Plantain
This article isn't in anyway related to plantain. I couldn't think of a title so I chose this. I probably chose it because I started this morning in the farm. I and my dad with two laborers planted close to thirty-five plantain suckers today and it wasn't easy at all. It was very stressful and the funny thing is that are not done at all. We still have another thirty to plant. Farming truly is not for the weak.
I don't have any particular topic to write on today so I will just give a summary of what I have been able to achieve on readcash in the past ten days. I got this idea from a colleague of mine who decided to write an article on what he has done so far. He didn't have anything to write that day so he decided to do that.
I have been able to write consecutively for the past ten days. My streak ended yesterday because I wasn't able to publish any article not because I didn't have what to write but because I decided to take a break. I have been taking read cash a lot more serious these days. So I decided to have a day of rest and focus on other things.
It was during my period of publishing consistently that I reached a hundred subscribers and clocked five months here on read cash. It was a huge milestone for me and I decided to celebrate it by writing an article about it. You can go and check it out on my profile. To my surprise the article was a hit and had a lot of views, likes and comments. I want to say a big thank you to everyone that took their time to read the article. It really means a lot for me.
Reaching such a level is a really big deal to me and I just had to celebrate it. Going through the various article I wrote I think my favorite is *Good Girl, Bad Boy*. The reason is because I can relate with the article being a teenager in University. In the article I talked about why good girls tend to fall in love with bad boys. To me it was a mystery that I was willing to explore. I got the idea for the article from a friend of mine. He too was wondering the same thing. The whole article is about people expressing their different opinions on the issue.
During this period also I wrote my celebratory article. In this article I talked about my journey here, my experience, the good and bad times and also the valuable lessons that I learnt. I also gave a special shout out to two people who helped me throughout. I also thanked the people who have been with me right from the beginning. This article here had the highest number of views. It was an emotional article.
My highest earning article was surprisingly *Pride and Ego*. I remember when I was writing this article I didn't know what I was writing. I was just going with the flow and what was on my mind. Google was my friend here helping with some useful definitions and I definitely gave the necessary credit. I think the article had a lot of moral lessons in it. I myself learnt a lot reading it.
Just three days ago I started a series called the feelings you get from a particular thing. So far I have talked about football, money and food. The next one I will talk about is love. It will probably be my next article so watch out.
I wrote other articles during this period such as one in which I answered some questions about myself. One where I talked about giving up and one where I talked about value.
That's all for now. I love forward to writing another ten articles back to back.
The Feeling Only Food Can Give
I am slowly turning this into a series and I hope you guys like it. I have been talking about the feelings and emotions involved in the different pleasures of life. Today I am going to be talking about the feelings that only eating food especially a delicious and we'll prepared one can give. Everyone loves a well prepared meal and no one can deny that. I am not talking about gluttons, that one is to the extreme. I am talking about average people who appreciate the efforts behind a good food.
I remember growing up and how much I looked forward to my mother dishes especially the ones on Sunday afternoon after coming back from Church. It was always a beauty to behold. The time, effort and resources she always puts into it is more than you can ever imagine. The manner in which she cooks is so amazing you would wonder where she learnt such a skill.
This is why I grew up to love food so much and maybe a little bit fat. Just joking I have an incredible physique. I can eat a lot of food at a short time. Don't get me wrong that is not gluttony. It just that it is too good for me to be slow. I wonder how those people have the patience to take their time when eating. Maybe the food is not as good as they paint it or maybe they want to enjoy the taste and the moment that comes with it to me all of it is really pointless. The food is still going to enter your stomach anyway it is just a matter of time.
I think the feeling that they get from eating the food is different from mine. Their taste buds is sophisticated and they like to behave classic. I guess they appreciate food in a different even though it seems weird to me. Most of the time it is celebrities that do this so they are just trying to maintain their social status and influence. There is a certain class that comes with the way they approach meals and generally food.
Well for me I appreciate and approach food in my unique way. I love well cooked and seasoned meals. For some weird reasons I love pepper. That's probably because of where I am from. We love our food pepper ish although some people say that it can be too much but who cares as long as we love it. It hasn't done any damage to us all this while so while stop. As they say if it is not broken don't fix it.
There is a feeling you get after eating especially when you were hungry before. You feel satisfied, relaxed, calm and cool headed. No wonder wives go and meet their husbands after eating. They come back home after a very long day at work to see a well prepared meal waiting for them at the table. Which husband won't be happy when he see that. In fact he would be very happy at the wife that he married and the marriage will only wax stronger.
The feminists shouldn't please come for me, I am only talking about what goes on in traditional marriages. The world has advanced and times are changing. The wife might not have time for to prepare meals so that's where eateries and restaurants come in. You have to find a good one so that both of you don't suffer and have disagreements over food.
There are feelings that only good food can give you and it is unique to everyone. It depends on your taste, personality and emotional. Everyone is different and as such they will have different opinions about a particular food and also have different taste.
Just enjoy the meal.
The Feeling Only Money Can Give
I was smiling when typing the title for today's article because a thought came across my mind. Who doesn't like money or who doesn't want money? The feeling that having money especially a lot of it is second to know and can definitely make you feel on top of the world.
There are various emotions involved. You're happy, joyful, excited and elated. Having money most times takes away sadness and bad thoughts away from your mind. It makes you feel extremely high and confident. You start walking in a different manner like a governor or president. It is a very funny experience.
Most people especially youths spend lavishly during this period to show people especially their haters that they have finally 'arrived'. It is a way of peppering their village people. They buy all sought of things like clothes, jewelries, phones, shoes, cars and even in extreme cases houses. Then there are the parties, the drinking, the food and the women. What can you not have in this world? You are an entirely different person when you're rich compared to when you're broke. There is a high possiblity that a person becomes proud with an enlarged ego during this time of extreme wealth.
It is not good to be broke and as they say in my country "poverty is a bastard". When you're poor you do not have a voice or should I say a say in the society. People look down on you because you're not financially buoyant and have little or no regard for you're opinions. It is really depressing and my heart goes out to anyone who is currently broke. You are surely going to come out of it.
Thank God I was born in a family that can take care of me. We are not rich but we are able to get anything that we need. Just like anybody I have experienced ups and downs. Times when I had money and times when I was broke. During those periods I learnt lessons that will stick with me for life. When you're rich think of ways of not ending up broke and when you're broke think of why you ended up broke.
Everything is all about financial management and cutting your coat according to your size. I read a tweet someone. It said "the only way you can end up broke is if you spend beyond your means". This couldn't be more explicit. If you are very conscious about you're finances there is no way you can end up financially insolvent only if there is an emergency that dries up all your funds.
What I am saying in a nutshell is that while celebrating during the season of plenty you have to be careful and watchful for the dry season. You might be happy but you shouldn't spend excessively. When it comes to money don not live in the moment as life is more than a night of partying. Be careful of the people around you in this period. They are mostly after your money and not your wellbeing.
In all having money is good especially when it's plenty. There are certain feelings only money can give.
