located in Ondo state, south-west of the country, this has to be the first in this category. The strange thing is that I only learnt about this place this year, and had no idea it even existed. I remember seeing a video showing the aerial view of this place and was mesmerized. Even as I look at the photo above, I am in awe and really want to visit this historical town and climb the 682 stairs to the top of the hill, I really look forward to visiting this place. I remember asking @Danika whether he has been there because he lives in the state and he said that he has. I was Jealous. Oh well, some day, I will too.
Ogbunike Caves
Image source https://twitter.com/wakawaka_doctor/status/1257676570925371397
Located in Anambra state, south-eastern part of Nigeria, and has been dubbed one of the seven wonders in Nigeria, I remember learning about this cave from an advert many years ago as a child. It is an historical site and holds a great value to Igbo tribes who are indigenous to eastern Nigeria. It is no news that I am a lover of history and historical places. This is a place I want to visit, although I have been in the state before, I wasn't there for tourism or vacation, but strictly for business at that time and didn't have the luxury to explore.
Ancient Kano City Walls
Image Source https://guardian.ng/life/check-out-these-six-unesco-world-heritage-tourism-sites-in-nigeria/
This is an ancient wall built many years ago to protect the ancient city of Kano and the Emir's palace too. Within the walls is the famous Dala Hills said to be the first area the people of Kano settled. Located in the northern part of the country, I wonder if either of @DocLayla or @Bilqees have ever visited this historical place. Perhaps if I find myself in the state one day perhaps I will do that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalla_Hill
Resorts and Reserves
These is another category of natural reserves and resort centres I want to visit in the country. They include:
**Obudu Mountain Resort**
Image source https://www.travelstart.com.ng/blog/38-great-places-to-visit-on-a-family-vacation-in-nigeria/
This has to be the one place I think everyone wants to visit at least once. I grew up dreaming this mountain resort in the Calabar, Cross River state. Located on the highlands of the state, I reckon I will enjoy the cold weather plus the aesthetically calming view if green mountains.
**Gashaka Gumti National Park**
Image source https://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/gashaka-gumti-national-park/
This is the biggest game reserve in the country, I relish visiting this place after visiting Okomu National Park in 2019. The park is located between two states from which it got its names from Gashaka (Taraba state) and Gumti (Adamawa state). The park have a peculiar terrain, in fact, it is a combination of Savannah grassland in the north and the mountainous highland plateaus to the south. I would like to visit this place and catch a view of the terrain as well as wildlife being protected there.
Ikogosi Warm Springs
Image source https://www.travelstart.com.ng/blog/38-great-places-to-visit-on-a-family-vacation-in-nigeria/
Pheww, what can I say about this place it will definitely make my list of natural wonder of the world. You see, this resort located in Ekiti state the western part of Nigeria is famous for two springs (cold and warm) meeting each other and still maintaining their temperature. this goes against the law of cooling and defies tyhe basics of science. I mean, how can two water of different temperature flow side by side and not lose or gain temperature? Oh well, I will like to go and have the experience for myself and marvel at this impossibility.
Thus, comes the end of the places I want to visit here in my country. That is mot to say that this is all the places I want to visit, but for this sake of this article, I want had to make it short and concise. Though, there are a lot of many other places I would like to visit, and if I were to talk about all of them, this article would probably have a part 10. So, this will have to do.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Day 3 - A Memory
The past two days has been a cold with dark clouds and rain chasing the sun from the sky. I have been sleeping a lot these past couple of days as there isn't much things to do and the weather is just conducive for it. Today, I would be writing about one of the fond memories I had years ago. Looking back to that moment always puts a smile on my face.
I remember I had to take a 3-day casual leave from work so that I could travel all the way to the university where I would take their entrance exam. I had made arrangements with my former secondary school (high school) classmate who was now a student of the university. When I arrived, I was greeted by my friend at the entrance of the school hostel, after which he took me to his hostel hall, and then to his block and finally his room. I remember his room was at the top floor of the block and I had to climb about 3 flights of stairs to get there.
