A Baby And The Thoughts After
It is the start of a new month. I am not sure I was able to accurately track my April earnings, but what not. I have already put a mechanism in place for May. My only goal for the month is to publish an article every day in May as I haven't been able to successfully do that since I joined the platform. A lot of factors have deterred me, but I don't want any to do that this month.
I wasn't able to post an article yesterday because the power went pot just when I was supposed to charge my gadgets. Oh well, it simply meant I had to go to bed early. Unfortunately, I didn't have a good night sleep because of the heat and mosquitoes. It wasn't until 5am the power was back on and I had to sleep for two hours before getting up to prepare for church.
I am still sleepy as I am writing this, but I have decided to write it now that there is power supply so history doesn't repeat itself. Anyway, that is not the reason for this article. Yesterday, I held our neighbour's baby for about 5 minutes and for some reason, that was the best 5 mins I had yesterday. The baby is only about 3 months old, so there was this need to handle him with care so everyone's mind is at ease.
It has been years since I held a baby that young. In fact, I can't remember the last time I did. As I held him, my mind wandered into off into the future and the thought of fatherhood filled my mind. I imagined how it would be like the first time I would hold my baby in my arms. I wondered what my father must have had in his mind as he held me for the first time looking into my eyes. A blank eyes that could not begin to comprehend the world he is in now, knowing nothing but how to suck on the breast of my mother. What is it about breastfeeding? A child cries out of hunger and immediately stops crying when he has the areola between his infant gums. Is it magic?
I thought about how two microscopic cells- the biggest being the size of a fullstop- had come together and over time metamorphosed into a human; a complete human. Looking at the baby struggling to hold my pinky finger with his full hand, ten of his hands would fit in my one hand, his time will come. All he needs is nutrition and time. His tiny fragile body will be big and strong. Just give it time.
His innocence warmed my heart. Ignorance is indeed bliss. My aunt came in, saw me and jokingly if I have given birth, I laughed. As though she heard my thoughts, she immediately said in my dialect:
One doesn't wait for money before giving birth because if you do, you may never
While I get the point that delay is dangerous and waiting to be *'stable'* before settling down is risky, that is a risk I am willing to take.
Of course being is relative as is almost every other thing. What I might consider as stability might be different from what you consider as stability. What I do know is that i am not willing to consider having a child without achieving my standard of stability.
I have seen how difficult it is raising a child and that comes with a lot of expenses among other things. Also, I cannot imagine a situation where I have a child but can't afford to provide for him/her. But what if? I asked.
What if in trying to achieve the so-called stability, time ran against me. Would I want to have a child in my late 40s or early 50s? I don't think I want to. Perhaps what she meant was that I didn't need to be a billionaire before I start thinking of having a child or marriage. Her angle was about the importance of time. Surely I can not write that off, as I honestly do not think I want to have a child after I am 40. So, I have less than two decades to find that stability, wish me luck. Hahaha.
To my dear readers, I would like to hear your view on the matter, kindly leave a comment below let me hear your opinion on the matter.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Thanks to @DanLawan for the sponsorship renewal, I appreciate your continuos support bro.
Generation of Decadence
Whenever I hear a read ***"my generation... this generation... that generation..."*** my mind often try to classify everyone in that *'generation'*. I suppose it is subjective and can be categorised however one wants to. Perhaps everyone born within a decade. or everyone in a particular age group or everyone born in the same century.
However the case, I want to use the term *'generation'* today, albeit, loosely too. So please, permit me. I remember a time I came back for the holiday after my first year in the university and the first time I had the chance to visit the field in the local community, I had to seclude myself far from where most people were. This was mostly due to the fact that I had come back to meet a lot of those I left behind as smokers of not cigarettes but weed.
In my country, there is a stink eye most people give to those who smoke much more those who smoke weed. I remember as a kid those who smoked weed would do that in hidden unlike now where there seem to be nonchalance. No sense of remorse or concern about other peoples health. I have nothing against smokers, everyone has the right to lead their life however they want to. But, if you must endanger your health by smoking like a chimney, kindly do that without endangering the health of those around you too.
Smoking is not what led to this, but a scene I had watched unfold before me earlier today when I went to pick my cousin from her tutorial. The security man was asking one of the students to take one of the chair back to where it had been taking from and she vehemently refused based on the premises that:
She wasn't the one who brought the chair there in the first place;
and that she wasn't even comfortable when she used the chair.
I couldn't help but think about when I was in secondary school and if I ever had the gut to say NO to anyone who worked (academic or non-academic) in the school whenever they asked me to do anything. Much more make an argument as to why I wouldn't do it. *1 points for woke generation*.
Just the other day, there was an uproar in my country when a video of 10-13 year-old showing explicitly raunchy contents emerged on the internet. Surely the uproar was surely due to the fact that they're are barely even teenagers, yet, engaging in such is what many would find distasteful. Because I didn't think there would be much noise about it were they adults. The other day, news about a group of teenage boys who had murdered another teenage girl who was a girlfriend to one of the boys was also on the internet. I remember asking myself if I had the gut to slit a chicken's throat at that age much more behead a fellow human.
I remember people of the older generation will look at us (the younger generation) and weep. Now, my generation looks at the newer generation and weep too. Surely it goes from generation to generation. Though, one might say it keeps going from bad to worse. I would look at the older generation and see corrupt politicians to say the least. My generation is filled with impatient people with no principles and discipline. The younger generation I still do not know which adjectives will best qualify them.
The path to changing the direction of the curve I believe and would always stay starts form the basics - family. Parents have to do better and inculcate in their kids better morals, values and teach them the art of discipline. I know that society has made parenting difficult, unlike before when society helps instill value. I remember a time an older neighbour can reprimand a child if they did wrong but that is not the case now, older neighbour or not, you can't talk to my child, that is my job to do, even though I am barely at home doing the job.
I am not a perfect human, but there are many thins people do these days that I wouldn't even consider doing. I guess everyone has their work cut out for them.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Mental Planner.
Got the idea for this from Kushy's article, you can read it here. So I decided to jump on it. Without any delay https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/cutest-dog-breed-its-a-random-article-84cdc575
****Do you make up a list or do you make it up on the go for daily tasks?****
I always make up a mental list in my head to plan my day. Unless of course unexpected events come up and I have to adjust. Asides that, I am a planner.
**What's your favorite thing that is homemade**? https://read.cash/@Jumper-01/more-questions-3b095deb#what039s-your-favorite-thing-that-is-homemade
Love home made pancakes, I feel they taste better in every way and are healthier. Eating pancake outside almost spoiled my taste for pancake.
****Would you say you have good Karma?****
I haven't really thought about it, so I can't say to be honest. But generally, I believe now in kindness. Just be kind to everyone.
**What city you can see yourself living in?** https://read.cash/@Jumper-01/more-questions-3b095deb#what-city-you-can-see-yourself-living-in
I have pictured myself in different cities in different parts of the world, even in countryside. Perhaps London or Madrid. Hahaha. I Can dream big eh?
**What was your childhood dream job**? https://read.cash/@Jumper-01/more-questions-3b095deb#what-was-your-childhood-dream-job
I would say a pilot. I remember being fascinated a whenever I saw a plane fly by and would always fantasize about piloting one myself. Guiding that big bird from one point to another. aissshhh goosebumps.
**What is your spouse's ideal height range?** https://read.cash/@Jumper-01/more-questions-3b095deb#what-is-your-spouse039s-ideal-height-range
I would say 5'5 to 5'10. I am 5'11, So I don't want someone taller than me, neither do I want someone who is very short.
****What is the best thing to say to break up?****
I am not sure if there is anything to say during a breakup that would be ideal. I'll say just be honest about the reason and be sure about it before saying whatever the truth is.
**First celebrity crush you remember**? https://read.cash/@Jumper-01/more-questions-3b095deb#first-celebrity-crush-you-remember
Don't think I ever crushed on any, But watching friends, I always loved seeing Jennifer Aniston's face. Maybe it was her eyes. hahaha.
**What is the cutest dog breed**? https://read.cash/@Jumper-01/more-questions-3b095deb#what-is-the-cutest-dog-breed
I am stuck between a Siberian husky and a malamute. Then it would seem Lhasa apso is coming into the mix. But, if I were to pick one, I will pick husky because of their heterochromia. Beautiful creatures.
image source https://imgs.search.brave.com/fblNcAD_mm9faMcN6farbqGiOCi5htZ0YGnCQuMboRE/rs:fit:1200:1000:1/g:ce/aHR0cHM6Ly9icmVl/ZGFkdmlzb3IuY29t/L3dwLWNvbnRlbnQv/dXBsb2Fkcy8yMDIw/LzAyL1NJQkVSSUFO/LUhVU0tZLVBPUlRS/QUlULmpwZw
****What is your favourite Greek god?****
Has to be Poseidon. Perhaps I am a bit biased because of my love for water bodies. But, having the power to control it and everything therein is so cool. Wouldn't you agree. Although Zeus is the most powerful, but Poseidon over Zeus.
**Do you have more girl or guy friends**? https://read.cash/@Jumper-01/more-questions-3b095deb#do-you-have-more-girl-or-guy-friends
I would say I have more female friends than I do guys. That is not to say it isn't easy for me to relate with guys or that I relate with female more. It just so happens that I have more female friends.
**What's your favorite part about your house?** https://read.cash/@Jumper-01/more-questions-3b095deb#what039s-your-favorite-part-about-your-house
Strange as it may sound, it actually is the bathroom. Barring the fact that it is where you enter and come out clean and refreshed, it is also where I have my deepest thoughts. It is like with the coolness of water that flows from my head down comes the smooth flow of thoughts and ideas.
**What's your favorite chore? Least favorite**? https://read.cash/@Jumper-01/more-questions-3b095deb#what039s-your-favorite-chore-least-favorite
My favourite chore should be arranging the house. I like to keep things a certain way to what I would call order. My least favourite chore would be washing clothes. Good to wear fresh clean clothes but so stressful to wash manually.
**What do you need to sleep at night**? https://read.cash/@Jumper-01/more-questions-3b095deb#what-do-you-need-to-sleep-at-night
I just need quiet, as I am very sensitive to noise. So when it is quiet and I am sleepy, it is easy for me to sleep
**What's your thought on pranks?** https://read.cash/@Jumper-01/more-questions-3b095deb#what039s-your-thought-on-pranks
Neither here nor there. Long as you are not hurting anyone, pranks should be fun innit?
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Thanks to @MichaelBCH for the sponsorship renewal, I appreciate the support bro. 🖤
About My SmartBCH NFT Journey: Cattos, Kensho et al
Exactly two weeks ago, I saw a post by Gozie **The Revolution Coming With The Kensho Art** and got to know that NFT Club was coming out with a new NFT series. Knowing this was another opportunity to be part of NFT Club, I didn't want to miss out on the minting on KENSHO series since I didn't mint Pixel Guy Club and Shorai (other NFT series from NFT Club). Reading the article and then the road map enticed me, not to mention the art work. I messaged Gozie and asked him the exact time the minting would start i n our local time and he was kind enough to tell me 4pm. https://read.cash/@King_Gozie/the-revolution-coming-with-the-kensho-art-80d73d91
My SmartBCH journey practically started with NFT. I remember diving in with Cattos NFT. Unfortunately, that didn't go as planned as it seem there are a lot of unfulfilled promises. Now, I have 8 Cattos NFTs in my wallet with pretty much no use I musts confess that it hurts to have been rugged just when you put your first foot in. I believe Law Punks changed the NFT space with the use case. Since I have missed out on that, I often find similar NFT projects similar to Law Punk attractive.
Since my first attempt left me heartbroken, I have found it hard jumping on other NFT projects since then. Either I wanted to see for myself first and hope it is not too late to hop in with my cash (borrowed your pun @HappyBoy ) or minting is expensive and is over in no time. I remeber Queens and Gambling apes both minting out in less than 20 minutes combined. Since I have seen what NFT CLUB has done with staking of PGC and Shorai, I believe Kensho will be even better. After all, Third time is the charm.