The Feeling Only Football Can Give
Yesterday night around 8pm while I was watching my darling football team Barcelona FC play I started to think about the emotions involved in football particularly the people watching it. This thought came to my mind because my dad was in the sitting room watching the match with me on the TV. He said that I was a totally different person anytime I am watching Barcelona play.
That I am always focused on the screen and my attention is solely fixed on the match. He said that I can be very emotional. Anytime they are playing well I am happy and anytime they are playing rubbish I am sad, angry or moody. This is definitely true and he is not exaggerating at all. I am an entirely different person when I'm watching football. It's like a spirit comes upon me (probably a football spirit). I am was focused and avoid any form of distractions. If only I am this focused on my academics.
What I am saying is that for most regular or die hard football fans they are in a different world or realm when they are watching their favorite team play or maybe just watching a regular football match. There are many match viewing centers in my country and they are always filled to the brim especially on weekends. That is when the major league in Europe play their league games.
I am talking about the EPL, Spanish LaLiga, Seria A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 for England, Spain, Italy, Germany and French respectively. Everyone enjoys watching them especially the EPL. That's where the team of most football fans are. It is the most entertaining and competitive league in the world filled with action, drama and not forgetting controversies. It is the league of entertainment.
My team isn't in the EPL. It is in LaLiga. I support FC Barcelona, one of the greatest team in Spain and the world. We are only rivaled in the league by the two Madrid clubs. We have won countless trophies and have a very rich history. We boast of some of the best talents that the world of football have seen, has seen and will ever see. It's not easy being one of the biggest clubs in Europe.
We've had our ups and downs just like any other club but we have never let it pull us down. We have risen from the ashes and are begining to take over Europe one game after another. The reason why I wrote this article was because of my team. We had a match in the league yesterday and I had different thoughts about the game. I was impressed with the result but I wasn't impressed with the game. We could have done better and we should have done better but well that's football for you.
Throughout the game my mind wasn't at rest as I feared that we would draw the game or worse lose. We conceded three penalties and I was very angry about it. We had to come back again and the opponent still equalize. It was in the dying minutes that we finally got the equalizer. While watching the game I wasn't sure if it was a goal but seeing the other players celebrating I jumped for joy and ran around the house shouting on the top of my voice. It was a win that we needed to stay in the top four race.
That game really put me through a lot mentally, emotionally and physically but what can I say, I love my team. I don't think I have ever loved anyone like that.
So don't disturb me when Barcelona is playing.
What Value Are You Adding?
This is a question my dad always asks me. I know it is a very serious question that needs to be answered carefully but anytime he asks it always puts me in this form of consciousness that I need to spend my time wisely. What Value are you adding? This is a straightforward question and yet it cannot be answered in just one sentence. Today's article is going to be based on this question.
I was going through my WhatsApp status today after coming back from Church. Today is palm Sunday in case you don't know. They celebrated it in my church today but it was in the adult section. I went to the teenager church and we did something else. We are preparing for our annual Easter camp and like any other year today was for the theme exposition. The theme is Rekindle and it is definitely going to be an awesome event.
Back to the topic. As I was going through my WhatsApp I stumbled upon a status that basically said what is in the image above. He was talking about how so many people chase after money and are so obsessed with acquiring wealth. He involved the church in it but I would rather not talk about that. That is a topic for another day. He said everyone prays for financial prosperity and that is the prayer point that dominates most churches in Nigeria.
He went on by saying that while people are so focused on money their focus should be on creating value so that that will earn them money. He continued by saying that people especially youths should learn money making skills and look for ways to create value. In other words they should be solution providers and problem solvers. He is a big advocate on youths getting necessary skills to survive and not only focus on the job market. The unemployment rate is pretty high and graduates are finding it increasingly harder to get a job. This is why youths need to start to learn Basic entrepreneurial skills.
He is one of my many role models and I really look up to him. He comes up with different classes to help the Nigerian youths make a living. He has helped different people all over the country to learn life changing skills. He runs forex, crypto, stocks, skin care and income generating skill classes. He does this through his WhatsApp tv *Misfits*. I would advise any youth out there to join any of his classes. All his classes are at a discounted rate and are cheap for the value that they offer.
In Summary
Find a skill or job you are good at and focus on it. Focus on creating value and not just chasing money like the rest of the world. You are bigger than that. Youths of now are hell bent on making it by any means possible. This is dangerous and detrimental to the well being of the society. I would probably write another article on this as I don't think I did justice to the topic. Till next time guys.
An Important Milestone Achieved
Hey guys today is my 5th month on readcash and I am experiencing mixed feelings. I have gone through various processes and stages to get here and it has definitely not been an easy ride. I was kind of surprised or should I say shocked when I looked at my profile and I saw 'user for 5 months'. That's a pretty long time filled with memories both the good and bad. So today I am going to share my experience here on read cash.
I was introduced to this platform by my good friend @Oluwa_damilare . This is why it is good to have friends that bring opportunities your way especially money making opportunities. Not the ones that are not adding anything or taking anything from you. Thank God for him in my life he has truly being a good friend. I remember when he introduced me to read cash, it was just like yesterday. Actually @Abhay was the first person to bring readcash into our hall of residence and it just happened that my friend was his friend. So he told my friend and after a while my friend told me.
I was a very serious student in my first semester but not so serious in my second. For some reason I started yearning for things away from school. I had this strange desire to make some money and not rely on the monthly allowance I was given even though it was enough. I noticed my friend James was always on his phone typing and at times he had a book beside him. I asked him what he was always doing on his phone and then he told me about this platform. He said that here, I write articles and get rewarded with BCH. I asked him for what BCH was and he said it was a cryptocurrency. I had heard the word crypto currency before but I did not know much about it. He said I can sell it for cash in my local currency and that way I can make some money.
I told him I was interested and he put me through the necessary steps. He helped me open my first account and it was from his mouth that I first heard the word seed phrase. After opening it he told me the rules, do's and don't and also tips on how to successfully grow your account. He also upvoted me generously. Even days after opening it he went through my account to ensure that everything was okay and even at times he helped me engage some articles and gain subscribers. He said by only engaging massively on other people's articles can your account grow. I kept the words he said deep inside my mind. My story here on read cash would be incomplete without mentioning his name.
My first account wasn't a success. I was never visited by 'you know who'. It was still @Oluwa_damilare that encouraged me to open another account (this one) but this time I should open under @Abhay referral link. Luck shone on me and after writing seven articles he visited me. You should have seen the look on my face when I saw '*you have been visited by the Random Rewarder*'. I was on top of the moon, figuratively of course. I ran to James immediately and told him the good news. He was happy for me and even told people to bill me that I have money.
I was happy, excited, full of joy and ecstasy. Since that time he has never failed to visit my articles and I thank God for that. Who knew that all my time of waiting would finally pay off. Perseverance is good.
There were times I felt like giving especially when I was still on my old account. I had written over twelve articles and not for once had I been visited. I even felt like giving up. I thought readcash wasn't for me. Even on this new account when I wasn't visited I went for a month break because I was discouraged. Well the other reason is that I was writing my exams during that time but nonetheless I wasn't feeling the vibe of writing anymore.