When I entered the hall, I had seen some of the boys playing football at the football field, and the spectators hanging around at different spots enjoying the game going on. It was a mini-community of boys. I must admit it was the first time I have been in such an environment. It felt odd and safe at the same time. When I got to his room, I had met two of his roommates. He had introduced me to them, and them to me. Though, they were welcoming, there was something urgent about the way they had greeted me. I sat a bit and that was when it dawned on me that there are 8 beds in the room, all of which belonged to someone. Then I asked how many people shared the room, and he said eight. I was dumbfounded for a moment and wondered how eight people shared a room.
After a while, my friend took me on a little tour round the school and when I came back, I met a full room; all 7 other roommates were around. It was a jolly and fun, with the occasional jokes being cracked, laughter and different activities all going on all at the same time. Most of these jokes was funnier when I finally became a student of the university an would always laugh really hard when I remember them. It was a jolly environment, but I didn't fail to also think of this environment with an un-jolly atmosphere.
This experience in the school hostel will go on to be the deal breaker for me in my ardent decision never to stay in the school hostel. I have rented an apartment outside the school campus since my first year. This is because I like my space as well as my privacy. Though, I have not stayed alone since I got admitted into the university, but it has been relatively more private compared to the school's hostel.
I am not sure exactly why I wrote about the memory in particular, but I do know that I think about it a lot. Also, I often caught myself wondering if I'd have a different opinion about the school hostel if it was a bit more private. But to think of the fact that we have to clear out the hostel at the end of every session, I think I'd likely not want to go through that every now and then. But, again, the thing about humans is that, we always find a way to overcome whatever difficulty life or circumstances throws at us.
I remember my roommate telling me about how one of his course mate who would pay a hefty amount to buy a hostel space as for some reason she was always unlucky getting one. The money she paid at that time was even more expensive than the one we pay for our own accommodation that offers more privacy. Well, I guess that goes to say that one man's food is another man's poison.
I want to use this opportunity to say a big thanks to @Theblackdoll and @Talecharm for the sponsorship renewal, I appreciate the unending support from you super ladies. Thanks so much.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
COMmunity + EngageMENT = COMMENT
Good evening my indigenous people of read.cash. I have always thought of this community as an online country where BCH is our currency, this is because people here coexist peacefully and mutual respect and a sense of communism binds us all together.
I remember my journey here had started late last hear, I was introduced to this community by @Kushyzee towards the end of last year, and I remember putting off creating an account because I didn't think I was ready to sacrifice a lot of my time interacting with the community which he had told me is very important. So, I waited until we were on holiday before creating this account, because then, I'd have the time to spend interacting.
Thanks to him, I had been oriented about the importance of communism and engaging with other members even before I joined the community. It didn't take long though for me to see the real importance of the community, and it also didn't take long for me to get addicted to the ***'activities'*** on here. I had created my account in December, and before I adapted to the concept of read.cash, all the Christmas events and Christmas challenge were sprouting from every corner of the community that it was genuinely hard to keep up.
Overwhelming as these events was, it did serve as a catalyst in helping me adapt to the blogging world and this community in particular. You see, this is my first attempt at blogging, and spending time here has made me understand how important writing is, and not just for the reader, for the writer too. In my article More Than Bitcoin Cash (Re-written), I had talked about a lot of the benefits of blogging here and that it was much more than BCH. https://read.cash/@Aimure/more-than-bitcoin-cash-re-written-4a33a81c
A community that supports you like a family and accepts you irrespective of your perfections and imperfections
A platform wherein you learn a lot from other people from different parts of the world and also see the world through their eyes (writing)
A place where you can grow and improve yourself for the better, To say the least.
I have met amazing people blogging and have built some relationships here too ever since my time here, and that has been possible through engaging on their articles and also them engaging on mine too. I can't possible imagine publishing articles here and having no one read it simply because they are not familiar with you. How else can they be familiar with you if you all do not interact with them, as a community.