Kensho collection has 12,000 unique NFTs and only 10,000 can be minted with BCH. The other 2,000 can only be minted with $NFTC token. Since I had no $NFTC token, using BCH to mint was my only other option. The Price for minting was 0.05 BCH per NFT and I could afford to mint one at that time. Transferred the BCH to my Metamask using hop.cash bridge. Monitoring the transaction made me know miners process transactions with higher fee faster. Never knew that before.
When minting I hope to mint high ranked NFTs as they have high staking power and of course high market value. I personally jumped on Kensho so I can passively earn $NFTC token after staking. Imagine being paid for owning an artwork. hahaha. Kensho collection has 19 special NFTs and 8 of them are yet to be minted. I staked the one I minted about a week ago and have earned myself about 9 NFTC token by my calculation. The minimum number for harvest is 100.
Last I checked, exactly 5,100 out of the 12,000 has been minted, with 1452/2000 for NFTC and 3648/10000 for BCH. I plan on minting one or two more before minting ends, hopefully I get lucky and mint one with a good rank that I can either put up for sale on oasis and make good profit or just stake it too and increase my staking power. 1 NFTC token is currently worth 0.0000589 BCH, you can swap your BCH for some on MistSwap. Some Kensho are listed on oasis.cash below minting price. You can also check rarity rank for SmartBCH NFTs on https://nftrarity.cash https://oasis.cash/ https://app.mistswap.fi/swap https://nftrarity.cash/
A new NFT project has also caught my attention, you can read about it here and here https://read.cash/@Fexonice1/bch-gang-a-complete-nft-gamfi-platform-on-smartbch-cbc853f0 https://read.cash/@Fexonice1/some-facts-about-the-bch-gang-gamfi-nft-project-f6ca4b0c
Kensho Contract Address:
0xFD325598bbB5672f8136A5b35885722a3d440aE0
Main Website:
https://main.nftclub.cash/
Minting Website:
https://nftclubcash.github.io/
Staking Website:
https://app.nftclub.cash/
Telegram:
https://t.me/NFTClubOfficial
***DISCLAIMER: THIS IS BY NO MEANS A FINANCIAL ADVICE AND I WOULD SUGGEST YOU DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH BEFORE JUMPING ON ANY PROJECT. THE ARTICLE IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY AND I ONLY WANTED TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE.***
Let me say special thanks to @foryoubtc09 for the sponsorship renewal, I very much appreciate your unwavering support.
It is a Chance
Today has been a roller-coaster day for me, I had started by doing laundry I have been postponing for the past 3 days or so, after which I went to do some heavy lifting for my mom, during which I felt a sharp pain on my right back. I am writing this evening and can still feel the pain. Of course before I had started the work I was feeling somewhat feverish. Actually, I have been feeling this way for about three days now and haven't done anything in particular. My plan is actually to get tested so I know what exactly problem is, so, until then.
I had a shower after all the work and napped almost immediately trying to convince myself I was just stressed and that was why I was feeling feverish. Nothing a good afternoon sleep can't fix. Boy was I wrong! I woke up and got on the phone with a friend of mine. A call that had ended with heart ache. Today is not my day, is it? Body ache, Headache and Heartache all in one day. There is only so much aches I can endure. LoL
Moving own from my day, I remember about 5 weeks ago I had gone to the football field in my community to watch football and was telling a guy about read.cash and was shocked at how he had blatantly said it was a scam and he has stopped involving himself in such things. One of the reason I had decided to tell him was because I know he is a writer and a good one at that as a graduate of English language.
He began telling me about his experiences online and how he was asked to pay money before he could register on the website. I then told him that he didn't need to pay to register here and that it was free. He stopped for a moment and asked me how that was sustainable. The problem was that my phone was already bad at that time and I wasn't with any phone at that time to explain to him, neither was he with a phone too. I assured him that I wouldn't tell him about it if I thought for a moment it was a scam. Well, I haven't seen him since then.
I can't say I blame this fellow for his scepticism, it is common, especially from those who had been a victim of one scam or the other. Of course it was his choice whether or not to believe what I had said to him. I still remember how I was when @Kushyzee was telling me about read.cash and all the questions I bombarded him with. Of course he showed me proof. I remember the laugh when I told him just writing and earning is too easy, who would have thought. Some weeks ago, I saw on someone's WhatsApp status and I quote:
***"You will remain poor if you believe everything online is a scam"***
Perhaps the statement stem from the belief that the world is moving at a fast pace. Even though there are a lot of frivolous act on the internet by desperate people who wants to feed off the sweat of others, there are also many opportunities on the internet.
Experience they say is the best teacher so I can understand why people who have lost money through schemes will not be so easy to convince about a platform you can write on and earn. Seems too good to be true. I also never involved myself in any of those online ponzi schemes where you invest your money and it will double within 1-3 days. I have always believed money well earned will be money well spent. If you feel read.cash is too good to be true, try writing for a month straight and see if it is easy. That is not to say that you can not earn money overnight, it is very much possible in the world of crypto.
In conclusion, we never know where our luck may shine, so if you do find something legit with a strong foundation. Try it out and see what comes out of it. I remember words I used to recite in my secondary school and I will leave you with it:
*"An opportunity is never a privilege*
*it is a chance, it comes once in a while*
*when it comes your way, make good use of it*
*the world is not also smooth*
*it is full of both fortunes and misfortunes*
*an opportunity lost today may never be regained*
*till the black hair turns grey"*
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Thanks to @gertu13 for the sponsorship renewal, I appreciate your continuous support ma'am.
We Rise By Lifting Others
It is already past 8pm when I started writing this article, so I'll say a good evening to you beautiful people. I had made a short post Two days ago saying I'll be away from read until further notice. As fate would have it, I am back here in less that two days. Two reasons have led to me making the short post on Saturday, both of which seemed to have been resolved yesterday. Special thanks to @Ellawrites for her words of encouragement as I explained the situation to her on Sunday morning.
It had started raining when I was having the conversation with her on WhatsApp and the weather remained cool afterwards. I like cool weather like the one we had yesterday. I had spent most of the day sleeping and catching up with a series I have been postponing for almost 3 months now. Then I remembered a conversation that had happened weeks ago and what I had wanted to write about it.
The Igbos are one of the major ethnic groups in my country Nigeria. Known for their *love* for money and keen sense for business, they have been described by a man as '*Progress spreaders*'. He had said this simply because of the way they conduct themselves in business. Typically, an Igbo business man will take a young boy or teenager from his hometown and groom him over a period of time (usually years) so he learns the art of the trade he's into. After he's learnt the trade, the businessman settles his apprentice for all his years of service by setting up a business of his own for him.
Until the man said it, I never knew the man was responsible for setting up his apprentice. Although, I have always seen that the apprentice usually start up an exact trade too. My thought was that, perhaps, family members of the apprentice had come together to raise money for him to start up his own business. That has led me to always see this setup as flawed.
Somewhat like the child had been taken away from his family and all he has known since he was old enough to know anything without having a say in the matter. Surely this decisions I strongly believe are not his; at least not entirely. But one can see the whole point. What if he wanted to go to school and become a medical doctor, an engineer or something he felt was his passion? Anything but that trade he has been forced into.
Surely there is some positive to this arrangement long as every agreement and promise is fulfilled. It would also be unreasonable of me to not admit that there are those who want said arrangement for themselves maybe because they want to be a successful businessman too or just want to do something *meaningful* with their time.
There is a popular saying that '**WE RISE BY LIFTING OTHERS'.** Whether these so called businessmen take someone under their tutelage so they can be more successful or so they can brag about those they've *changed* their lives is not what I am interested in. Truth is they have done what they have done and all things being equal, we can say that they have changed someone's life for better. Not just that someone, but many others too that will benefit from the act. Because the cycle of apprenticeship continues.
I have said in my article **Making an Impact** that I feel wealth should be used to impact lives, but as I said, I cannot tell a man how to spend money he has earned. I believe important questions are: what difference you made? What is your legacy? What will you be remembered for? I have said that should I become a wealthy man, I will try as much as I can to make a difference and change people's life. The government of a country is primarily supposed to do this for people in the country. Unfortunately, I have lost all hope in the government of my country. https://read.cash/@Aimure/making-an-impact-0b598a9c
I want to thank those who showed concern on my last post about me going MIA. I am happy to say that I am here now, hopefully, to stay.
Special thanks to @Mictorrani for the sponsorship renewal, I really appreciate your unending support and would like to apologise it is coming late.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Dear readers, it is with disappointment I announce to you guys that I may not be as active as before for the next few days or weeks, depending on how things go. Not sure I will publish any article too in that time. I will miss reading your beautiful articles and stories. No sure how long I'll be inactive, but I assure you all that you'll be in my thoughts. I hope to be back as soon as possible so I can continue this wonderful journey with you all.
Until then, stay safe and happy.
Yours truly,
Aimure
Adulthood And Nostalgia of Childhood
Earlier I was going through my notifications and stumbled on GarrethGrey's "Unnamed: My Imaginary friend" and it brought back memories of childhood. So I thought: Why not write about this. Reading her post had brought back memories of my childhood. https://read.cash/@GarrethGrey07/unnamed-my-imaginary-friend-84ce6685
Childhood was fun! A lot of young adults and adults often wish they can return to the days they used to live carefree. I remember as a child, I had little or no chores to do. The only thing there was to do is to brush and have a bath. If you have done this in the morning, you are free from my mom's scolding.
As a child, the only thing I ever worry about is how to go and play with other children in the neighbourhood and after playing with them, I come home and sleep like a log of wood in the night. I didn't have to worry about what to cook or what to eat. Anything I was served was acceptable. I wasn't picky, neither was I a whiner.
I remember all the visitors we'd have in our house (family and non-family) and how they'd always give money without me asking. Money that would be wasted on frivolous things such as sweets and biscuits and if it was Christmas, rest assured the money will be spent on knockouts.
Looking back, I remember Christmas eve was spent bragging about the Chicken and different meat my mom had bought from the market and also about the clothes dad had bought for me. The clothes I would wear on Christmas day after devouring a plate of rice and meats that mom had served me. After which I would wear my new clothes and visit all the adults I was familiar with in their homes one after the other. Oh the sweet innocence.
Comparing my childhood days to my adulthood are two ends of a pole. Being in the university particularly hasn't been easy. The struggle has always been finding a balance between the 3S - Study, Self, Social life - I have to worry every day about what to eat. Even though I don't care most of the time, eating right too is another problem to worry about too.
Even though it was easy to socialise and play with the other kids as a child, I have not been able to replicate that as an adult. I wouldn't say I am antisocial, I also wouldn't say I am social. I am somewhere in-between and most times my socialising with others is greatly dependent on my mood.
Let's not forget the pressure that comes with meeting up responsibilities and the expectations of others, as well as the unending disappointments that weigh us down when we do not meet those expectations. Little wonder why every adult wants to return to their childhood. *You really don't know what you have until it is gone.* Which begs the thought of whether I would look back to this time in my old age and wish I could come back to this time and cherish it more than I am doing now.
**CONCLUSION**
I had started writing this article yesterday night hoping to post it after when I got a call and subsequently a mood swing. I looked back at the laptop and thought whether or not to continue. I realised I had become disinteredted, so I just close the laptop, go have a shower and laid on the bed. Took the phone to check WhatsApp for messages I had missed all day. That was how I dozed off.
Woke up about 4 hours later and it was morning, the start of a new day. I had to leave the house early with my uncle to help him with one thing and we ended up doing another. How did I get to this?
It is a basic summary of what adulthood is. Mood swings, Little or no sleep and things to do when it is dawn. Sometimes, you intend doing one thing and end up doing another thing entirely. This is where I sign off now.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Appreciation of Mother's Love
It is the 20th day of April and for the past couple of days, I have lost track of date and time seems to move fast sometimes and slow other times. It has been a month my Field Practical Training ended, and that is to say I have been home for one month now. Although, I have been sleeping less than I usually do, I can't help but wonder what is it I really do with my time.