It wasn't an easy ride at the beginning like I expected it would be but like anything in life nothing good comes easy. I am happy that I went through this process as it made me the writer that I currently am. I guess it was needed for my self development and growth. In a way read cash teaches you about life. Before you get to the top you have to put in the necessary work.
I told think I have gotten there yet and I will still put in the work so that I can be bigger and better. I will not relent and work harder than I have ever done before. Hundred subscribers is just the beginning, there is so much more to achieve
Appreciation
I would like to thank my sponsors both past and present for their support. I do not take it for granted. I would also like to thank the BCH Nigeria forum you guys are the best family anyone can ever ask or wish for. I would also like to thank the people that followed me right from the beginning, you guys are the best.
I appreciate everyone that has contributed to my success here. Thank you very much. Till next time.
Pride and Ego
Those are two words we don't like to be described with. Some of us fear that word as it makes us seem to be people that are difficult to associate it while others may like it because they think that it puts them at a level above everyone. Pride can mean different things to everyone but just like any other word in the English dictionary it has a basic mean. Ego has a similar definition but with a slight difference.
Pride according to a Google search that I did can be defined as a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements. In other words it is a feeling we get after doing something that we work hard for and put our all in but what I want to focus in this article is 'being proud'. When someone is proud the person has an excessively high opinion of oneself or importance (Google search). In other words the person has an over-bloated Ego. Speaking of ego let's define it.
Ego can be defined as a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance (Google search). Both words defined has to do with self esteem and how a person views himself/herself. The way a person sees themselves is really important because it determines how they treat themselves, treat others and behave in public. How they value their lives, the people in their lives and what they've achieved are affected.
If a person sees that their life is valuable they will definitely have a sense of pride and a not so large ego. They will feel as if they have worth and they cannot be treated anyhow by anyone because they are somebody. This is important because people look at how you treat yourself so that they can know how they will treat you or what level of respect you should be accorded. If you see yourself as trash you will definitely be treated like trash but if you see yourself as Gold you will be treated as such. As the saying goes 'the way you dress is the way you will be addressed'.
Speaking of dressing this is really important because people online might say that they don't look at it but that is definitely a lie. No matter how advanced a society may be dressing is still an integral part of culture. That why there are certain dresses for specific occasions. You can't go for a job interview in a major firm wearing a T-shirt and shredded jeans with sneakers. You'd probably be sent out at the gate. No interviewer is going to respect you if you wear that.
That's why when people go for interviews or meetings they dress smartly wearing a suit and tie with the appropriate footwear. This dress commands respect and even gives you confidence. It inspires an aura that makes you think that you can do anything greatly increasing your self confidence and esteem. You will definitely feel high and proud. I kind of respect people dresses like this especially the ones in the movies, FBI and CIA.
I might have digressed a living bit. The message that I am trying to pass across to us today is that we shouldn't let this feeling get into our head. We shouldn't overate ourselves and see everyone else as beneath us. This is wrong and a very s***ty behavior. No one will like you again, want to associate with you or be your friend.
You will end up being isolated from the world and if you're not careful you might end up running mad because you have created this fictional idea about yourself. Nobody is better than anyone. Like my dad always tells me there are people out there who can do what you do ten times better than you so do not become proud. Only people out of touch with reality are proud.
Do not have an inflated it's dangerous and takes opportunities away from you. Do not be proud for pride goes before a fall. Just be humble of in-between pride and humility because sometimes you need to rate yourself high. No one can market you like you.
In Summary
Like in everything in life there has to be a balance. So in trying to be proud of yourself and what you've accomplished do not take it overboard. You're not that all important.
Have You Ever Thought of Given Up?
I am sure most of us have been asked this question numerous times and our answer most of the time is YES. We all at some point in time have thought about given up on everything including life. We were tired, exhausted, drained, hopeless and downcast one time or another. No one is a machine that can handle all the pressures of life. We all have our breaking point.
In my not so many years on the surface of the earth, I have also felt like giving up. When the chips were down and nothing seemed to come up. It was not a good feeling and I pray never to be in such a situation again. It is really depressing.
Everyone one experiences it at one point in their journey through life. Perhaps in your academics, work life, love life and business. It happens when a major part of our life is expressing a down turn. Let us take academics for example. You have been putting in your all in your school work, reading day and night, solving and answer questions that are not in your syllabus just to pass that one exam. After doing all of this and not ending up with your desired result won't you be said? Won't you feel like given up?
99.9% of us will definitely feel like this. We will think that the universe is against us or that our village people are chasing after us. We might even resort to blaming people for our failures like our lecturers, fellow students and even friends. We might even blame that fellowship we have been attending. I'm sure our parents have done that anytime we came home with a bad result.
I remember my second semester C.A. result and how below standard it was. I started blaming people and things that weren't even related to my academics at all. I started playing the blame game but I soon realize that I was just wasting my time. Trying to shift the focus from myself and blame something else because I couldn't possibly be the reason for my predicament. I soon realized that I was wrong. That blaming people, friends, fellowships and my sudden interest in the opposite sex wasn't going to provide the necessary result for me to bounce back from my defeat.
I realized that I need to address the issue directly and not beat around the bush. Playing the blame game wasn't going to solve anything at all and I was just wasting my time. In fact it was a weak move on my part, blaming people for my inadequacies. I started wondering if this was the man I wanted to become. I said NO. I put in extra effort more than ever before and was more focused. I cut off all distractions and focused on my academics squarely.
That still didn't change anything at all (UI is a mad school) but at least I refused to let the situation push me down. I lifted my head up knowing that I did my best.
The summary of all of this is that we should never allow any situation or circumstances keep us down. We should keep pushing forward and working hard to achieve our goals. There are going to be challenges and obstacles on the way but they are there for us to surmount. Aren't mountains there to be climbed? Aren't oceans there to be sailed? and aren't hurdles there to be jumped over?
I will end this article with one of the most cheesiest sayings ever '**There is nothing like impossible, even the word says I am possible'**
Questions you should consider asking to have a fun conversation with a person (My Version)
I was prompted to write this article by my good friend @Fash_Tioluwa. He tagged me and a bunch of other users here on read cash to write on this topic and how we will respond to some of the questions he asked himself in his own article. He didn't start this trend though. He read the article of @Jeaneth and decided to do his own version.
Normally I don't really talk, so having a conversation with a person or even a total stranger is next to impossible for me. I am incredibly shy and taciturn. I only talk when I need to add not to necessarily make new friends or meet new people. So coming up with a conversation topic is very hard for me whenever I have to.
As I was going through his article I found it very interesting. In fact I was supposed to write my own yesterday but I wasn't able to. The questions were really interesting and thought provoking. The answers to such questions will directly put you in a person's mind. So without wasting any more time let me answer the questions.
If you could, what strange thing would you acceptable in society?
Well that would be talking a psychiatric and mental IQ test before you can vote or occupy any position in office. Recently I have been watching a lot of videos on TikTok some are actually funny while others cause for concern. The youths nowadays are trapped in an alternative reality of their own and are not capable of functioning in the society.