Of course I can't talk about interacting with other people's article without emphasizing the importance of articles being ***interact-able.*** What I mean by this is the quality of the article itself, as I believe that is the most important thing about any piece of writing. For it to be interact-able, it must first be **understandable**. This can be achieved by using easy to understand vocabulary, that way, more people can understand the message you are trying to pass across. According to what I learnt reading an Speaking the Language of your Audience by Trifecta sometime ago, she had said that: https://read.cash/@Trifecta/speaking-the-language-of-your-audience-622111c6
One of the rules, I think, in mass writing is KISS- Keep It Simple, Stupid.
Write for a wide and diverse audience.
I very much agree with her on that, because what is the point of writing an article only maybe a few people understand?
Also, another characteristics of a quality article would be it having a **message** it is passing across to the readers, it is one thing to understand your writing and another to get a message from it, so I really believe content must have these two characteristics for it to be categorised as one. An article can have a message, and said message is not understood because of the words and method which was used to pass it across. Also, The words may be understandable while the article itself has no message to its readers.
By message, I speak of adding knowledge or some sort of value to it's readers, as I for one is always excited when I read an article and learn something new whilst reading the article.
This is my entry for Jane's Community Engagement Writing Challenge I hope it will suffice. https://read.cash/@Jane/turning-2-years-old-community-engagement-writing-challenge-cd68ca3d
sBCH address: 0x4d977BE6c46bb1bcc03B4E683121712290199679
BCH address: bitcoincash:qpgf69dtgdk6ss5j84qj822r3g7kwt09gcuaq5k903
Jungle address:
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Day 2: Things That Makes Me Happy
Happiness according to the Oxford English Dictionary is a state of being happy. I am an avid believer of that happiness the ultimate goal in life and because of that, you and I are more inclined to do things or go after things that make us happy. I honestly do not think that anything that doesn't bring happiness is not worth doing. So, here are the things that bring me happiness:
Family
This is actually something dear and very important to me, and even though Family have their fights and bickering, their is always that pure joy when I am with them. Knowing that they got my back and love me (don't think that they have much of a choice) is a good feeling. Also, I am always happy whenever we have family time and talk about random things and past memories too.
Friends
These are family we choose. It is not like I have many friends, but the ones I have are always a joy. Thinking about memories and times spent together or experience shared can be a fun thing. There is always a good feeling when everyone is happy and joyous too. In the lonely times, when you're by yourself reminiscing, these memories are usually a bundle of joy and are some of the ones you'll come to cherish.
Money
I like to think that this is the undisputed bringer of happiness to everyone. Much as we hate to admit it, we all love money and want lots of it too. Money is a universal commodity and also one thing that connects the world. Not only does it connects the whole world, it arguably makes it spin too.
I had said before that money isn't everything, but it is as important as oxygen, and I'd be lying if I said this doesn't make me happy. Believe me, it does. When I have money, I usually need little or no food because I am already filled with happiness and joy. We can all attest that there is always a sweet feeling we get whenever our account is credited with money. So yeah, I unapologetically admit this makes me HAPPY.
Food
I know you are thinking: '*He's a foodie*'. That is not entirely the case actually. I like to eat, but I don't eat everything I see, you get it? ~~Food~~ Good food makes me happy, and I enjoy seeing a good meal in front of me.
Football
I love watching football and playing football too. (Don't ask me if I can play). Even if I was watching amateurs like myself play, there is always this happiness about it. You would think I am a sports lover before how much I love football. But, it is surprising that football is the only sports I actually have interest in and understand too.
Knowledge
Odd addition you may think, but there is only a few things that beats the feeling I get when I learn something new. Really brings a smile to my face. And I try to make this feeling an everyday thing too. Hahaha.
Love
Well, to avoid diving into my love life that is more complex than string theory, I wouldn't be wrong if I say it is a feeling that makes EVERYONE happy. For me, watching two people express themselves (love) also makes me happy. Just that I find romantic movies and books distasteful😂😂. That's strange yeah?