Ever since I had gained admission into the university I have been spending a lot of time away from my immediate family as my school is located in another state from where they are. I would always come home on holidays so I can spend time with them and each time I arrive my mom is always the first person to welcome me, almost like she knew exactly when I'd arrive and where to wait for me.
The first thing she'd always do is give me a hug. I have come to suspect it as a way of examining how much weight I had lost, as she would always look at me with a sad expression afterwards and sigh saying that I had lost a lot of weight. I would always ask her if she was expecting me to come back with more weight.
This evening, my younger sister returned home too after concluding her first semester exam in her sophomore year. My mom had shouted at how much weight she had lost and couldn't stop emphasizing how visible her neck bone is. The prominence of the neck bone has always been a yardstick to measure how much weight you have gain. It is the most important thing used in judging whether or not you had lost weight or you are gaining weight.
It is no news that mothers can be overly dramatic as they usually exaggerate matters. But this is born out of love, concern and care they have towards their child(ren). I have always believed that the purest love is the love of a mother. Some can argue that why wouldn't a mother love their offspring after all the pain and ordeal they had gone through during pregnancy and childbirth because of the child.
Let's look at it this way; why would you love someone so much despite all the pains of pregnancy and childbirth? Truth is that the love of a mother is a natural instinct. I believe mothers see their child as an extension of themselves. As a person, I can imagine watching a doctor bring out another human from inside me and thinking this is literally flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. Having two cells come together inside of you and continue to undergo what **Derek Llewellyn-Jones** had described as ***A WONDROUS GROWTH*** for about 40 weeks.
Mothers are very special they sacrifice every thing for their offspring, even their own happiness. Long as their child(ren) is happy, they are happy. Just the other day, I was watching a documentary on Nat Geo Wild, and this mother leopard had to attack another male leopard just to protect her cub from it. The bravery. I had found that to be a raw expression of the love of a mother for her offspring.
I remember I used to laugh at hens with new chicks when they open their feathers anytime I go close to them. Even though there is a huge difference in size, they are never scared to protect their chicks no matter how big the intruder is. But make no mistake, they might be small, but you don't want to mess with a mother hen, they attack with the kind of ferocity that is opposite to their size.
That is not to say that all mothers are responsible and willing to love and care for their child(ren) as there has been cases of mothers abandoning their babies on the road or leaving them at the care of their fathers or relations or strangers.
***Disclaimer: This is not by any means intended to vilify fathers or demean their efforts as parents. It is a special article dedicated specially to mothers and aimed to remind them that their efforts are very much appreciated (At least by me).***
With that said, I want to make a special shout-out to mothers I know on this platform @BCH_LOVER @GarrethGrey07 @tired_momma @rodriguezpct @Theblackdoll @Trifecta among others. All your motherly efforts are appreciated.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
The Smell of Rain...
This is the continuation of my previous article, you can read the first part **A Little Deeper****.** Let's get on with it, shall we? https://read.cash/@Aimure/a-little-deeper-8aa5cce1
**Do you like ice in your drinks?**
Not exactly, I like my drinks cold but not with ice in them. I feel ice melts, and dilutes the drink, thus, reducing its quality.
**What are you afraid of?**
I would say failure is my biggest fear and I mean failure in every sense. I am really scared of failing, especially in things I put work in.
**What is your favourite scent?**
Don't think I have any favourite scent, but I like the smell of rain, new money, new books and nail polish. Hahaha. Weird right? Hold on, I also like the smell of petrol too.
**Do you address older people by their first or last name?**
Depends on what they are comfortable with, the setting and our kind of relationship. There are older people I address with their first name as well as their last name. Most times, I just call them ***Sir*** or ***Ma.***
**If money was not a factor, how would you live your life?**
I'd travel the world if money wasn't a factor. That is really something I want to do. I want to *witness* the world. Travelling is expensive and you need to make money before you can think of travelling the world.
**Do you prefer swimming in pools or in the ocean?**
Hahaha. Do people go to swim in oceans? I prefer pools.
**What would you do if you found $50 on the ground?**
I will definitely pick it up, dust it and thank the anonymous person sent to make me $50 richer as I walk away. Perhaps help another person with part of the money too.
**Have you ever seen a shooting star? Did you make a wish?**
I have seen a shooting star once, but didn't make a wish. I don't believe in such things, sadly. It was a beautiful sight though.
**What is one thing you would want to teach your children?**
As a parent, I will definitely teach my kids how to be readers for sure. That would open and edify their mind.
**If you had to have a tattoo, what would it be and where would you get it?**
Haven't thought of this before, because I don't ever want to get a tattoo. I guess I'll get the YIN-YANG symbol on my forearm. Always liked the symbol.
**What can you hear right now?**
The sound of the ceiling fan and the TV because my elder sister is watching a movie on the TV.
**Where do you feel the safest?**
I would say home, which is my father's house as I don't have mine yet. Except for my lodge in the university. There is this peace I feel when at home. Maybe it is because I don't have to worry much about things like what to eat.
**What is one thing you want to overcome/conquer?**
My unforgiving nature. When people hurt me, I find it hard to forgive and let it go. That doesn't necessarily mean I do them harm or keep malice. I may just keep it bottled inside and act like things are normal or it is forgotten.
**If you could travel back to any era, which would you choose?**
I want to stay in this era please. But if I have to go back, I will pick the Early Modern Era definitely!
**What is your most used emoji?**
Has to be the black moon emoji or the laughing emoji, I am not sure which.
**What is your favourite season? Why?**
In Nigeria, we have two seasons (Rainy and Harmattan). Both have something I like, but I prefer rainy season to dry season. Simply because of the smell of rain and the coolness that comes with it.
**How would you spend your ideal day?**
On the bed, hooked with a good book, fast internet and every other necessities hahaha.
**Describe yourself using one word.**
Complex.
**What do you regret the most?**
Not sure exactly as I don't have regrets or hold on to them per se. Though there is something that happened some months ago and I *regret* not saying my mind about it to the other person.
**Invent your own word. What does it mean?**
**AIMURE -** Not taking home. Haha. That is the rough translation of my name in my dialect.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
A Little Deeper
I decided to make my own version of these questions after reading @ARTicLEE version of it. You can read them on his profile here. I must admit I found the questions worthy of writing about. Without any further delay let's begin, shall we? https://read.cash/@ARTicLEE
***Do you prefer writing with black or blue pen?***
I actually love black pens, so I usually buy them when buying pens. I feel they make my writing look better, So, if you ever see me using a blue pen, know I didn't buy it with my money. Hahaha
***Would you prefer to live in the country or the city?***
This is difficult. You often find the hustle and bustle in the city. I do fancy a quiet serene environment the country side will offer, so I may likely choose that.
***If you could learn a new skill, what would it be?***
I most definitely would want to learn software engineering, I have recently started to like that skill, as I believe it is the skill of the future.
***Do you drink your tea or coffee with sugar?***
In my country Nigeria, we usually call hot chocolate tea. I don't drink coffee much because of its caffeine content. On the other hand, I was drinking black tea every day for the first two months of the year. I stopped because the taste no longer had that great effect on me anymore. Let me give it some time. Hahaha
***What was your favourite book as a child?***
It was MY BOOK OF BIBLE STORIES. It was a common book in country at that time and it was a compilation of different stories in the bible, I loved reading it as a kid and familiarised myself with the stories in them.
***Do you prefer baths or showers?***
Never had a bath in a tub, so I'll pick showers. Only wealthy people have the luxury of installing a bath tub in their bathroom.
***If you could be a mythical creature, which would you choose?***
I am caught between a Pegasus and a fairy, What both have in common is wings. I think I'll choose a fairy because of the magic and they are so cute too.
***Do you prefer reading paper or electronic book?***
I prefer hard copies, reading e-books makes me lazy and I am easily distracted from notifications and all. So, Hard copies it is. Plus, I love the smell of books, both new and old.
***What is your favourite item of clothing?***
Not sure I really understand this question. But, if it is asking about something I like wearing a lot, it will definitely be a vest. I love wearing them especially when I am at home.
***Do you like your name? Would you ever change it?***
Hahaha. I absolutely like my names and wouldn't want to change it. Maybe add to it, but not change it.
***Who is a mentor to you?***
Anyone who guides me in the right path of life whether or not we are related by blood and i have a handful of such people in my life at the moment.
***Would you ever want to be famous? If so, what for?***
I wouldn't want to be famous. People often poke their noses into personal lives of famous people and I for one do not like that as I am a private person.
***Are you a restless sleeper?***
Long as every thing is right, I am not a restless sleeper. I sleep peacefully. Just the other day, my cousin was watching me sleep and when I woke up, she told me that I sleep in a weird way as I was in one position and wasn't moving. Perhaps that was why she was watching me hahahaha.
***Do you consider yourself a romantic?***
I am an avid romantic, but that depends mostly on my state of mind. I can kill you with romance when I want to be romantic and cheesy.
***Which element best represents you?***
I'd say water; gentle as it strong, calm as it is fierce. water is life and because it exists in different states makes it more apealling to me.
***Who do you want to be closer to?***
I'd say all my relatives. They are so many that the percentage I know is not up to 50% of my entire relatives. Also, the percentage I am close to is not up to half of the ones I know.
***Do you miss someone at the moment?***
Yes, I do miss some persons, most of them are in another state and another of them is abroad too.
***Tell us about an early childhood memory.***
I remember a time I had played street football the last day of the year (December 31st), I sprained my ankle and as punishment for my stubbornness, my mum didn't let me stay at home. I had to walk to church for the crossover night celebration with a sprained ankle, not to mention starting a new year with one. Haha
***What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?***
I would say monkey. I remember coming home, going straight to open the fridge and taking the first thing I saw to eat which I didn't know was monkey meat. The taste made me spit it out in the sink and I asked my dad what it was. Got my answer and I think it scarred me, I felt like I had eaten a forbidden food. 😂😂😂😂
***What can you see outside your bedroom window?***
Another building is basically what I can see. Even in my hostel in the university too.
***What are you most thankful for?***
For life. Really, that's all one should be most thankful for. Oh yes, maybe for the fact that oxygen if free too. 😂😂
***Do you like spicy food?***
I do not like spicy food. My taste buds are sensitive to every thing spicy.
***Have you ever met someone famous?***
Yeah, I have met a couple of famous people, but haven't exactly interacted with them one-on-one.
***Do you keep a diary or a journal?***
Used to keep a journal back in 2018, but I lost it in 2019, somewhere between the library and my faculty in school. That was my first true heart break. 😂😂
***What is your star sign?***
Considering my date of birth, I would be Pisces. I don't believe in it though, It has been labelled pseudoscience by some.
*To be continued...*
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Rules Are Not to be Broken
Hello beautiful people. I am feeling quite tired so much so that I can't find the strength to think of a reason I am tired. Even though there are so many drafts I could have completed or prompts I could have responded to, I decided to write a new article from scratch, lets save those for the real dry days.
This article I was supposed to have written days ago, but only remembered today. So, I said: Why not? It was inspired by an event that happened last Tuesday. I had to wake early to see off my young cousin to her tutorial and one of our neighbour's son who also attended the same tutorial as my cousin accompanied us. Getting to the gate, the security personnel had sent him back because he was wearing knicker, which was against the rules.
He had no choice but to go back home and change into a long trouser before he can be allowed in. As we walked back home, I was lost in my own thoughts as he was complaining and whining about the extra stress he has to go through just because... As I found my way back to reality, he was talking about how he used to see others wear the knicker shorts he had worn and they were not sent back. That the first time he decided to wear the knicker shorts was when they decided to send him back.
As he spoke, I couldn't help but think of the lessons in his story. I asked him if he wore the knickers because he had seen others wear it and got away with the consequences and he answered NO. Since it has been established that he knew wearing Knicker was against the rules, I wanted to know why he still decided to do what is against the rules. Aren't humans all kind of funny? I supposed he just wanted to be the *teenager* he is.