I watch a lot of videos of people saying and doing stupid things, getting radical ideas and behaving out of touch from the society. The dangerous things is that this same people vote. I do not think that with this their mentality they will be able to make informed decisions. Also there are a lot of crazy and old people in government who are not capable of leading a nation. That's why you see most of them stuttering in their speeches and having difficult answering the most simple question. Psyche evaluation is needed for anybody to occupy an office that affects a large number of people.
If everyone were incapable of lying, how would the world be different?
Well there will be a lot of broken families, relationships and marriages. We paint lying as a terrible sin which it is but what we don't know is that at times it is better than the truth. Please don't get me wrong I am not encouraging people to be lying all that I am saying is that the truth could be very much dangerous.
There are certain things we don't want to hear about ourselves or something and we know that it is true. We all like to think of ourselves in the best way possible, that's how we are wired. So when we tell a little lie to one another it is to reinforce that belief in ourselves and make us feel good resulting in a high self esteem. I am talking about the lies in human relationships not the ones that can damage lives beyond repair.
If you could start a secret society, what would be its mission and who would be its members?
Well if I was to start one it would be a local vigilante tasked with the mission of taking down corrupt government officials. The members would be made up of young members like me who share my plans and ideas for a better country.
I don't think that the law enforcement agencies are capable of doing their job because of interference from the people that they are trying to put behind bars. I will help them do their job and make sure those people pay for their crimes. I won't necessarily kill them but I will make sure that all evidences will be provided so that there will be no way for them to escape.
Would you want to live in a world where the thoughts of everyone appears as a text above their head?
Definitely not. God knows how many terrible things I think of lately. If anyone particularly the government manages to see what goes on in my head I would probably end up in Alcatraz. Like the Bible says the art of man is desperately wicked.....
People as good as they seem outside might be very terrible inside. Just imagine every bad thought you've had towards anyone. Like for example imagine your parents could see what was going on in your head anytime they reprimanded you? You definitely wouldn't be sleeping in the house that night. All I am saying is that I don't think I will survive in that kind of world, give me 30 minutes and I am gone. Although I would like to see what my crush thinks about me.
What argument would you chose to win if you could go back and win it?
I am sure most of you already know what's in my head for this answer. If you read one of my previous article about how I had an argument about military rule with a friend, you would know that's the argument I wanted to win convincingly. I can be a very quiet person but when it comes to politics I am kind of vocal.
You can go through my articles and read it yourself. I don't think I was able to convince her that day but given another chance I will since I have been able to get my facts. You see that's why you need to do your research before any argument. In my case I didn't do enough. Next time I am coming with a bang.
I hope I have been able to do justice to those questions. I think I have answered them to the best of my ability. I would also like my friends @SilverBack @Oluwa_damilare @Ellawrites @Okeh and @Kacy01 to jump on this. I would very much like to read their article on this topic.
The Increasing Cost of Living
Things are becoming more expensive recently and it is getting out of hand. It is becoming an increasing cause for concern. Inflation is on an all time high and the price of goods especially basic essentials keep skyrocketing. I would have written something different today but while going through my WhatsApp I saw someone talking about how bad things have become.
In Nigeria for the past few years the prices of goods and services seem to be increasing without any signs of stopping. We are suffering from inflation and it's really bad. Normally inflation occurs because there is a lot of money chasing a few number of goods but in this case the prices keep increasing because the cost of production also keeps increasing. This happens because of the terrible decisions and policies the government has made regarding the economy.
Since the end of the military rule in 1999 the economy has been heading into a steady decline. When we had a new government in 2015, the president accelerated the rate at which our economy was declining. He just pressed the pedal and never looked back. Do you know the funny thing? He was the one that promised to turn everything around. He promised to fight corruption but now he is just ignoring it. In short the government is a joke.
There has been an increased rate of corruption and embezzlement of government funds like we have never seen before. The economy policies haven't helped in any way at all and each day it becomes increasingly difficult to survive. I am not exaggerating but people are suffering. Goods and services are reaching prices that the average man cannot afford.
The rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer. This is the exact depiction of what is going on. The middle class man is finding it hard to afford the basic necessities of life (food, water and shelter). It is not easy out there and people who have someone that is caring for them like their parent should be very grateful.
A lot of youths have taken to crime just to be able to survive. The ongoing in strike in public universities have just made things worse. The government doesn't seem to care. I was hearing a rumor that the academic union even plans on extending the strike by a further four months. Isn't that crazy? The situation of things in the country is truly a course of concern and things need to change now. I saw a story of a woman stealing baby milk and pampers for her child just because she couldn't afford it again. Someone paid for her and she broke down in tears thanking the person.
The government needs to show that they care about the welfare of their citizens. They need to stop feeling their pockets with tax payers money and need to start providing basic amenities for the masses. We provide our own water, houses and even electricity. How do they expect us to cope. They need to change their attitude or else something drastic will happen.
Sorry that I turned this article into a rant, I just had to get somethings off my chest. It has really become a burden and I am personally affected by the situation of things. Hopefully things get better but it's not looking like it's going to happen anytime soon.
Good Girl, Bad Boy
So yesterday, a friend of mine hosted a relationship discussion on WhatsApp. The discussion was mainly about why good girls are attracted to bad boys. He was trying to unravel the mystery behind it. For some reasons he thought it weird for someone to be attracted to a person that is very different from him/her. I guess what they told us in physics class is true. Unlike poles attract and like poles repel.
I have had this discussion with a friend before. Not actually with one but with many. It is a very common topic among teenagers and youths. I always ask why are girls who are 'good' for some weird reasons attracted to bad or toxic guys who treat them with little or no care. It's a crazy phenomenon. The reply that I get most of the time is that the girl wants something interesting not boring, she wants an adventure. She wants someone that will challenge her and give her problem. This is actually too crazy for me to understand.
Why would you want someone that will drive you crazy. Is it the thrill? Is it the adrenaline rushing through your veins that makes you want it? Their excuse is that most times a good guy wouldn't give them problem and would always say yes to them. He will show them care and give them no stress at all. They said that it is boring and there is no fun in the relationship at all. To me this excuse is stupid.
Why would you chose a guy who doesn't care about you over a guy that is ready to give you the world. Why don't you want a sweet, peaceful and blissful relationship. Why does a toxic relationship filled with fights and arguments seem attractive to you. Are you normal?!
What you see above is a person's opinion on the topic. He used the illustration of people liking sweet things to explain his point. He said that people generally like sweet and flashy things even though the long term effects of those things aren't good at all. We all know that sweets are not good for us yet we keep taking them. That's because they give us this initial good feeling only for a short while. We all know the longe term health effect (dental diseases) but we choose to over look it. According to him women like the good things that bad guys have to offer forgetting that they just want to use and dump them after unlike the good guys who actually see a life with them.