**Music**
How can this not make the list, even though the rate I listen to music in recent time has dipped more than BCH has in the past weeks (pardon the joke), I can still say that good music hits differently, with the ecstatic feeling expressed in form of goosebumps on the skin. Always a mood lifter and a source of happiness too.
There you have it, that is a concise list of what makes me happy. Day Two of the challenge done, you can read the article on Day One using the link below:
Day 1 - My Personality https://read.cash/@Aimure/day-1-my-personality-780576f2
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Day 1 - My Personality
So, I have decided to take on the 30 days writing challenge which I first came across reading an article by @meitanteikudo , I think it was the fourth day of his challenge, and even though I have written article relating to some of the topics before in the past, I have still decided to take this on nonetheless. Feel free to jump on the challenge if you want, I hope to go on a 30-day streak and in turn complete this challenge too.
I often catch myself thinking that in the past 4 years or so, I kind of have two different personalities; one is somewhat extroverted while the other is introverted, one is outspoken, while the other isn't. I really am not sure how to go describe my personality, and perhaps if you have been following my previous articles, you may have learnt a thing or two from some of the prompts I had taken part in.
I think a series of unanswered question would make it easier to understand my kind of person, so let me go on and answer these questions I had gotten from the internet.
**How would your best friend describe you?**
I honestly think in one word, he'd say CRAZY. Hehe. Well, I say this because he says that to me a lot when we have conversations.
**How would your enemy describe you?**
Hahaha. I am not sure, maybe they would underrate me or revere me, I am not sure to be honest.
**Can you describe your relationship with your family? How would you characterize it?**
My immediate family; I'd say really good, they are very much reliable and dependable for me. As for my extended; I'd say not so good, because there are so many of them that I do not even know half of them. LoL
**If you could meet any deceased person from history, who would you choose and what would you discuss?**
I am stuck between Da Vinci and Chinua Achebe if I am being honest, I am not sure who will be my choice, but I'd discuss science with the former and Literature and Nigeria history with the latter.
**What five adjectives describe you best?**
Calm. Intuitive. Strong-Willed. Calculative. Thinker.
**What is your favorite hobby or pastime?**
I am so tempted to say sleeping, but does it classify as an hobby? LoL. I do enjoy it a lot though. Perhaps playing football too.
**Can you explain a skill you hope to learn and why you want to learn it?**
Will likely be a pianist, I have this delicate esteem in which I hold pianists, and I have always wanted to learn how to play it too.
**What is a question people ask you often?**
What is your name? that has to be the most common question people ask me.
**What is the superpower you would like to have, and why?**
I would say time manipulation or shape-shifting. But to pick one, I would say time manipulation.
**When you are in a bad mood, do you need some time alone or do you prefer company to help you feel better?**
When angry, I prefer being alone and just listen to music, as it helps me whenever I am in a mood or something. Oftentimes, I just sleep off.
**What five songs would top the soundtrack of your life?**
All The Little Lights . Passenger
Let Her Go - Passenger
Perfect - Ed Sheeran
Not Afraid - Eminem
Riding to New York - Passenger
**If you could have dinner with any living person. who would you have dinner with and why?**
Stuck between Chuck Lorre, Passenger, Drake and Malcolm Gladwell for the simple reason that I appreciate all of them.
**If you were offered the ability to read the thoughts of others, but could not turn that power off, would you take it?**
I honestly wouldn't take it, reading people's thought I think will affects one's sanity, believe me.
**Are you a morning person or a night owl?**
I am a huge morning person, and really find it difficult to stay awake at night.
**What subject were you best in during school? Why do you feel you excelled at it?**
Geography! I was really good at it, and I think it was because of the maps and the years of re-reading all that was in the book/text.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Time Management - My Daily Routine
I had to jump on this prompt as fast as I could when I saw it so I don't forget or something else prevents me from writing it. Thanks to Luci who created a prompt about time management from his article which you can read here. This is my entry for it. https://read.cash/@Lucifer01/managing-time-ready-steady-po-5223d8fd
I have said before that I am a planner, and I am usually particular with my time on most days, but there are days I just say fvvk it! I won't live a programmed life, because to be honest, it feels like that sometimes. I like to plan everything, and it if ever something comes up spontaneously, unplanned, I have learnt to leave room to adjust with that. We all have plans that spans within certain periods of time, could be years, months, weeks, days and even hours or minutes. These are all time frames.