Personally, I have always liked rules. Although, I have always felt the impulsive desire to break them, my belief that rules is the fence that separates our path from animalistic savagery. I remember when I joined read.cash, I had spent the most of the first week reading old articles of the admin, and of course the one by @TheRandomRewarder **Have I tipped you?** over and over again. This is because I wanted to familiarize myself with all or most of the rules, so I don't break any out of ignorance - Which as we all know, is not an excuse. You see, sometimes we may be tempted to break the rule simply because other people are breaking them and getting away with it. Even though others are escaping punishment, it doesn't mean we will escape the consequences too. We just might be the scapegoat needed to show everyone what happens when we break the rules. https://read.cash/@TheRandomRewarder/have-i-tipped-you-a12541ca
Truth be told, it takes discipline to adhere strictly to rules, especially when you don't agree with them. Many a time, I have found myself fallen for the impulse to dare the rules. Bend it almost to its breaking point. But , when you sit and think about it, you will find that bending the rule is not the same as breaking it. You can make yourself feel better by thinking you have found a way around the rule,the shocker is that you are still within the limits of the rule.
The life can be summarised to be one of cause and effect. Every action has its consequences, if you want to go against the rule you should be ready to bear the consequences of your action.
I had asked the young boy if he would ever wear knickers again and he said he wouldn't. Then I asked what if they had let him in, would he had never wear the knicker again? This time, he wasn't sure which answer to give this time around. Then I casually asked if he had learned from his ordeal and he answered YES.
I smiled and said: **DON'T DO WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING BECAUSE THEY ARE DOING IT**
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Special thanks to my newest sponsor @Lara888 I really appreciate the support Doc
How to Use read.cash, Its Features And Tools For Better Experience - Part 3
Didn't think I'll be writing another article for this series, but it had I had to 'on request'. You can catch the first two parts by clicking the link below:
**How to Use read.cash, Its Features And Tools For Better Experience -** **1** https://read.cash/@Aimure/how-to-use-readcash-its-features-and-tools-for-better-experience-part-1-2f3562f8
**How to Use read.cash, Its Features And Tools For Better Experience -** **2** https://read.cash/@Aimure/how-to-use-readcash-its-features-and-tools-for-better-experience-part-2-98d11698
Uploading Pictures
@Ellawrites had wanted to learn how to upload pictures from her phone gallery according to her comments in the last part of this series and I promised to write this. Even though it has taken about a week to do so. I apologise for the delay. I hope new or old members too can find it useful too.
From the screenshot above, which I believe we are all familiar with, you can easily search for pictures from unsplash using the search icon. All you have to do is type in a key detail you want the picture to show, depending on what you want. To upload pictures from your gallery, you should click on ***'upload image from your device'***.
The pop up in the screenshot below will appear, then click on ***files*** if the image you want to upload is already stored on your device, or ***camera*** if you want to take the image immediately using your phone camera.
**NOTE**: The pop up in the screenshot above may be different with different device. But it is more or less the same thing.
>The above screenshot too varies among different devices. Clicking on **Recent** shows your photos, but sorted from the most recently saved. Most times, I just click on Gallery, so it opens my photo gallery according to my folders and I can just open any of the folder to pick the photo I want.
Sponsorship
This was one of the complex things I had to learn as a new member on read.cash. I remember being in awe anytime I open an article to read and at the end see pictures of other writers, used to give me a sense that the writer whose article I had opened must be really good for so many people to sponsor them.
I remember when Kushyzee was explaining it to me and found it too complex a process and pushed it off till when I was ready to sponsor someone. I believe it is one of the best features on this platform; being able to support other writers and other writers supporting you too. It is the foundation on which this platform is built, which I believe is the major reason everyone here is like family. An online platform where all members of an extended family from around the world can interact with one another and support each other too.
@Lara888 one of the family doctors had asked to know how she can support other members of the family. Hehehe. Sorry it is coming late Doc, I am sure you can start supporting those writers you want to after reading this.
From the screenshot above, when you want to sponsor any writer, you click on **Become a sponsor** on their sponsor's block which can be found on their articles or on their profile.
On the next page, you'll click on Become a sponsor again, as shown in the screenshot above.
Next, there will be a pop up on the screen, where you'll click NEXT
After that, you'll see a page like the one above which shows you what other sponsors are paying and their position on the sponsors block. The amount you're sponsoring with determines your position on the sponsors block. For example, from the screenshot above, if I decide to sponsor the writer with $0.20, I will automatically occupy the #3 position on the sponsors block. That is because my $0.20 is bigger than the $0.15 in the #3 spot, but lesser than the $0.33 in the #2 spot. I hope that is clear? If not, leave a comment and I'll shed more light on that.
The next page allows you to put in the amount you wish to sponsor the writer with. You can put in any amount you want, as someone will always say to me: *"It is the thought that counts".*
The next page, which is the screenshot above is the last step, which requires you to do three things:
Upload the logo/picture you want to show on the sponsors block;
Put in name you want to pop up when people move the mouse to your logo (On PC);
Add a link that will open when people click on your logo on the sponsors block (Usually read.cash profile link).
**NOTE**: These three tasks must be completed before the next/confirm button pops up at the bottom.
After all has been confirmed, a notification will be sent to the user which will tell them who wants to sponsor them and the amount they want to sponsor them with and of course, the option to either accept or reject the sponsorship request.
After the sponsorship has been approved, you'll get a notification to send money to them. Open and click on '**send money**' which will be in yellow. You will the put in the amount and send. Your logo will appear when the transaction is completed, which is usually almost instantly.
Not to worry, as you don't have to repeat the process again when you want to renew the sponsorship, you'll get a notification the do that a week before it ends, and all it requires is for you to **'Send money'** from the sponsorship menu - Where you can see the due date, amount and option to cancel sponsorship any you want to.
CONCLUSION
This brings an end to ***How to Use read.cash, Its Features And Tools For Better Experience*** series. If you have any question about anything I have or haven't talked about, feel free to ask any question in the comment section. I hope @Ellawrites and @Lara888 as well as new and old users find this helpful.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Special thanks to @Theblackdoll for the sponsorship renewal, I appreciate your unending support. Thank you very much <3.
Easier is Not Always Better
Today I had a long nap, this is worthy of mention because it is unlike me to sleep during the day for that long. I suppose not sleeping well the past days has caught up with me, you can't cheat nature they say. Well, the idea for this article came up sometime last week or so when I made a comment on a post by @Lara888 **Hate is Heavy, Let it Go !!** I had made a comment saying: https://read.cash/@Lara888/hate-is-heavy-let-it-go-03f1850d
*"Isn't it easier to love someone, why'd I choose to hate them, giving myself unnecessary burden"*
She replied my comment saying
*"Love is not easier, but better! Hate has a heavy burden on our hearts and minds, of course love is better"*
It made me think about writing this article. As a person, when given or faced with a task, I usually think of the easiest way and fastest way to complete the task. Most times, I usually find a way to achieve my goal, other times, my easier and faster way may cause complications I do not want to happen or that I should avoid, so I have no choice but to do it the hard way; which is sometimes is the best way.
I have mentioned in one of my previous articles about my uncle who never stops giving advice to people. The other day I was listening to him advise his younger brother and I thought in my head how well he would have fared if he pursued a career in counselling. LoL. Anyway, something he would always tell me is that life is a step-by-step journey and one should not be in a hurry so they do not misstep.
I couldn't agree more, I have always been a fan of orderliness and step by step processes. My uncle would always say that if one doesn't take life one step at a time because they are in too much of hurry to follow and trust the process, one would make mistakes they will end up regretting on the long run and that can also lead to a fall back to ground zero.
In my country, impatience and desire for fast money has led many youths to indulge in internet fraud also known as *'Yahoo Yahoo'*. You see a lot of young people and even teenagers who want to get rich quick that they start indulging in internet fraud just to scam people of their hard-earned money. They have even named it '*hustle*'. Hearing that is always strange to me because I was used to hearing hustle used for people who are hardworking and would do anything legal to make money, now it is a fancy term for fraud.
Nigerians on the platform would agree with me that these fraudsters are usually big spenders. I think the way they lavish money simply tells on how easy it was for them to get it. If you worked hard to earn money, however huge the money might be, you will never spend it carelessly. You often find them buying fancy cars and staying in hotels all day and clubs all night when the money is there. But when it has been blown away, they go back to their small apartments with many occupants which they commonly call **HK** (I have forgotten what it means).
An excerpts from the book The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born goes:
“Teacher, my wife explained to me, step by step, that life was like a lot of roads: long roads, short roads, wide and narrow, steep and level, all sorts of roads. Next, she let me know that human beings were like so many people driving their cars on all these roads. This was the point at which she told me that those who wanted to get far had to learn to drive fast. And then she asked me what name I would give to people who were afraid to drive fast, or to drive at all. I had no name to give her, but she had not finished. Accidents would happen, she told me, but fear of accidents would never keep men from driving, and Joe Koomson had learned to drive.”
- Ayi kwei Armah
Joe Koomson in the excerpt above was a corrupt politician in the book. Now, imagine what the wife had said about him.
Even now, people still praise these fraudsters in my country, I guess they can be referred to as those who have metaphorically learned how to drive and navigate their way faster to the land of success.
**CONCLUSION**
I am not saying that one can't achieve success through easy means, I am merely saying that easy means aren't always the best means and that Mr. A had it easy doesn't mean Mr. B will have it easy too. We can only hope to be lucky and for favour too.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Marriage is Not Do or Die
This is literally the third article I am starting this night, I had stopped the first halfway to start the second which I also stopped half way to start this now. I seem to be having an overload of what to write about today which wasn't the case yesterday. I had said in my previous article that I was feeling lazy physically and mentally. But today, I seem to be firing on all engines. LoL.
I believe one of the trending topics in the mouth of many people in my country is a recent news about a woman dying because of domestic violence. I am not really sure what happened there, but I have heard bits and pieces of the story over the last couple of days. What I do know is that a woman had died because of domestic violence. Also, this is not the first time said woman has been a victim of domestic violence in the same marriage.
Earlier today, as I was passing by a market I overheard two market traders talking about marriage, I heard one of them saying in our pidgin English;
"Once a man raises his hand on you in marriage, you shouldn't continue with that marriage"
Although I didn't stop to hear a good part of the conversation, I had suspected the news about the dead woman was the reason behind the conversation. I have always been an avid antagonist of domestic violence.
I wonder why a man who is supposed to be the protector of his family will be the one his family needs protection from. Why would a man raise his hands against a woman he supposedly *'loves'* enough to go into marriage with? What is even more surprising is women who still stay in such abusive marriage.
I have seen people say that no matter the trials and challenges in a marriage, you should endure and try to overcome. I say to you that some *'challenges'* are huge red flags and if ever a man you're married to ever raises his hands to physically abuse you, I say RUN FOR YOUR DEAR LIFE! As it is those who had advised you to endure will be the first to reprimand you for staying.
I am not saying you abandon your marriage should any little problem arise. Truth is that a lot of people go into marriage for different reasons, one of which is for procreation. Procreation alone is not good enough reason to go into a marriage. There are other ways to have a progeny of your own.
Unfortunately, we live in a society where the responsibility of keeping a marriage whole falls to the wife. Shouldn't it be a collective effort of both the husband and the wife? It is common for a woman to be condemned if she leaves a man for whatever reason. The society doesn't care if your life was in danger, or about your happiness, you should stay "for better or worse".
I will always tell males and females alike that marriage is not compulsory, neither is it necessary to live a fulfilled life. It is just that society has over time painted marriage to be what it really isn't. Happiness is not guaranteed in marriage, unless of there is LOVE between the two people who are willing to fight for their love against all odds, while respecting each other too.