Another funny take on the issue. Who knows maybe they weren't really good girls in the first place. Maybe they were just hiding under the fact that they don't have many friends and have never been in a relationship before. This holds some amount of truth in it. If you've never been into a relationship, your true color or intention will not show. Maybe you don't want something serious, you just want to explore. As they say you don't test the depth of a river with your two feet. It isn't possible for someone to know their real self unless they've entered the relationship. After all she could be a bad b***h.
A certain lady expressed her surprise wondering how this could possibly be a thing. I guess she was raised differently, probably in a traditional Christian home. But she is right maybe the girl is not thinking well.
In Conclusion
I guess that we will never be able to understand. It is one of the many unsolved mysteries of life, second behind where we go to after death. There are many things that women do that we will never be able to understand. I guess this is just the way they are wired.
Recovery
In the words of Davido recovery!. I'm back everyone, it feels really good. I fell terribly ill last week and it wasn't a pleasant experience. I was suffering from malaria and I might be exaggerating but I literally saw my life flash before my eyes. Okay okay, I am exaggerating but honestly it wasn't fun. I have almost fully recovered and already back on my feet.
I am partially back here on readcash and I have started to engage a number of articles. Recently I have seen some articles that are mind blowing and I am in awe of the amazing authors behind them. While I was away I was able to publish only a single article and I was surprised by the engagement that it got. Even though by my standards the article wasn't much people still engaged it and it was quite encouraging. I wrote about my illness and was overwhelmed by the massive show of support and different people wishing me well. I just want to say a big thank you.
Malaria is a common illness and people do not take it as seriously as before. We don't even bother going to the hospital. We just buy the anti malaria drug without thinking twice thereby resulting to self medication. I am guilty of that also but I think it is something that we should all stop.
Yes, there have been advancement in the treatment of malaria and other diseases that were once dreaded by many but that doesn't mean we should downplay their capability to kill or cause terrible harm. Malaria is still a serious illness in some places in the world and we should still maintain a degree of care and caution. Anytime we are not feeling fine we should go to do doctor and get a malaria test done. It is for our own good. We should only get the drugs that the doctor prescribed. I know that all of this might be stressful but we should endeavor to do it. It is for our well-being.
Now that I am back to my former self, it's time to focus on some important things like this platform right here. Before I fell ill, I already started reading some of my books. Brushing up on certain topics so that I can be sure that I haven't forgotten them. I read on thermodynamics particularly pure substances. That's where we stopped before we went for an 'unexpected' break.
I started reading it in the beginning of the week and it is pretty interesting. Turns out science can actually be interesting especially heat and thermodynamics. I was able to recollect some basic definitions and terms so turns out I haven't fully forgotten.
This week I will be learning something new. I would have loved to tell you guys about it but I have to keep it a secret. One thing I can assure you guys is that I won't be the same person once I am through with it. I would have reached a whole new level of self development.
Malaria
Malaria why? What did I ever do to deserve this kind of wickedness. Why did you have to make me fall sick. Why did you make me weak. Why do you want to embarrass me in public. Malaria I ask again, why?
This morning I woke up with a funny feeling in my throat and nostrils with a slight headache and I was just hoping it was morning sickness (not the one that pregnant women have). It was just catarrh and a slight headache. I shrugged it off and proceeded to go do my regular house chores. Little did I know that it was only the beginning.
After doing my morning chores that uncomfortable feeling of sickness was still there within me. It didn't get worse neither did it get better. I was beginning to get worried. I had my bath because I was planning to go out later in the day as I had a event to attend with my dad. It was the service of songs for the father of one of his friends.
As we were on our way in the car, I felt weak. The headache and catarrh was getting worse and I was quickly getting tired. My dad was trying to engage in small talks with me during the ride but I wasn't in the right frame of mind to respond. He noticed this and stopped talking. It was a pretty quiet ride to the venue.
We finally arrived and I had to summon strength to walk, talk and greet people. It was a lot of work. The venue for the event was quite small and crowded so I was definitely not going to be comfortable. The speakers were really loud so that just made everything worse. How am I going to survive here without passing out? It is going to be a Herculean task.
I managed to survive the entire event of around two hours give or take thirty minutes. Nobody was able to see my drooling nose thanks to the nose mask that was given to me at the entrance. Somehow I was able to pull through till the end of the program but that didn't mean I felt any better. In fact it was getting worse and I also told my dad that we should leave. We were given food later on. After eating I felt nothing at all. It was like a drop of water in the Sahara desert, it made no difference at all.
Finally we left and headed for home. I prayed that we should get there as soon as possible because I need to start treatment and also get some needed rest.
I am still sick while writing this article. This is the reason why I haven't been active here lately. I am still not feeling good even though I have started taking drugs. Hopefully I get well soon enough and bounce back on my feet. I don't like being sick at all.
The only good thing is that I don't get to do house chores.
The Slap
I am sure that we all watched in shock as Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the stage during the Oscars. It must have been a terrifying moment as his palm landed across the cheek of Chris Rock. A lot of people particularly at the program were wondering if this was part of the comedy sketch. There worst fear was realized when Will Smith sat down and started shouting obscenities at Chris Rock.
Everyone including me was taken aback by what had just happened on live television, were millions of people all over the world were watching. For those who don't know the Oscars is a really big event. Only the Olympics, World Cup and the Grammys come close to it. So it was really shocking that something like this could happen. How will someone slap another person in the Oscars. Today I will be taking the different sides to the story and try and explain everything as short as possible.
It all started when Chris Rock came on stage and started making jokes. He wasn't targeting anyone in particular and everyone was laughing. He went from person to person making jokes about them. He finally went to Will Smith and his wife Jada. He made a joke and Jada hair loss condition. Will first took the joke in good spirits but his wife wasn't too happy about it. When he saw this, he decided to 'man up' and defend his wife honor. He then proceeded to the stage and gave Chris a deafening slap. Chris didn't retaliate and even made a joke about it.
Will then went back to his seat and then shouted at the top of his voice for Chris to never mention his wife name in any of his jokes. Chris said okay and it was a very awkward moment after that. You should have seen the reaction on everyone's face. The organisers were surprised by this and didn't know what to do. How will you send a man like Will Smith out? The show then went on a break.
Twitter went into a frenzy as people shared their different opinions on the issue. Some thought that he went too far and as a public figure he should have controlled his emotions and not react that way. Another group of people said that what he did was understandable and that he was only human. That how would you react if someone disrespected your wife or any of your family member like that. Won't you stand up and defend them. It's the only reasonable thing to do as a man. This doesn't justify his caveman response though as there were better ways he could have handled it.
Another school of thought had the opinion that the Oscars were biased. That immediately after that slap he should have been escorted out of the venue. They said that if it was another person, he/she would have been immediately sent out but because he is Will Smith they let it slide. They also argued that he should have been stripped of the Oscar that he won for best actor in his movie *King Richard* immediately after that incident. Someone like him isn't worthy of that honor.
He later went on to apologize and said that his actions were inappropriate but we don't know if that would be enough for the organizers of the Oscars not to strip him of the award.