I'll particularly focus on how I plan days, and although this is somewhat different in different times, depending on whether we are on holiday from school or if school is in session. At the moment, we are on holiday and I will talk about how I manage my time doing different things at different time of the day.
We are all aware 24 hours make up a day, and even though you may find it weird, I have actually literally divided that 24 hours to three different parts for different activity(s) of the day. Let me go on to explain how I have partitioned the time I get daily.
7+1/24hrs (Sleep Time)
This is the first 8-hour I partitioned out of my daily time, because I am very much aware of how much I like sleeping, and how important it is too. If I don't get enough sleep, I tend to feel somewhat sick and usually find it hard to focus on anything at all.
`Had to pause this article to have a nap as I am feeling sleepy. Will be right back.`
Now that I have had a good nap, let's continue shall we? You see, out of the 24 hours we have in a day, I have specifically allotted 7-8hours out of it to sleep. How I spend this hours varies from time to time. But the most common now is 7hrs in the night and 1hr nap during the day. Although, my sleep pattern when school is in session is very different from when I am at home. For one, I rarely have the time to nap during day and I tend to sleep and wake up early when in school.
Perhaps you may wonder why I spend so much time sleeping, I will say that if there is something I understand about my body, it is how important sleep is to it. And having any less than 7hrs sleep ALWAYS have its toll on me. I need not talk about the importance of getting adequate sleep, but if you must know, you can check it out using this link. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-why-good-sleep-is-important#8.-Poor-sleep-is-linked-to-increased-inflammation
8+/24hrs (Productive Time)
This is the second part of my partitioned time and what I do with it varies from time to time, also, it can be extended or reduced depending on certain factors such as health, mood, among others. When school is in session, I spend average 8hrs every week day in school receiving lectures and all that. But since I have been at home for months now, I basically spend my productive time doing other things such as interacting here, searching for random things on the internet and learning too, reading books and also writing articles I want to publish here on read.
I always try as much as I can to learn something new every day, even if it is a new word. That way, I go to bed feeling good about how my spend my day at the very least 😅.
7+/24hrs (Miscellaneous Time)
This is the last part of my daily routine and it varies from time to time too. Every other thing I have to do that I have not mentioned before has to be done within this time period, and a lot of random and non-random activities fall under this category. From bathing, cooking and or eating to watching or playing a football game, chatting on social media or hanging out with friends, family or acquaintances.
In conclusion, this is how I auto-plan my day, and even though it doesn't always go exactly like that, it is usually close to it.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Chase Perfection, Catch Excellence
Activities here on read.cash have been somewhat low since the start of the new month, and it seems to be decelerating at an increasing rate as the day goes by. Myself, I have not been so active so far this month too because I am having some challenges too with my phone and power supply too.
It is a common saying that perfect doesn't exist. Well, I'd say it depends on which lens you are looking at things from. One can argue that the human body is a work of perfection, as is planet earth and nature itself. '***Perfect***' is a man made concept meaning without flaw. What if perfection is what exists now, all the good and bad in a delicate balance that can be easily disrupted?
`Permit me to use perfect interchangeably with excellence`
I have always been one who likes perfect. and I am quite attentive to details too. I believe that whatever is worth doing is worth doing well, and of course, all of this is relative simply because what may be *perfect* to me may not be perfect to someone else. I remember a time I had to measure all the dimensions of a cardboard because I wanted what I want to do with it to be a perfectly fit to size with the cardboard. Everything I had to do that day was measured, and even though I got the result I wanted according to my friend who was with me all through the process, I still felt it wasn't perfect.