In conclusion, I am no marriage counselor, neither am I an expert. In fact, I have never been married neither does it seem likely that I will be marrying anytime soon. But what I can say is that I have been around long enough to learn a thing or two from other people's experience with marriage and the society at large. All these together with my personal perspective have created this article.
Times are changing and we are past the time where women have no choice but to endure the misery that comes with an abusive marriage. There is nothing more important than peace and happiness and a marriage should embody these things.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Undulating Thoughts: Schrodinger's Paradox And Emotional Sentiments
I had started this article with everything and nothing to write. I didn't get to publish any article yesterday as I didn't have the time to write one or like I told someone, the conditions were not right. Truth is that yesterday I had several topics to write about but couldn't. Now, I have the time to write, but all the things I wanted to write about now seem insufficient. It probably is because I woke up today feeling lazy and this seem to have affected my creative writing too. Perhaps I am making excuses for myself. Anyway, I have decided to compose my thoughts into one and make an article of it.
Schrodinger's Cat
I found myself thinking about this cat a lot these past days. The cat is an hypothetical cat in a thought experiment in quantum mechanics. It simply postulates that is a cat is placed in a sealed box with something that has a 50-50 chance of killing the cat, the cat can be thought to be both dead or alive unless the box is opened can we be sure. I can't help but wonder about the uncertain condition of this hypothetical cat. Of course, in the last couple of days, of course I have related this hypothetical cat to my approach of practically everything, especially my relationships in general.
Every now and then, we meet someone new, as we bond over time and get to know each other better, there might be need to start a new relationship with the once-upon-a-time stranger. I don't think I ever told any of my friends I wanted to be friends with them, it just sort of happened. Recently, one of my classmate told someone on the internet she wanted to be friends with her. I believe this puts a certain awkward obligation between the two people because they are supposed to be friends. In that situation, I could ask the other person a question and they might feel obligated to answer even when they don't want to.
I recently tilted towards the direction of letting things play out how they want to play out, some might say i go with the flow. I think it is more of the Schrodinger approach. I just assume the state of the hypothetical cat is uncertain, so wait until it is time to open the box. Of course I may put my ear down to hear for any movement the cat may make just to be sure if it is alive or dead. This may seem somewhat philosophical, but if you really read through, you may get the metaphors.
Does Fair Really Exist?
Even in my best reading year, not once have I picked up a romance novel to read. Contrast to what I had just said, I have always enjoyed watching the expression of love. There is something that arrests my attention when I see two people expressing love for each other. I LOVE LOVE, or do I say I love WATCHING the expression of love be it romantic or unromantic.
In my observation of lovers, despite all the happiness that comes with love and being in love with another, there is a downside to it. Love clouds logic. Having this strong emotion makes us see only those whom we have this emotion for through a telescope. We put them on a pedestal no one else is and whatever serves them and perhaps us is what is fair. When the person we love wants something, it doesn't matter who needs it. Even the best of us are guilty of this sentiment. Perhaps, all is indeed fair in love.
CONCLUSION
I am not sure if what I have written makes any sense at all, but I still want to write it anyway. Unfortunately, even this mental exercise didn't help my brain become sharp. I guess I'll sleep it off tonight and be sharper with my words tomorrow. My eyes are half closed right now as I write this.
Special thanks to @gertu13 for the sponsorship renewal, I very much appreciate your support ma'am
Story Without Electricity And a Blast From The Past
Electricity has been a major problem all over my country for more or less the past 3 weeks. The government had said that there was a problem with the national grid, but it had already been taken care of only for me to read on twitter yesterday that there is a new problem with the national grid. Although, electricity in my vicinity was back to normal last week Tuesday, I could still hear the cry of other people both on the News, social media and of course, read.cash.
Just when I was starting to enjoy the stability of power supply, a windy rain decided to blow my enjoyment into thin air (I mean this literally and metaphorically). On Wednesday this week, the sound of the wind blowing against everything it could had woken me up from my beauty sleep, didn't need a fortuneteller to tell me what will come next, so I had to get up to close the window. It didn't take long before the rain started beating its droplets against everything outside.
Just when the breeze had started blowing, the electricity supply went off, but it didn't matter, as the rain would bring with it the coolness I the light had taken away. So, I went back to sleep and woke up about two hours later. I had expected the light to come back before or just after it had stopped raining. Much to my disappointment and shock, it didn't. I went out later in the evening with my cousin to the supermarket to buy some groceries and was shocked to see that there was light in the the area, but not at the house. i would expect anything that affects us affects every area around.
Up till this moment, electrical power had not been restored. I heard that the distribution pole carrying current to the estate had fallen down because of the rain on Wednesday morning. I wonder how long it takes to fix that sort of problem. It is the weekend and I sincerely am not expecting power to be restored before Monday as technicians of the distribution company usually don't work on weekends.
Since Wednesday, we have been running on generator. My problem with this is that we can't run the generator all through the night as there is a community law against it. For *'security'* reasons, all generator must be turned off at midnight. This is when the torture starts. Even if I open the window it seems all the breeze outside made a pact to not enter the house, like it is a forbidden to blow into the house. To further compound the heat of the night, the musical vampires come out of their hiding to feast and dine on me. Nature and circumstances had provided all they needed.
I can categorically say I haven't had a decent night sleep since Wednesday. Lack of sleeps makes me cranky, I woke up this morning with a headache and up till this moment, my head is banging. I don't know if it is the effects of the mosquito bites I have been exposed to the last three nights or the lack of good sleep. W
As I went out this evening to buy fuel for the generator, I had met one of my secondary school (high school) classmates. Not just my classmate, he was my seatmate in class until he dropped out of school. It was a pleasant surprise more so because he called me what he used to call me many years ago ***'Mathematician'***. I was overwhelmed with sentimental nostalgia, he asked if I was schooling and as I answered YES, he gave a reaction of affirmation, as though he'd be disappointed had I answered otherwise. I think the last time I saw him was about 10 years ago, but it was good to see him today. He hadn't changed much and I suppose I haven't too because he recognized me when he saw me.
We exchanged numbers immediately, as it seemed he was in a hurry to return to his workshop. I suspected a customer was waiting for him there. He promised to call me and direct me to see his workplace, so we can catch up. As I walked back home, I reminisced about about the circumstances behind his dropping out of school.
As my seatmate, he used to be absent from school a lot, so I asked him one day why he absents himself from school so much. He opened up and told me he lives with his uncle who is a mechanic and from the things he didn't say, I supposed he wasn't so keen on school, so he had to learn his uncle's trade. I think that was the reason he was staying with him in the first place. I remember telling him that it is better if he focused on one and leave the other. I was glad to see he was doing good, and has even setup his own workshop. A pleasant blast from the past.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Sweet Temptation And The Struggle of Balance
Hola gente guapa, I trust you have had a productive week? If, not, there are still one more day to go before the weeks ends. If you still can't this week, you have next week to be as productive as you can. That reminds me, I have always believed the week starts on a Sunday. But some other people feel the week starts from Monday, thus, why Sunday is considered part of the weekend.
I'd like to know which day you think begins the week. Feel free to leave a comment on that.
I have said in one or two of my previous articles that I am at home because the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are on strike in my country, a supposed warning strike that they have been extending every time the warning period ends. This would have been the year I completed my 5-year degree programme, but thanks to their incessant strike and the pandemic, it looks like I will be a graduate by next year (hopefully).
I want to use this opportunity to thank my benevolent sponsors for their support, I very much appreciate the effort and can't thank you all enough for the faith you've shown in me.
Anyway, I have been at home for two weeks now and the problem with this is the constant torture of resisting food. By food, I mean anything that you can it, be it junk or a proper meal. This struggle is compounded by the fact that I have no phone of my own to keep me busy doing other things (I am working towards rectifying that as soon as possible). I am the kind of guy who eats more when bored. Yes, when I am bored with nothing to do, I tend to eat more and never get full.
The only reason this is a struggle is because I had made a personal choice to eat healthy and maintain a healthy weight. You see, I have been blessed with the curse of gaining and losing weight easily, so it is difficult to maintain the particular weight both when I am at home and when school is in session.
I practically live two contrasting lifestyles at home and in school at home, I have to constantly resist the urge to eat, even when I do, I am careful not to over eat or eat too much fat and carbohydrate. In school on the other hand, you eat what you find, and no matter how much you eat, you never gain weight. The only thing you do is lose weight.
Of course I suppose someone is thinking why don't I just exercise more when I am at home. Truth is that I m usually lazy when at home and weirdly just prefer to rest and gain a little weight because I know I am still gonna lose them when school resumes, because I am more active in school. First of, I have to leave the house as early as (am in the morning, oftentimes, without having breakfast. I walk to and fro classes from Monday to Friday, and usually indulge in playing street football Saturday mornings. Not to mention the usual competitive football I play in in school. So, it is easy to lose which ever weight I have managed to gain while on holiday at home.
On one hand, I think it is strange for one to die from conditions which resulted from one's feeding habits. On the other hand, if one is to die, isn't it more logical to die from eating too much of every thing? I mean, eating is an important so, I can understand why one would *'overdo'* it. Doing the right thing right is never easy if we are being honest.
Well, so far, I have been doing well in resisting the food temptations. I have had only about four bottles of soft drink since in the past two weeks. Trust me when I say this is progress 😂 😂 . Since no One has an idea when the ongoing strike action will end, let me see how much more my resilience can be put to test, wish me luck.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
How to Use read.cash, Its Features And Tools For Better Experience - Part 2
Last week, I felt the need to make a post that would help the new users signing up on this platform on a daily basis, as at when I wrote the first part of the post, 88,000+ users had registered on read.cash. Earlier today I checked, and it was at 89,000+. Our read.cash is growing, and expect that number to continue to increase. This growth is particularly good for bitcoin cash, and I like to think SmartBCH too.
This article is the continuation of the first part I wrote two days ago, you can read the Part 1 of this series here, in case you missed it. I had specifically chose to use the mobile view in both articles because I believe most people use their phones, although it is basically the same with the web view, there are slight differences as it is with every website. But understanding the mobile version is enough to use both. https://read.cash/@Aimure/how-to-use-readcash-its-features-and-tools-for-better-experience-part-1-2f3562f8
Upvoting
One thing all of us will likely have done is either we have upvoted a post or comment twice because just to complete the amount because we didn't know how to go about it or to be or have accidentally upvoted a post or comment more than we wanted to. I have personally observed that a lot of people (especially new users) don't know they can customize the default amount shown on the menu for easier and faster upvote. By clicking on ***Edit defaults***, you can change the default amount(s) on the menu to whatever amount(s) you want and **save**, this will be the permanent amount any time you click on **UPVOTE**. This is also the case when you want to upvote comments too, because you have to edit for both articles and comments.
The ***custom*** option help you tip an amount that is not on your default amount, the only difference is that, it is a temporary thing. For instance, if my default amounts in dollar are: 1, 2 & 3. If I want to tip a post or comment an amount higher or lower than my default amount, I will use the custom option and input an amount either lower or higher than my default amounts. Note that this wouldn't change the default amount.
Topics
From the screenshot above, you can click on the circled icon to view different topics. I mentioned how you can add topics when writing an article, though, I see some articles without topics, I do wonder why no topic was added. Topics can be used to search for articles, and this makes it easier. If as a new member, I want to learn about SmartBCH, I can check for all articles that *SmartBCH* has been added to the topic by clicking on **SmartBCH** on the topic menu. So, next time you are writing an article, don't forget to add topic(s) it entails, as you never know who might need that information or knowledge in the future.
The save buttons option lets you save articles to your account, which you can access any time you want to through *Saved articles* on the main menu. you can click on the same icon to unsave saved articles whenever you want to.
The world/earth Icon helps you translate articles written in other languages into any language you want. I personally feel this is one of the coolest tool on read.cash, as it helps you read literally any article you want irrespective of the language it is written with. How cool is that?