Here is my two cents on the issue
What Will Smith did is totally wrong and unjustifiable but I totally understand why he did it. As a man we need to stand up and defend those we care for. It's sort of an animal instinct. So anybody that disrespect or tries to hurt any of our family members will feel our wrath. I myself might do something like that if I find myself in that kind of situation. But this doesn't justify his actions. As a public figure he shouldn't be doing that. Many people including children look up to him. He should have put his emotions in check and talked to Chris Rock privately about the joke telling him that his wife didn't like it.
But all of this makes me wonder, why will Will defend his wife after all that she has done to him?
Be Comfortable In Your Own Skin
Hey everyone. How are we all doing? I hope that we are all good and making the best use of our time. Time no matter how long it may seem is actually and we must use the best out of it no matter what. So let's go out there with a positive mindset not allowing anything pull us down. We are made of steel and we can achieve anything we set our minds too.
So the title for today's article is be comfortable in your own skin. This statement is pretty straightforward. I was watching clips from the Oscars that was held two days ago. Even though I watched it mainly because of the incident that was driving the whole of Twitter into a frenzy, I was able to watch part of the runway show.
The runway show is basically about celebrities walking on the red carpet and showing off their amazing outfits while posing for the cameras. It's a pretty big deal. This is a pretty big deal for fashion designers as they get to show off their amazing designs to the world and possibly attract high end clientele. They make the clothes for the celebrities for little or now cost just for the advertisement that it brings. This is where you see very popular designers show off their latest product.
This is where I got to see different celebrities courageously flaunting their designers regardless of how crazy it may be. The designs such as as their clothes, shoes and head gear might have appeared strange and out of the ordinary but somehow they were able to pull it off. You can say that they were comfortable in their own skin. No matter what they wore they were able to pull it off. No matter how uncomfortable or revealing it was they still pulled it off.
Now I am not justifying the kind of clothes they wore. I think that it is too revealing and there is nothing wrong dressing modestly. Infact I can say they barely wore any clothes at all because of how much skin was exposed. What I am saying is that they were comfortable and didn't care what people thought. Being comfortable in your skin means that you don't care what people think about your skin or your body shape or your body type but you're comfortable in your own body. You don't care about people's condescending thoughts towards you but you block it out because of your self confidence and high self esteem.
Having this sort of confidence is very important for you to achieve anything tangible in life. You shouldn't allow anyone's thought about you dictate your behavior and actions. You are your own man. You have your mind and you should use it, not allowing anybody to use it for you. Do not be a puppet in the hands of another human being.
All that I am saying is that we should be okay with our body and we shouldn't body shame ourselves. We should not be self conscious all the time. Any clothes that we wear we should be okay with it and wear it proudly with all shades of confidence. But we should not forget to dress decently.
Is Everyday Mothers' Day?
This morning and all through the afternoon my WhatsApp was full of people wishing their mothers happy mothers day and I started to wonder is it everyday that is mother's day because I am starting to get confused. I thought that we already celebrated mothers day earlier this year but I guess I was wrong or maybe there are other Mother's day that I am not aware of.
I am just getting to know that there are around three different mothers day each with its own peculiarity. The one of today, the one celebrated earlier this year and the one in May. I heard that the one in May is the most common one and that's the date recognized in the United States of America as Mothers' Day.
I am starting to get bored or should I say tired of the numerous days to celebrate mothers and even women at large. Just recently the world had the International Women Day ( I wrote an article on that, please do well and check it out) and women all over the world were celebrated and giving the recognition they truly deserve. But if you think deeply about it how many days are allocated to Fathers or even men. Probably just one.
This is the aggrieved man speaking in me but it's just not fair. Well I am not here to talk about that or how unfairly men are again treated in the society. All the attention are focused on the women as it should be. They are the ones that bring life into this world. I am just here to show everyone the existing bias and that men also deserve to be given the same attention and love from everyone. We matter to.
Nonetheless I think we should still use this period to celebrate our mothers. They've given us the best and they certainly deserve the best. We should appreciate them in any way that we can. Whether it's taking them out for dinner or to see a movie or to an amusement park. We should just take them out so that they can have fun and have the rest they fully deserve.
Mothers are literally our everything. They bring us to this world and take us through it. They are there for us regardless of the storms life may bring. They are our rock and shoulder to lean on. In fact they are our everything. I can boldly say that someone who didn't have a mother in their life really missed out on a lot and life dealt him/her a huge blow. I can't write everything I want about mothers here and now because I am saving it for the mothers day in May. Till then let's keep appreciating our mothers and mother figures in our life.
But again I ask myself why are there so many mothers/women day.
Ghana Vs Nigeria
To all my Ghanian subscribers out there I am not here to slander, drag or banter Ghana, even though I will eventually. I am here to talk about the rivalry between Nigeria and our neighboring country Ghana. Ghana isn't exactly our neighbor, we are separated by two countries Benin Republic and Togo but we still call each other neighbors because we share very close ties both in the past and in the present. Like where did you think you heard *Ghana must go bag* from?
Even though we are friends we are also rivals. Isn't that funny? I know, I am surprised. We aren't enemies but we argue over a bunch of trivial things. Like for example we argue over Football, accents, traditions, music, the ability of our men to perform in bed and of course Jollof rice. The argument on Jollof is a a story for another day and it is always making national headlines but I will give a summary on it.
Jollof Rice, the famed dish of Western Africa. I am sure that no matter where you are living in the world you've definitely heard someone say Jollof rice. It is a dish that God sent from heaven to bless everyone's palate. God only trusted Nigerians to prepare the dish but somehow other African countries think that they can prepare it better than us. They are not even worthy of preparing the dish. Only Nigerians know how to make it best. You can see that the banter has started.
We also argue about the origination of Jollof rice. Whether it came from Nigeria or Ghana. I will only say one thing on this. It doesn't matter where it came from, what matters is who can make it best and Nigeria has definitely shown that it is superior in that aspect. Nobody makes an African Jollof rice like us. They can claim that it came from Ghana but can they prepare it better than us? No.
Then let's go to music. How the hell do Ghanians think that their artists are better than ours. How will you be comparing Shatta Wale to Burna Boy, isn't that criminal? We have some of the biggest artists in Africa only South Africa comes close but we are still better than them by far. Our artists produce hits after hits and their songs are always topping the chats. Have any of their artists won a Grammy before?
They really need to stop dragging themselves in the mud we pass them no be small. They should stop the comparison and focus on how to improve their music industry so that it can at least reach the levels of South Africa before the can start opening their mouth.
Lastly I will talk about the football rivalry. I don't think I have seen any football rivalry as big as this on the African continent. This is the main reason why I wrote today's article. We have a match against them tonight by 8:30pm. A world cup qualify. It is a match that either side cannot afford to lose. This match will potentially decided who goes to Qatar for the world cup in December.
We have a rivalry going way back. Anytime both teams step on the pitch it's a do or die affair. Both teams are ready to give their all on the pitch because of the countries they are representing. I do not know exactly the record between both teams. Who has more wins or losses or the number of times that both teams have drawn a match but one thing I know for sure is that Nigeria no *dey* carry last.