Which brings me to one of my favourite words and the topic of this article. In chasing the illusion of what perfect should be, I caught excellence even if I didn't catch the perfect I so desperately wanted. As humans, there are a lot of things we want to do or that we want to be good at, dare I say perfect at. Even when I set a goal last month for a perfect month wherein I publish one article every day, even though I didn't meet the goal, I managed to publish 30 articles in the 31 days, and that bis excellence. Maybe it is speaking a foreign language, or dancing, or singing, or cooking, or solving complex Mathematical problems. Whatever it is, you can become excellent at it trying to perfect it.
I am a thorough person, and I often push myself to the highest level I can reach by trying to do things the best way they can be done. Of course, time is an important factor in this. Two months ago, my uncle wanted to repaint the interior of his house simply because he didn't like how I looked at that time. Truth is: it didn't look bad even though it was an all-white coloured painting, you can hardly see any stains on the wall, but I did lack that sparkly white of a newly painted wall.
He called the painter who happened to be the son of a family friend, and he had done the job for about 8 hours, which was practically all day. I was there all through, watching him do his work and learning a thing or two in the process. My uncle had complained about the time taken to get the job done as that was his only complaint, considering everything else was *perfectly* done. As I watched him paint, I could see the care and attention he's paying to the job at hand so everything could be done perfectly. It was as though I was watching myself paint as that's definitely how I'd do the job. He could have done it faster if he wasn't concerned about perfection, and because I was the one with him all through, I understood why he took longer.
What if he had done it shabbily and faster, would my uncle have been satisfied about it? Perhaps. But the point there is, he has done a good job, and many would see what he's done and say or think: *"This painter did well"* and I guess that is what matters in the end isn't it? A job well done.
So, I ask you my readers Longer time and a job well done or Shorter time and a shabby work?
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
School na Scam
Education is what remains after **one has forgotten what one has learned in school**. — ***Albert Einstein***
Today, I heard someone say a very common statement by a lot of my compatriots when asked why he had decided to not go back to school. ***"School na scam"*** he said, translate to ***school is scam.*** The truth is that a lot of people say this in my parts of the world, even students in the university say it too, and I'd always tell them to drop out then whenever I hear them say that. I mean, why continue wasting your time doing something you consider to be a fraudulent scheme?
Whether they truly believe this or not, I don't can't say. Of course one way to look at the statement is that it is an indictment of our educational system, also, this is said because of successful people who had either dropped out of school or not gone to school at all and still become successful against all odds.
I remember as a young boy, when I was ion primary school, I used to drag my sister to school as she would always cry and refuse to go to school. This happened every school day. As a school lover, I had to find a way to woo my sister into loving school to and making the morning journey easier for the both of us. So, I sacrificed part my lunch money to buy her snacks or sweets at a shop halfway between my house and school. That way, before she is done munching on it, we would have gotten to school and I am free since she usually stop crying immediately we reach school. Well, even that didn't always go as planned.
Gone are the days when school is a guarantee for success or a good job with a good pay. All that luxuries are now for those who know the right people, and it doesn't even matter whether or not they are qualified for the job. A lot of people go to school not because they want to, but because their parents wanted them to. You see that because their mind is not in it, they usually struggle with their academics.
One of the many things I must commend my parents for was the liberty they gave us to choose our path. After your secondary school, it was entirely up to you to decide what it is you want to do next, either you want to learn a skill or choose to further your education. If you choose to further your education, your course of study is entirely up to you too. So, you may understand how strange it was for me when I learnt a lot of other people were being forced to go to school and to study a particular course too because it is believed to be more lucrative and your chances of being unemployed are very slim. When the parents' choices are forced on their children, it is usually difficult for said children to cope with their academics and often lose interest altogether because they are not really happy doing what they are doing. That is not to say that there are also not those who learn to love what they are doing eventually.
I'd be lying if I said school is necessary for everyone, truth is that it actually isn't and not everyone need go to school, neither will everyone who go to school will be successful nor brilliant and make good grades. In fact, I remember posting on my WhatsApp status a while back about this topic. I had said that school will teach you 1+1=2, and how you use that knowledge to your advantage in life is entirely up to you. Basically, school shows you are path and it is entirely up to you walk that path to the desired destination.