Menu Icon
The above screenshot is the main menu icon of read.cash, and I like to think it is self-explanatory, and no should have any problem navigating them. I will talk about some though, in order of appearance:
**Homepage** takes you to the homepage where you can see different articles by different users, and not necessarily only articles of those you are subscribed to;
**Communities** takes you to the community page where you can see all the communities on read.cash and choose to join any, also, you can check the ones you've joined already;
**Stats** helps you check read.cash statistics from the day it was created among other things (I strongly suggest every one checks it out if you haven't done that before);
**My affiliates** helps you check or monitor your affiliate earning, which can also tell you how well your affiliate(s) is/are doing. **Sponsorship** help you track your sponsors as well as those you are sponsoring.
**My boost** also shows you articles you've boosted, it doesn't matter how long ago, you will see it when you click on the icon.
Sending Money (Crypto)
The screenshot above shows the *withdrawal* menu, you can chose to withdraw BCH in Dollars or in BCH Satoshi. I believe the need is this is because the price of BCH is not fixed, 1BCH was below $300 some weeks ago, and it is currently above $300. Sometimes what you may want to withdraw, $10 worth of BCH, and not know the value in BCH satoshi, you may also want to withdraw 0.013 BCH satoshi and not know the value in dollars, thus, the need for a two-way BCH withdrawal option.
We all know whatever you earn on read.cash is BCH, but the withdrawal system is not based only on BCH. You can withdraw your money in over 30 other cryptocurrencies. Shocking right? All you need to do is click on ***other crypto*** on the withdrawal menu, and choose your preferred cryptocurrency. But my question to you is: WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO WITHDRAW IN *OTHER CRYPTO*?
That would be all for now, feel free to ask questions on the comment section in case there is any thing at all you don't understand, or want clarification on. Also, note that this is MY OPINION, and I might not be entirely correct, feel free to make the necessary corrections in the comment section too.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Prompt - Food Choices
I had come across this prompt while reading @BCH_LOVER 's version of it, you can check it out here. I found the options quite interesting and difficult at the same time, so I decided to post my version of it too. I always wondered how people come up with these prompts every time. I must admit that it help to draft it down for any day you might be too busy to research and write any article. https://read.cash/@BCH_LOVER/this-or-that-food-edition-04d7a176
**Pizza** or **Pasta**
Actually find this difficult to answer because I am not exactly a big fan of both. I like pizza as much as I like pasta, so it is hard to pick one over the other. But because it is either this or that, I think I'll pick pasta simply for the fact that I can make it any way I want it to my taste and also add almost anything I want to it too.
**Ice Cream** or **Cake**
Haven't really been a fan of these two, as I find them unhealthy and a waste of money because I'll only want more after I am done eating them. But I'll pick cake because I reckon it will give a more satisfying feeling. That is: it will fill my belly up more.
***SIDE NOTE: I read once that despite the cold nature of ice creams, they keep you warm because of the high fatty contents it them***
**Waffles** or **Pancakes**
Only time I have had waffles was when they were served as toppings on my ice cream when I was out on a date with an ex. Hell she was even the reason I even had ice cream that day as she was a big fan, so I just had to get a cup for myself too. So, this time, I'll pick that which is pancakes because I am more familiar with that, and it is filling too. Hahaha. Grew a taste for pancakes recently, as a friend of mine likes to make them.
**Rice** or **Noodles**
Hehehe. i often don't see the difference between these two, although my noodles-cooking skills have been complimented by many, I will pick rice over noodles simply because I could either make it with stew, as jollof, or as fried rice. But noodles, I will get tired of it much faster. That is why I usually cook it in small quantities, so I don't get tired of it when it becomes cold.
**Vanilla** or **Chocolate**
I'd pick strawberry over both, but unfortunately, it is between these two, so I'll go for vanilla instead. It was just about 6 years ago I developed an acquired taste for chocolates and its flavours, but there is something simple and exquisite about vanilla. So, yes, Vani over Choco
**Vegetables** or **Fruits**
Hahaha. Tricky, very tricky. I actually like both, but this time around, fruit edges it simply because I have never seen a fruit I don't eat, but I have seen vegetables I can't eat either because of how it tastes or the smell of it, or the looks too.
**Burger** or **Tacos**
Of the two, I have only had burger, so that is why I am choosing what I am familiar with time time too. They say the devil you know is better than '*the angel you don't know.'*
**Spicy** or **Sweet**
This is very very easy, I'll pick sweet, as I do not like spicy food. No matter how delicious the food is, long as it is spicy, I will never enjoy it. So, sweet it is, but not too sweet, as I my taste buds are quite sensitive, that is why I can't eat really sweet things like icing sugar for cakes.
Governments' Problem With Cryptocurrency
When we hear cryptocurrency, the first thing that comes to mind is BITCOIN. This is not coincidental, and don't blame yourself. Bitcoin is the pioneer cryptocurrency, and as I like to call it; The All-Father of crypto, so I might use it synonymously with crypto currency in this article. Since its rise to popularity, governments around the world have been skeptical about how cryptocurrencies generally can affect their economy.
Although, their real worry lies in the **freedom** cryptocurrencies gives the people. I say crypto is the true democracy the people deserve in finance. The major concerns of government's concern about cryptocurrency can be summarized under the following:
Cryptocurrency Can't be Regulated
One of the ways government control the economy of a country which they govern is by regulating the circulation of money. Through the Central Bank of a country, they print new money when and how they see fit and through banks regulate and monitor it's circulation. While also formulating policies to serve which ever whim they want and also to ensure that the ***power*** remains with the government.
Cryptocurrency offers users and adopters the power to control their money how ever way they want to, the very power that the government. No single individual or group have complete control of crypto, because it runs on a decentralised network, so no individual or firm have complete control over it. This is a major problem for government, and I have seen futile attempts by governments around the world to create a digital version of their currency. This is supposed to be a *'gesture'* to show that they do not frown against cryptocurrency.
I don't think the crypto users are buying it, as it gives said government the very power that crytocurrency takes away from them, plus, it is against one of the enticing characteristics of cryptocurrency in general DECENTRALISATION. In my country Nigeria, the government have created e.naira which is a digital version of our currency naira, but its adoption hasn't been what I think they had expected, as it offers nothing really enticing that would want to make users adopt it, not to mention the stress in even purchasing it.
Cryptocurrency is an Escape Route
The freedom cryptocurrencies offer in finance is often used by user to their advantage. Another way government control their economy is by putting policies in place to ensure their money holds value, the poblem with these policies is that they are usually imposed on citizens. So much for democracy eh? You must have heard Russia demands that one of their forex products (gas) be bought from them in their currency, this is not a trick, the Russian government's aim is to help their currency, ergo, help their economy. A report in 2020 showed that billions of bitcoin was sent out from China to foreign countries, it is no coincidence, the Chinese governments have *'imposed'* an annual limit of $50,000 for purchase of foreign currency on its citizens, so one would wonder why billions of dollars are being sent out of the country in crypto. I strongly believe this was one of the reasons the Chinese government banned crypto in 2021, and not the front story they gave us at the time.
It is Used For Illegal Activities
It is said that whatever has an advantage has a disadvantage. This is unfortunately true in the case of cryptocurrency. Much as its characteristics give people power, it also gives criminals power and this power is mainly because of the anonymity cypto offers its users. Transactions, even though are on the blockchain doesn't tell you much about who made such transaction, the best you can get from it is the wallet address(s) involved in the transaction. Criminal have exploited this opportunity by paying for goods and services using cryptocurrency. After all, no one will know who is sending what to whom. This was the government's *'reason'* for banning crypto late 2020/early 2021 in my country Nigeria. They had categorically said that it was used to fund the nationwide #EndSARS protest that took place in 2020.
Well, what can I say, I suppose it is normal for governments to be insecure about crytocurrency, as it strips them of the control they have over its citizen. Perhaps they can embrace it in a true sense, and not the mediocre way some have done by creating a digital currency.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Special thanks to @Talecharm for the sponsorship renewal, I appreciate you unending support. Thanks a lot.
Bullish Run of Emotions
Last night, I had gone to bed with some discomfort, hoping a good night rest would relief me. I woke up in the morning feeling much better, and the sleep had worked magic. Just before I could start relishing the my new found comfort, news came about my uncle who had just experienced a stroke.
The first thing I had asked was if he was at home and I was told he was at his place of work when it happened, and has been rushed to a *'hospital'.* About an hour later, I heard he is being transferred to another hospital in the state's capital so he can have some tests conducted on him.
My uncle called his wife to ask about the situation, but, he could barely have a conversation with her as she was distraught and crying all through. One of my aunt had left her house to go be with her brother and his family as soon as she heard about the incident, a couple of my cousins and another of my uncle also head out to be with the family too.
I was a bit relaxed hearing all this knowing that he is in good hands. Although my uncle and I don't have the best of relationships, in fact, memories from the last time I saw him which was over 10 years ago are foggy, and I can't really remember what he looks like. But, he has always been the only of my mom's brothers who have ever asked about me specifically when he calls my mom. At least, that is what my mom tells me. She even told me that when they met at one of my cousin's weeding, he had asked her why I didn't come. unfortunately, I was in school at that time.
So, for this reason, I have always been fond of him, or do I say the thought of him. Needless to say, the last time my mum and I spoke about him, I remember her telling me he has gained a lot of weight, as has his wife.
of course, the news of his stroke has led to different speculations, and trust Nigerians to be relate everything to the spiritual realm. My aunt and uncle have strongly speculated that it was a spiritual attack. While my aunt maintained that it was likely someone who is into the same business my uncle is running, because he is a competition for him, his husband maintained that it is likely someone who is jealous of his progress because humans are cruel and don't like good things.
Personally, I simply thought he was just hypertensive, and that is the likely reason he had the stroke, but I kept it to myself, as I wasn't in the mood to start explaining and in the process of doing that, I might unintentionally strike a nerve or two. As always, I was there, quiet and observing my aunt in her confused state, making calls every 5 minutes to know the situation of things. She had lost her appetite and I could literally see the worry all over her like she was wearing it.
I have always had the uncanny ability to keep my calm in chaos, as I believe a calm head thinks better than an anxious one. But people has always found this calmness to be emotionless. What is a person who can't control their emotions?. I napped a about two hours to ease my stress, only to wake up and hear that my uncle is being moved back to the hospital in the capital because his blood pressure isn't dropping.
I was confused, they had moved him to a better hospital to have some tests conducted only to move him back to the former hospital. I couldn't see any sense in that and wondered why people who were with him had even agreed to that. Moving someone who had just experienced stroke back and forth in Lagos, and you expect his blood pressure to come down. Writing this now, I heard they have been advised to move him to another hospital entirely. Well, the good thing is that thus is the last time he would be moved.
All this made me think about how fragile life is and the irony of how all the sweet things that make you enjoy life can also bring an end to your life faster. I hope he gets better soon and regains consciousness, so all the tension will dip. I'd...
Just before I could save this draft, news came that my uncle has passed on, and everything went haywire, din't know what else to write as every part of me feels frozen, I can't think straight. IT took me two hours to write this last part. My fingers are frozen and shaking as I write this, HE IS GONE! It doesn't matter what anyone thinks or not, HE IS GONE!! Now the topic seem almost perfect, as I was second guessing it before
**MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE**
Tales And Lessons ··· read.cash: Addiction or Commitment?
Perhaps you must have noticed my absence for almost two days now, it was a combination of many factors put together that lead to this unfortunate event, if I do say so myself. Yesterday was a really busy day for me, as I was occupied practically all through the day doing one thing or the other, and was too tired to interact. so I decided to have a good rest, and gather enough energy to interact today. Couldn't even draft an article to post early hours of today.
I woke up this morning with enthusiasm and much to my surprise, I opened the laptop and loaded the website, but there was a problem with the page. It didn't load properly. As this was the case, I couldn't interact or do anything at all. I tried opening other websites too, some worked well, while some didn't. I was perplexed as to why this was the case. There was no way I could check with a phone as I had none.