This is why I trust my boss to represent us well and win this match so that they can know and see with their eyes who is better in football. We are not their mate in that aspect. I will like to thank my friend @Oluwa_damilare for giving me the inspiration for writing this article. I was reading his article this afternoon when I thought of writing this.
The Election (Choosing A Leader)
The national election in my country is taking place February next year according to the calendar released by the Electoral body. As a result of this a number of politicians have come out declaring their interest in certain positions. The Electorate do not know whether their intentions are genuine or not and this is a cause for concern.
My country hasn't been lucky with the set of politicians that we have. Most of them are corrupt and after their own selfish interest. They are people who are only after what they can get from the government. Embezzling millions of tax payers money. It is quite unfortunate.
They walk around as wolves in sheep clothing and if you're not careful you will be easily deceived. They've mastered the act of deceit. That's why one has to be careful so as not to fall prey to their lies. This is why I am writing this article so that people can know what to look out for. Things that indicate whether a politician will be a good leader or a terrible one. I am doing this so that we can stop making the same mistake over and over again.
The first thing you need to look at for is their family, educational and political background. I will take this one by one.
Family Background
This is very vital in determining what kind of human being the person will be. A person's family determines how he/she will turn out. If you grew up in a stable family chances are that you turn out to be somebody in life and if you grew up in a very toxic or unstable family you could be a menace to the society. So in selecting a leader we need to take into consideration the sought of family he/she is coming from. We need to be sure that the person was inculcated with the right values at a young age so that he/she can transfer it to the society at large.
Educational Background
My dad always says something you can never allow an illiterate to rule a country if not it will spell disaster. Being educated or should I say literate puts you at a vantage position around others. Your sense of reason is greatly improved and you think of things in a more analytical way. You don't just think like an average man, from hand to mouth. You think of the cost and benefits, the advantages and disadvantages, the people and things affected by your decisions. This way you make wiser and more informed decision for the well-being of everyone.
In my country for example we have people that didn't go to University, people who probably didn't go to high school heading important positions in the country. Our President didn't even go to University and his secondary school leaving certificate has been put into question numerous times. This makes you think how in the world did he end up in the most important office in the country. I think that it should be put in the constitution that the minimum requirement to head any political position at the federal level should be having a degree.
Political Background
This is the last of the list of things that we should look into the past of a political candidate. Politics as they say is a dirty game and you have to get ready to play dirty. While this to some extent is true it doesn't justify commiting a crime. We need to be sure that the person we are voting for doesn't have any bad or tainted political image. If he has done anything questionable before so as to get into a position. This is very important. I say this because we need to know the extent to which the person is willing to go to get into an office.
We need to know also if he/she has any political experience. We definitely don't want to put a novice in charge, that would be dangerous. It's important to know if the person has been in any position before close to what he/she is contesting for. Having the experience is definitely a plus and an added advantage.
What I Have Done So Far
The two months strike declared by ASUU started last week Monday so it has been ten days into this strike. This article is mainly about how this past few days has been for me. Even though nothing interesting or notable happened but there should be one or two things to talk about. In short I am writing this article to give an account for how I have been spending this suprise break.
Last week Monday I was happy infact I was depressed. This was because I wasn't happy at all that a total, complete and comprehensive strike was declared by the Academic staffs of federal universities in my country. I was secretly hoping that lectures will resume after their warning strike but that didn't happen. So I spent the whole day wondering how my life was slowly wasted by this group of people. I had the dream that I will finish school at such a young age and start working almost immediately but I know now that it can only be a dream.
That same week I wrote an article about learning a new skill during this period and I listed a group of skill sets I will love to acquire. I haven't started any though but I plan to soon enough. Hopefully before the end of this month.
I also used this period to read a few books. The books were recommended by my school for a particular compulsory course. The title of the books are The Bubble Burst and Refugees of the Great Lakes. The two books are really interesting and not boring as I expected. It was fun reading it and I was very impressed with the authors, they really tried. One of this days I will do a review of both books and go deep into them giving you guys a detailed review.
I have used this opportunity to catch up on some of the movies and series that I was lagging behind. I have also been able to see some films that I haven't been able to see due to my academic work load. I think this is one of the benefits of the strike. I finally get to rest and have some fun unlike if I was in school. I think I have watched more movies in this past week than I have throughout last year. I am even planing to watch The Batman, I just haven't had the time yet.
I have also improved my skills in programming and AutoCAD. I am using FOTRAN and studying it's uses and function. A lot of people say that this programming language is out of date and people barely use it anymore but I still think that it useful especially if you are just starting your journey in programming. I paused my learning on AutoCAD so that I can focus more on FOTRAN.
I think that's all for last week and this week just started so nothing much to talk about. So that's how I've spent my time in a nutshell. I hope I can use the remaining weeks for something more productive. Till then I just want to relax and be taken care of.
How To Stay Safe When You're Taking A Taxi
I have been seeing different articles lately about kidnappings and killings involving taxis especially private ones. There has been a lot of news and news converge on various kidnappings that occur using taxis. Most of this done by the taxi driver.
Recently in my country the rate of kidnapping has dangerously increased and is becoming a cause for serious concerns. The one that is even more rampant is the one involving taxis drivers. Most of the crime is done on all this privately owned taxi businesses which I cannot mention here. The drivers are starting to become dangerous and people do not feel safe any more.
This is coming as a surprise to everyone because nobody excepted it. We all thought or should I say assumed that it was one of the safest ways of moving. It wasn't public. We had to pay extra for the comfort and ease. It was supposed to make us feel like it was our own car with our own driver but this is starting to not be the case.
A lot of us do not like to take public transport. The inconvenience is enough to make you think of saving up to buy your own car. There is no form of comfort at all. You get to meet crazy people in the bus who's sole mission is to irritate and frustrate you. You will be squeezed like a sandwich into the car with your whole body sticking out. The most annoying one is when you have to lap someone's child. The person won't tell you directly but will careful shift his/her child on to your lap.
So a lot of us have resorted to using private taxis owned by big businesses. Not only do they offer the necessary comfort but they provide no stress at all. That's why we were all worried when we started to hear this type of news and wondered what we were going to do. There has been reported cases of people being kidnapped in cars in the commercial capital of my country. One even happened recently where a lady was killed in a BRT. If not for her cleverness in making a video and taking pictures and also her friends sharing it to the police and the public we wouldn't have known what happened and be able to identify the driver. Unfortunately she left clues to her own death.
This was a really sad story as her parent could not comprehend the loss. They were devastated by the news and wondered how could it have happened in a sane society. This is why I have decided to write an article talking about how to stay safe in taxis so that situations like this won't happen again.
First of all you need to know the identify of the driver. This is the first thing you do when you enter the car. You need to make sure that it is the same with what is on the app. You need to take note of the face and any distinct facial markings. This is done so as to easily identify the person.
Also you need to take note of the Vehicles plate number or should I say registration number. The cars brand and color is also important so take note. I would have said that you should write down the VIN but that's doing too much. Who knows maybe it will be useful, you can never do too much when it comes to safety.