Knowledge and application of knowledge are two different things. It takes an intelligent and creative mind to apply knowledge. A lot of things I know I had learnt outside the walls of a school, school will not teach you about life, that, you also learn on your own.
In conclusion, I am by no means undermining the importance of school, neither am I overemphasising it. There is and should be a difference between one who is learned and one who isn't. A farmer who had studied Agriculture in school shouldn't be the same as a farmer who never went to school. Application of theories and calculation of expected yield among other things should make a difference.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Are You a Fixer or a Replacer?
Como estas amigos¿ I missed writing yesterday and to be honest I was sort of having some time off the internet for most of today and instead spent it watching a series I have had on my phone for over 3 months now. Anyways, I enjoyed watching it, as it did stimulated my mind to some thoughts, I will share that with you all some other time. Today, I want to write about something that happened when I was taping a torn 500 naira note. Honestly wasn't willing to let it go of that dollar worth of money.
As I was cutting the cello-tape I wanted to use, I thought about who'd be at a loss if I were to not tape the money and just dispose it. Someone else may pick it up, tape it and spend it. That is a plus for them and a minus for me. Besides, it is the job of the government to destroy damaged notes and replace them by printing new ones. So, I caught myself weighing whether I fix damaged things or just replace them. The truth is that; it depends largely on what the thing is or how damaged it is. Let me talk about them in two headings:
...OF THINGS.
I think it honestly depends on what the thing is. I am an avid lover of technological gadgets and when it comes to gadgets, I really do not like repairing them. I can say in my many years of using a phone, I have only had to repair my phone once and that was because it was an emergency. I almost always just buy a new one to replace the old one. This is majorly because I often feel that repairing it once is the beginning of many more repairs.
Aside from gadgets, I think the decision to either fix or repair something that is damaged depends on several factors such as:
is it repairable?
is repairing it more economical than buying a new one?
has it served its money worth? among other things.
Repairing things are almost always cheaper than replacing. That is often why people choose to repair instead, to save cost and not go out of their budgets.
...OF RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships are an essential part of human existence and being human. From the moment one is born, you immediately start sharing a relationship with someone. Oftentimes, these relationships we share often encounter their own struggles and it is not uncommon when these struggles strain such relationships and leave a damage. People in all their differences and similarities handle or deal with such strains differently.
The offended may perhaps decide to cut ties and end the relationship. Some others may decide to give the relationship another shot and try to fix the relationship. Of course it depends on how much damage had been done to the relationship.
A bitter truth I have come to have a taste of recently is that no one is indispensable, and even though people are usually more willing to mend relationships because of the emotional attachment they might have developed for the other person, it doesn't mean the person is indispensable. Life can on irrespective of the loss one experience, unless it is one's life of course. Relationships can be broken beyond repair, and in this case people can move on and perhaps *replace* the other person, especially in romantic relationships.
I have seen people replace romantic partners despite all the *"I can't live without you", "You are the air I breathe"* among other sweet nothings. Fixers in romantic relationships are often called keepers.
At this point, I am already half asleep and trying to stay sharp by focusing on the sound of rain and the smell of freshness too.
Would like to hear from my readers, are you a fixer or you just replace?
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Unplanned Stuff...
Today has been a solemn day for me. I would never have predicted it to go the way it went because there was a glimmer of light at the beginning of it, how quickly things change. To be honest, I am in no mood to write anything as I was really tempted to just take the day off and just listen to music until I fall asleep. Writing has its perks sometimes and can really be a mood lifter. But today, I won't let it lift my mood, I want to walk the distance this time around slowly and deliberately, no fast train this time around. So I am not swayed by the tempting relief that comes with writing your heart out, I have opted to jump on a prompt I had seen reading Kushy's **Have you ever been dumped? A random prompt!** https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/have-you-ever-been-dumped-a-random-prompt-cbb77d5d
Let's get on, shall we?