Strangely, I decided to try again this evening, but before I loaded the site on the browser, I changed the date and time on the PC, which I have noticed was wrong in the morning, lo and behold, read.cash opened properly. I also tried opening the websites that didn't work in the morning and they all worked fine. That made me realise that it was probably the wrong date and time that was the problem since morning, but it never occurred to me until I fixed it.
I had learnt at least two things today:
Time is important;
The problem may be something so *'little'*, but will have a great effect .
People have different ways which they deal with setbacks or issues they face. Personally, when I experience a setback, I tend to wear my analytic cap and think about lessons to be learnt. I have come to realise that hardly any problem doesn't teach you a lesson, though, it may not necessarily be a *'valuable'* lesson, it is a lesson nonetheless.
Even though I had noticed an incorrect time and date, I had not changed it, I had not expected it to be much of a problem, especially since some other websites were loading. But, those were not the websites I wanted to open the most. So, dear friends, always ensure the time on your device is correct, before you try browsing.
******
I have to ask, has anyone of you thought about the possibility that they could be addicted to read.cash. Ever felt you are not whole until you open your browser and check your notifications here. Read articles and comment on them. Well, for most of yesterday, even though I was busy working, I was thinking about read.cash and all the articles I am not reading, what people could be talking writing about, maybe an opportunity in the world of crypto, or even on SmartBCH. Perhaps an interesting prompt was trending and there was a lot of new information I was missing out on.
Since read.cash became a part of our daily life, it is never the same if it isn't there, if you haven't been there in a day. I could look at it from a positive angle and say it is just my commitment to consistency that is getting the better of me, and merely thinking of the possibility of not interacting or publishing an article felt depressing.
Everyone knows consistency is an important ingredient of success, and read.cash is not an exception. You could tag the zeal to be consistent here as an addiction or commitment, it is all a matter of perspective. A third party could observe you every day as you do your thing with your phone or laptop. They know it isn't WhatsApp, or any other social media platform they are familiar with. So, they could be forced to think you're addicted to whatever it is you're doing or even your phone. A user on this platform sees your articles daily, and thinks of your addiction to your phone as commitment on read.cash.
IT IS ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Tales And Lessons ··· Never Give up
I spent the last hours of yesterday listening to my uncle who I had not seen in over 2 years now. The reason is that he isn't based in our country, and only usually comes to spend Christmas with his family here in Nigeria. Unfortunately, he couldn't come home in December 2020 because of COVID restrictions at the time, and had to reschedule his return from last December to now. It was good to have him back as he is one person whom I get along with very well. His principles as a person and ideology about life are worth emulating, and I have learnt a lot about life from his experiences. For some reason, he always enjoy regaling me with tales about life and because they are usually stories based on his experience, I am often paying very close attention.
I believe there is a lot to learn from life, and a lot of those lessons won't necessarily be learnt from your experience. You'd find that you learn these things from other people's experience. It didn't take my uncle up to 3 hours to start his tale-telling yesterday, you'd think after a long journey across continents, he'd be tired and resting but that wasn't the case. He talked about being focused on what you want in life, remembering where you are coming from and humility. He also emphasized that success can be fickle, and that making money isn't the same as managing money money. Simply put: not everyone who can amass wealth can sustain it.
The secret is simply to invest your wealth to multiply it. But, many taste wealth and lavish it within a period of time. This is common especially for ill-gotten wealth. I still remember one of the first things my uncle said to my at the beginning of our 'bromance'. He had specifically said that never should I marry a woman who is extravagant. All his stories are connected, and maybe one day it will come to an end. Until then, I'll learn as much as I can and connect the dots.
···············
As we journey through life trying to chase what brings true happiness and all the comfort of life; The best things we can get. Life does its fair share of battering and hope-dashing. That doesn't stop us though, at least the best of us doesn't let it, we continue to push forward and strive for what we want.
What you'll come to notice is that the world we live in has its patterns, and while some are only perceived, some are real and immutable and can only be altered and not changed completely.
**Have you noticed the seasons?**
Even though human activities and the emissions of greenhouse gases and carbon into the atmosphere is affecting Earth's climate, seasons in the various regions of the world have managed to stick to a particular pattern. In Nigeria for example, we have two distinct seasons in a year, the wet (rainy season) and the dry (harmattan season) and while this has been constant for as long as I can remember, differences have only come in either the time of the year they start or end, and with the intensity at which they manifested.
In the path to success, things may not be all positive, there are times that you'll want to lose hope because you feel you're not getting the reward for all the hard work your putting in to achieve something, never give up, even when the odds seem to be against you, keep chasing your dream and you'll find that even success when achieved is sweeter when you take a bite of it with the struggles that lead to that moment.
Remember that tribulations would last forever, the best you can do is learn what you can from those times and hold on to the lessons.
**WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER**
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
How to Use read.cash, Its Features And Tools For Better Experience - Part 1
This can be considered a beginners guide to enjoying a smoother and easier use of read.cash while utilizing its tools. The platform is growing and new users are signing up daily, thus, why I felt the need to make this series for their consumption. Who knows, maybe old users too may learn a thing or two. I remember being a new user of the platform and all the many *'do and undo'* it took me before I could familiarize myself with the platform and its '*tools'.* Asides the fact that I had ask @Kushyzee a lot of questions, I also read a lot of the articles posted by @Read.Cash from over a year ago, and they were all very helpful, you can click on the profile and check out some of the articles, I am sure you'll find one or two helpful. Without further delay, let me proceed. https://read.cash/notifications/eyJpdiI6IkpOMzF6cUFhdnFaeDJ5ZlNhdGxnZ0E9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiTVdPS2FBT1pXeTJMR3I3Y3VhTUpuZz09IiwibWFjIjoiYmY0N2RlZjFjMjA1ODk3MWIwN2UyMTZkMTIwYzZhNjA2NGU4YTliZTQ2ZGUwOWM4MjYxYzI0NWU3YmY2OTM0MiIsInRhZyI6IiJ9
**DISCLAIMER**: `This is my personal opinion, and meant only for education purpose. I stand corrected in case it is misleading`
**NOTIFICATION MENU**
I had started with this because this is unarguably one of the most important menu on this platform and most clicked icon. Notifications appear on this menu from newest to oldest and that red bell always wants to be decoloured. Surely you can choose to click your notifications one after the other as they appear, of choose to filter them. The screenshot below shows how you can filter them to make it easier for you or faster, depending on what you're looking for exactly.
WRITING
Another important part of this platform is the writing part which every user should use if they pretty much want to be considered '*users*' of read.cash. Personally, I like the tools in the writing page, as it really helps me bring in a lot and create whatever I want to write how I want to write it. in this page, You have the ***Save as Draft*** tool which helps you save your article on your account whether it has been completed or not, and you can always come back to it anytime you feel like. Also, the ***Publish*** button to post your complete article when it is ready we have the ***topics*** which helps make it easier to see your articles particular for those interested in a particular topic. This is also helpful when making entries for writing challenge usually organised from time to time. The ***Submit to community*** option helps you post your articles to communities which you have joined, pending approval from the admin(s) or moderator(s). ***Language*** is usually auto-detected, and the ***Lead Image*** must be added before any article can be published.
Surely we also know the importance of a ***title,*** for what is an article without a title? From the picture above, before you start typing, a tool bar comes up with eight writing tools.
H1 - First Heading;
H2 - Sub-heading;
The third is to add images as it has the 'gallery' icon;
The fourth is to add a video link from YouTube, etcetera;
The fifth is the bullet list, used to itemize;
The sixth is blockquote usually to quote words or conversations;
The seventh is code block and can be used to make notes in your article;
While the last tool helps you add your sponsors block in any part of your article. Although, it is usually automatically added at the end of the article.
The screenshot below has a slightly different tool bar from the one above, and this is only gotten when you have already started typing, and mark word(s).
the first icon on the toolbar is to make the word(s) you've marked **bold**, while the second is to *italiciz*e it. The third is to **underline** the marked words, while the fourth is to ~~strike through~~. The fifth is to make an `inline code`. the sixth is to embed a link in the marked words. The others are similar to what I have mentioned in the above photo. https://read.cash/
To be continued...
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Never have I Ever in secondary school
It's just a little under 1 hour before midnight, and I am only writing this to post because I didn't want to miss today's article. You'd notice I haven't been active for most of today, but that isn't entirely my fault. Asides from having no phone, I have spent about 3 hours of the day napping. That is unusual of me as I am not much of a daytime sleeper.
I suspect it is the side effect of the cough syrup I took for the cough I am having. I said in my previous article that I was having sore throat, and it has finally evolved into coughing. I have taken my night dosage, and it is making me drowsy at the moment too.
Tomorrow, I have to be up early again as I have some task to do for my aunt. So, for the lack of time to complete any of my drafts as I am barely awake to even think, I have decided to write on a trend I have been seeing for some days now. Secondary school is the highschool equivalent here in my country. So I am diving into the Never Have I Ever:
**SKIPPED A CLASS**;
During my entire time in senior secondary school (which is about 3 years), I don't think I missed school up to 10 times. That is not to say I was so much a lover of school, but school was better than being at home alone by yourself. I have always not liked not being in class, unless it was really important. I wasn't exactly popular in my secondary school, so teachers hardly ever need me to help them out with something in their office, as that is one of the reasons students used to miss class in my time. My only problem then was that I was a chronic latecomer.
In mt defense, that isn't entirely my fault, because the journey from my house to school required me using public transportation. And iff you're familiar with Lagos, you'd know how terrible traffic can be. But coming late could be avoided if I left home earlier than I usually do, but I didn't want to, so I didn't. So, somewhere between coming late and serving punishment for latecoming which involved clearing a designated portion of a grass field, I usually miss the first class, or come so late that the teacher doesn't let me come in until he was done.
**CHEAT DURING AN EXAM**
I have always been ashamed of asking people for help in the exam Hall, so I usually just keep to myself and focus on my work. Although, of you asked me, I would answer. The time I cheated in an exam with my full chest was when I was writing in Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). I remember that the day we had exam on Yoruba language I was having a friend sitting beside me, and he was Yoruba.
So I just wait till he was done before I started copying everything he was doing . You can't blame me, I often slept during the class. And never bothered and didn't even panic.
**Forge Your Parent's signature**
Very much guilty of this. Although, I more like signed on their behalf. This is because my parents never attended my school for anything at all. So I just siyn some documents on their begals. It is not easy to forge a signature.
**MAKE EXCUSE FOR BEING LATE**
Well, since traffic was the reason I mostly com late to school, I never made up any new stories to avert the punishment for coming late. So, I just say the same thing every time I came late, and where or not I was bring selfish. So , no, no excuses.
**BULLIED ANYONE AT SCHOOL**
Nah, I never did that, as I was a very quiet guy or rarely talks unless with my close friends in the class. I just sit and observe people traipsing in and out of the fuel station simply because they had closed for the day. As a gwntle, calm and cool guy, I never bullied anyone, neither was I ever bullied too.
**Conclusion**
Secondary school was quite fun, especially during my last days. That was when I truly started enjoying the experience. I kiss those times, but won't go back to it as it has been almost 10 years now since I left secondary school.
It played a crucial role in my academics, even if it was during my last days there. I am also glad I could complete the article today even though I was and still am very sleepy.
Thanks to my newest sponsor @MichaelBCH . I very much appreciate the support you've shown me. I hope I don't disappoint you.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Questions and Answers
Today has been quite the day, it had started with me waking up early to run errands for my mum. I noticed that the irritation in my throat which started last Thursday is back again. Although, it relieved me at the start of the weekend, it came back again Sunday evening. I suspect it might be a throat infection, and not the cough symptom I had initially suspected it to be. I am not sure though, so, I plan to give it a day or two to observe how it goes.