**...Been in Love?**
Strange as it may sound, I have been in love and it was difficult for me, always has been as I tend to mix logic with emotions too often. Many have said to me that they don't mix, perhaps, it has always been because people are used to following their heart when they are in love and the heart can be in one place while the mind is in another... Well, I have been in love before, LOL.
...Felt lonely? https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/have-you-ever-been-dumped-a-random-prompt-cbb77d5d#felt-lonely
One too many times I have, even among many, I have felt alone. I think it is often based on the fact that I can't relate to what is going on around me when I am in this crowd, or that I don't resonate with it. I think at some point, everyone has felt lonely.
...Trip to overseas? https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/have-you-ever-been-dumped-a-random-prompt-cbb77d5d#trip-to-overseas
Never left the shores of my country, so, that is a no. But I would love to, and I hope to do so many times before my black hair turns grey. That would make one of my life goals TBH.
…Talk to a stranger? https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/have-you-ever-been-dumped-a-random-prompt-cbb77d5d#talk-to-a-stranger
Is it possible to exist and not interact with strangers? I usually don't start conversations with strangers unless it is to ask for directions. But I usually engage if they indulge me in one. Sometimes, these conversations end up being one you remember time and again and think about it fondly too.
...Ate a lot of ice cream? https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/have-you-ever-been-dumped-a-random-prompt-cbb77d5d#ate-a-lot-of-ice-cream
Not sure what *a lot of ice cream* is so I am not sure how to answer the question. I do know that I am not a big fan of ice cream, but I do enjoy a tasty one on a cold afternoon. Even as a kid, I didn't buy ice cream often. But I guess if you combine all the ice cream I have consumed since I was born, we can say that it is a lot of ice cream.
...Siblings fighting? https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/have-you-ever-been-dumped-a-random-prompt-cbb77d5d#siblings-fighting
I was a very stubborn child, so I guess you are right, I was not one to be cheated or bullied. Trust me there was a lot of fighting while we were growing up hehe. But not anymore, we are all grown ups now, so we don't do that anymore, although there are times I have to watch our eldest scold our youngest. LoL
...Been dumped? https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/have-you-ever-been-dumped-a-random-prompt-cbb77d5d#been-dumped
LMAO. Isn't dumped a strong word? Gives the feeling that one was used and disposed off when they are no longer needed. I can say that I have mostly been at the other end of a break up. I guess one way to look at it is that there is only so much of me one can tolerate and another way to look at it is that I am such a sweetheart that I can't hurt anyone. Haqhaqhaq.
...Dumped someone? https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/have-you-ever-been-dumped-a-random-prompt-cbb77d5d#dumped-someone
Again, this dumped word. Aish. True that there have been times I have been the one to end things, so Yeah, I have also been at the other end of a break up too.
...Make a joke? https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/have-you-ever-been-dumped-a-random-prompt-cbb77d5d#make-a-joke
Is this a question whether I make jokes? Yeah, I do make jokes many times, I can be a joker sometimes and a lame one too other times. It all depends on several factors combined.
...Unplanned stuff? https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/have-you-ever-been-dumped-a-random-prompt-cbb77d5d#unplanned-stuff
Rarely, I like to plan my things and so dislike when something unexpected changes my plans. Nothing like planning before hand and following those plans to the letter. That is not to say that there aren't unplanned stuffs that pop up once a while, we just have to deal with them accordingly.
...Watched a movie alone? https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/have-you-ever-been-dumped-a-random-prompt-cbb77d5d#watched-a-movie-alone
More times than I can count. In fact, there is only a handful of movies I have not watched alone. I must confess that there are times I really enjoyed watching those movies with someone and there were also times I enjoyed watching them alone.
...Felt confused with life? https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/have-you-ever-been-dumped-a-random-prompt-cbb77d5d#felt-confused-with-life
Yeah, there are times I have found myself in doubt and confused about what the meaning of life really is. I'd be lying if I said I have it all figured out right now, so yeah, still confused I guess.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
@Aimure