While I was going through my notifications earlier, I read an article by Ruffa How do you cope with stressful situations? And decided to make my own version by answering the series of questions and making it today's article even though I have about three drafts I am yet to complete. Well, here goes; https://read.cash/@Ruffa/how-do-you-cope-with-stressful-situations-f028db45
**If you were given three things to make you happy, what would these be?**
This is a tough one, because it requires me encompassing everything I want into three things I'd want. But presently, if I were to ask for three things, I'd pick **money.** At the moment, money would solve about 82% of my problems, and I am not kidding at all. Next, I'll pick **love.** Now, this simply encompasses any form of love, be it friends or family, having people around you who genuinely love you brings lots of happiness. Lastly, I'll say liberty to travel anywhere anytime. I like to travel, and one of my life gooas is travelling the world, but travelling is expensive, and can be complex too. I'd love for an easy pass in my adventure round the globe.
**What task would you really fail at doing?**
Really not sure what this task will be, but It could be singing or dancing. I am terrible at both, so I would fail at doing either. Only problem is that my constant attempt to sing has always ended in failure, but I never allow that stop me. 🤣🤣🤣
**Do you listen to other people’s advice, or do you prefer figuring things out yourself?**
I really like when I figure things out on my own, but that doesn't mean that I do not seek people's advice or opinion every now and then. You see, it is always good to view things from other people's point of view, before making any decisions. It helps to put things in perspective.
**How do you cope with stressful situations?**
If I have time, I just sleep. Sleep really does help me a lot. And it is practically how I effectively cope with stress, as it is my reset button. Nothing beats a good rest after a stressful event.
**Which would you prefer in a romantic partner: a dreamer or an achiever?**
This is tricky. Aren't dreamers achievers, and aren't achievers dreamers? I mean, what else would an achiever be achieving? Someone else's dreams? And what would a dreamer dream, someone else's achievements? Well, let me leave my logical analysis aside and just got with a dreamer. The reason for this is simply because of one of my favorite quotes by Albert Einstein which I'll leave you with:
*"Logic will take you from A to B, Imagination will take you everywhere"*
**How important is trust in a relationship?**
This is basically like asking how important is the roots of a tree to its growth. Relationships are built on trust, and any other thing I believe would cause a problem. Recently, things in my relationship(s) that has made me second guess the relationship itself. It took me weeks of churning thoughts in my head, and it always came down to one question: can I trust this person? If it were a matter of this and that, what would this person choose, even if my life depended on it. The honest truth I learnt is that you should never overestimate your importance in people's life, and you might not be their number one choice when push comes to shove, irrespective of the relationship you may share, someone can top you in the heirarchy of preference even if it was a choice between your needs and their want.
In conclusion, this is my version, and I have @Ruffa to thank for it. You can make yours too if you fancy answering the questions too.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
The Best Approach is Often a Friendly One
In the last decade, I have developed a hobby of observing human behaviour, and I daresay that it is has been fun observing people. For one, it gives insights on what is socially acceptable, and the new trends. Of course you'll come to find that individual behaviour vary from one person to another, and although there might be some similarities among individuals. In my many years of observing people, something I would say is a constant, and everybody has a soft heart for is **FRIENDLINESS**. People rarely find a friendly face repulsive, and even if they do, they usually pretend otherwise for as long as needed. This though is not ALWAYS the case. A friendly face is always welcome, and people usually find themselves drawn to friendly people.
A couple of days ago, I was observing my cousin and her home tutor, and his method of teaching was particularly the reason I am writing this article. There was a sense of cordiality between them, like they had known each other for long. As a student, we are usually better at subjects whose teacher is friendly and jovial, as compared to teachers who are usually stern and strict. That is not to say jovial teachers are not strict and disciplinarians, but you would agree with me that the best of teachers are often those who find the balance between being friendly and strict.
I remember reading an article by @Lucifer01 , where he talked about the approach he has adopted to teach his students, and how he has become good friends with them and also, making himself accessible whenever they need his help. I could relate to everything, as I have been a student, been a teacher, and still am a student. As a student, I find it is easier to understand what the friendly teacher teaches, as compared to an unfriendly lecturer. https://read.cash/notifications/eyJpdiI6IlhSUG43RFBHNVFrODlGYlUxbHpUQ1E9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiNlMrTk4xdXR5TTcvVkV3VC9lWG16Zz09IiwibWFjIjoiMjc3NjQxNjY4NmQ0MWMzZjE3ZWViYjM2MTE4MjA1NjdjMDUwM2I5MzE2ZDM4ZTRkYWU0MjQzYWZiMjc5OTdhYSIsInRhZyI6IiJ9
Years ago, as a teacher, I had the erroneous opinion that being mean and stern was the best my to handle my pupils, I was wrong, as I noticed they became recluse and less open, even to the level that when they have questions or are unclear about anything, they are too afraid to ask. This reflected in their grades, and I felt I had failed as a teacher, thus, I had to change my approach and do better. I became more open and friendly towards them. This, I believe led to a significant change in fortunes, as their grades became better.
For most of last year, my classmates and I were involved in a lot of practicals and experiments relating to our field of study. This led to a lot of groupings and of course, squabbles and quarrels. One thing all of the tiffs taught me was that ***'anger sharpeneth anger'.*** Why do I say this? A lot of the quarrels and squabbles could have been avoided if only a friendlier approach has been adopted. If I address a group of people with an angry or disrespectful tone, if not all, at least someone in the group would pick offense and may want to refute any suggestion or opinion I may have, just because of my approach. I have also observe a group of people support an idea -even though it is not ideal- simply because the other better idea didn't come through a friendly approach.
In conclusion, perhaps we would achieve more of our objective and goals if we tried a friendly approach. I am not say it is the master key to unlocking anything you want, as sometimes you need to use a fierce and strong approach. I am merely saying that if you've tried fierce and it isn't working out well, you can also try the friendly approach to see how it works out too.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Special thanks to @Bloghoundfor the sponsorship renewal. I appreciate the support ma'am
Game Week 30 Review, And FreeHit Boost up The Rank
This is my first post about my involvement and participation in the Club1BCH-KONRA Fantasy Premier League. I have been following updates about the competition from articles by @PVMihalache , @Crackers , @HappyBoy and @bmjc98. It shouldn't come as a shock that they are all members of the esteemed Club1BCH - who are co-sponsors of The League of Crypto together with the KONRA queen @Empress . GameWeek 30 came, and it was what we call in FPL terms a Blank GameWeek, as not all twenty teams in the league had a game. Only four games featuring eight teams played with 13 goals scored across the games combined.
The GW started on Friday night, with Leeds coming overturning a two-goal deficit to grab a late winner following a goal by Luke Ayling in added time after Wolves were down to ten men in the 53rd minutes of the game when Raul Jimenez saw a second yellow after a challenge on Leeds' stopper Meslier.
On Saturday, the second game took place between Aston Villa and Arsenal, with Arsenal narrowly escaping with a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal by Saka and a last minute save by Leno who was called upon because of injury sustained by preferred No. 1 Ramsdale. The win meant Arsenal strengthened their grip on fourth place, leading their rivals with at least 3 points with a game in hand. In a top four race that looks likely to be on Until the last day of the season.
The game week rounded up on Sunday following Wins from Leicester and Spurs once again, we saw the best duo in Premier League combine to produce yet again another fine display.
Since I still have four chips up my sleeves, I decided to play my second free hit, which grants me unlimited temporary transfers for that gameweek only, this was my strategy to completely change my team and bring in players of teams who only feature in the GW. After a total overhaul of my team and heavily gambling by bringing in all 15 players from just 5 out of the eight teams to feature in the GW, the real gamble was on wolves defense, which I expected to keep a cleansheet against a Leeds side with a poor run of form. Both wolves players gave me a combined two points, because they had conceded 2+ goals in the game which resulted to a 1 point deduction in the game and a potential 4 points each for cleansheet down the drain. Had things gone as planned, I would have gotten 10+ points from both wolves backmen.
With Arsenal being the only team to have kept a cleansheet in the GW, I profited from that as Tierney gave me 6 points (if only I had gambled on Arsenal's defense instead). In midfield, goals from Maddison (1), Son (2), and Saka (1) ensured all three players got maximum bonus points in each of their games, totalling 10, 15 and 11 points respectively. Coutinho and Kulusevski had 2 points each.
Up front, Ivan Toney couldn't continue his scoring streak and got two points, while 3 assists and 2 bonus points ensured Captain Kane had a total of 26 points thanks to the armband. All these totalling 78 points for the GW.
With 78 points in a Blank GameWeek where the average was 28 points, this simply means green arrows, and I am not talking about the DC universe. I moved up two places in the league of crypto (15th to 13th). As well as in almost all my other mini leagues.
With a total of 1759 points so far this season, I am still 209 points behind leader Demola Abodunrin, and 51 points off 4th place @George_Dee. I have set a Target to finish 4th at least, and that looks plausible and realistic as I still have 3 chips left to boost my rank in subsequent game weeks
For the month of March, I amassed a total of 240 points, making me the 6th best manager of the month. Congratulations to May Mur on winning the manager of the month award after amassing a total of 282 points in the month of March. With two months Left to go, I can only hope for maximum points, so I can leapfrog into the top 4, as the race is getting tougher.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Parenting
I got the idea to write about after reading an article by ARTicLEE. I have read stories about children turning out a certain way because of how they were neglected by their parents while they were growing up. I am not an expert at parenting or raising a child, but I am still going to write about it anyway.
I never really understood how important and delicate parenting and childhood is until I had to do some research for a group assignment 3 years ago, in my sophomore year in the university. You see, I remember being grumpy about the topic my group had been given at the time because we were supposed to write extensively and give a presentation on the said topic.
While doing my research to come up with something substantial that I can compile and do a presentation on, I came across a lot of things involved in parenting and psychology of child development (Paiget's stages of development and Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development). https://www.webmd.com/children/piaget-stages-of-development https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/erikson-stages
Reading all these things was an eye opener for me, and it is sad to say that a lot of people don’t know these things. Of course these are just theories, and theories like this are not necessarily universal. What I mean is: people can be oblivious of these things and still raise their kids the way they can and yet do excellently well. The only flaw in this rating is that a parent is often judged based on how their children turn out.
What I am trying to say is that one can have no moral values and that does not necessarily mean their parents have done a terrible job, it could be a conscious decision of said child to ignore all the morals his or her parent(s) have tried to instill in him. And of course, it can be the other way around too, a person might have moral values and be good and it may not necessarily be because of good parenting, but a conscious decision by the child to tow a just and right path.
Parents, especially rich parents have often made the mistake of neglecting their children. Of course, the reason usually is because they spend a lot of time away from home, either travelling on business trips, or working long hours. Usually in cases like this, the rich parents employ the services of house helps, nannies or babysitters to take care of their child(ren) in their absence.
While I don’t condemn this act, I will fault it if for no other reason, for the mere fact that you have created a problem by putting a middleperson between you and your child(ren). This middleperson often is the one who serve as the link between a parents and their children. Thus, creating unfavourable grounds for parent-child bonding.
The first step to good parenting I’d say is a good parent-child relationship. How can a child open up about his/her life to a parent who is like a stranger? How can you as a parent instill good value into a child with whom you don’t have a good relationship with? By no means am I saying parents shouldn’t work to provide a better life for their family, but is it wise to do so at the expense of the same family you want to provide for?
I have heard stories of children who come from a rich family blame their parents for how they turn out, simply because they were never there when they needed a parent, you would also hear these rich kids talk about how their parents only splash money at everything. It isn’t about giving them all the money in the world. Sometimes, it is the little love and being there when they need you. A simply pat on the back to say that I am here, a hug, a smile for reassurance, it is these little things that makes the biggest difference.
I have said at the beginning of this article that I am not an expert at parenting, neither do I have it all figured out. I am not even a parent yet, neither am I married even, but I don’t know what the future holds, and this is merely how I feel about parenting. I feel family has a big role to play in the society, as it is the basic unit of the society, and to effect real change in the society, we have to start from the family.
`Thank You For Reading 🖤🖤`
Thanks to @Mictorrani for the sponsorship renewal, I appreciate the continuous faith you've shown in me
@Aimure