Again if you notice that the car locks are damaged I would advise that you do not enter. That is a new tactic use by this kidnappers. If you also notice a funny smell in the car do not enter especially if the driver is using a nose mask. He might be trying to render you unconscious. Lastly if the driver is behaving strangely or is acting off that is a red flag. Nothing gives off a warning sign more than the attitude and behavior of a driver.
In Conclusion
You can never be to safe when it comes to your safety. I will advise everyone to be more careful during this period and to always be vigilant.
Electricity
So for a while I haven't had stable electricity supply where I am staying. It was only recently that they fixed it after so many days of having little to no power supply. Those days without electricity were terrible and I wonder how I was able to survive. The heat especially. It was so unbearable. There were also we need electricity for like pumping water, for the refrigerator and also to charge. We had to resort to using the generator thus contributing to climate change for us to do any of this.
Using a generator was also not convenient for us. The price of fuel is on the high and there was a national fuel scarcity recently thus increasing the price of petrol. It hasn't been easy honestly. It is not cheap for one to provide his own source of energy. The best one is the one from the government. It is the cheapest.
The recent events just made me realize just how important electricity is to our society. A society cannot reach its full potential with a constant stable power supply. Power is a necessity not a luxury because we literally do almost everything using power.
Let's take a look at a local business for example. It doesn't matter what the business is into as they still need power to offer services or goods to their customers. There needs to be power so as to provide a comfortable environment for their customers. Nobody wants to be sitting or standing under the heat waiting to be attended to. Imagine going to a supermarket with long queues and there is no electricity meaning that the air conditioner is not working. The place will get hot very quickly and a lot of people will feel very uncomfortable and leave.
Or let's look at a bank. We all hate those long queues but imagine if you were not waiting under the cooling effect of an A.C. You would probably not want to spend a minute waiting in that kind of bank. Like, most of us are already irritated having to wait for long to be attended to, if this should then happen I don't think people will want to be going to the bank again. You will just be sweating like a Christmas goat about to be killed.
Electricity is also really important in the food industry. Most of the food especially fruits and vegetables that we consume are perishable and do not have a long shelf life. That's why they are kept in the refrigerator so that they can last longer and be well preserved. Nobody wants to be eating spoilt food.
Businesses that also sell meat need a lot of power supply. This is because meat especially beef gets spoilt easily and has a very pungent smell if not properly preserved. That's why anytime you go to the market they are kept in very powerful freezers with temperatures well below zero. This can only be possible with a constant electricity supply.
Although most of this businesses supply their own power it just goes to show how important energy is in our modern society and how we can do nothing without it.
To this end I hope that our power supply becomes stable even though that is starting to look like a far fetched dream.
Random Article
Today happens to be one of those days. I don't have any topic to write on and I am not feeling the urge or vibe to write. Maybe it's because of how my week has been. It hasn't been bad. It's just there, nothing eventful or interesting happened. Just me at home doing practically nothing. It's so boring.
I didn't publish an article yesterday so today I definitely have to write one but there is a problem I don't know what to write on. I think I've written on almost every topic available. It seems I have run out of ideas or maybe I'm experiencing what they call "writers block". I don't know what it is but it's definitely frustrating and tiresome.
It's frustrating because I can't imagine that I don't know what to write. How is that even possible? A whole me? On top all the books that I have read and I am still reading, it's quite unimaginable. I think it's because I don't have anything or anyone around me that will give me inspiration or ideas to write on.
I think I will blame it on how my week was. I spent almost the entire day through out the week using my phone, going from one website to another, from one app to another. Now looking back I might have watched all the videos on YouTube. Yeah, that's how bored I was. This just shows how uneventful my week was that I was so bored my phone did not interest me and it was not because I didn't have data in fact I had a lot of it.
With how my week was maybe I can find something that was a little bit interesting that happened.
On Monday I went out with my dad and he practically drove me around the city. We went to get some supplies for the house and also went to the mechanic workshop. Oh yeah, we queued at the fuel station for hours because of the ongoing fuel scarcity. Thankfully we knew someone there so that didn't take us long. Thank God for connection.
Tuesday my brother came home after a long while. Nothing much really happened that day. Wednesday I was home alone so I made a 'special' macaroni. I didn't have a lot to work with so I had to be imaginative. It was actually macaroni mixed with stew and tomato paste with a lot of seasoning. Funnily enough, it actually came out nice and I enjoyed eating it. Honestly, I *dey* cook.
Thursday my brother left for camp so we had to wake up early in the morning to drop him off at the train station. I finally got to see the train station in my city and it was a beauty to behold. They really put a lot into that building. Friday was just there. Just me at home again and then there was Saturday. I was actually busy at home as we had to do a construction and it took almost the entire day to be completed. I was really drained out at the end of the day.
So that's how my week was in a nutshell, just there. Hopefully this week will be better and at least interesting.
Till next time.
Dignity of Labour
I am sure we have heard or seen this phrase somewhere. It is a very common thing said when talking about work. The first time I heard about Dignity of labor I was in a Civics Education class in my Junior year and since then it has been stuck in my head.
Dignity of Labor can be roughly defined as the self pride in the work a person is doing. The unashamed feeling of the trade that you're plying. It generally means having dignity in your labor. I remember when I was taught this topic. I was taught that there is no job that is shameful or demeaning or that is supposed to be looked down upon. I was taught that each job has it's own importance in the society and that no job is useless or does not have any effect on the society. Each job has it's own usefulness and importance.
It is not uncommon to see or meet people who look down on people based on their job. Jobs such as farming, plumbing, welding, shoemaking, tailoring, bricklaying, carpentry and even petty trading. People see this job as low class jobs and the people who do them as beneath them having no form of quality education whatsoever. What most people fail to realize is that this jobs are just as important as the high class ones such as banking, medicine, engineering, teaching and so on.
What they don't know is that this people contribute directly to the society in more ways than they can start to imagine. This group people effect changes in the little ways they can. Even though they might have not been privileged to have the form of education that some people have they still contribute to the society and you can even say that they are the main party of the economy of any county.
Take farming for example. I can say that farming is the most important job ever. That is because he or she is the one that feeds the world. Whether it is a farmer that cultivates crops or that is into livestock farming, he provides food for everyone. Like someone used to tell me, "every form of business can go into extinction but one business that will always be around is agriculture". People can never get tired of food as it is an important part of life. You can't live without eating it is impossible. With this few reasons I hope I've been able to convince you that farming is not a menial job. If it is done on a very large scale millions can be made from it.
There are also jobs that are important such as tailoring. We all cannot walk around naked so clothes is a necessity. When we dress we like to look smart and beautiful, flamboyant even that's where tailors or should I say fashion designers come in. If you have a good tailor you will always look great. People will have a form of respect for you since they know that you care about your appearance. As the saying goes "the way you dress is the way you will be addressed".
Lastly I will talk about bricklaying. I want to talk especially about it because I know some people who's source of living is this. I will like for you guys to imagine how buildings are built right from scratch into skyscrapers. From the foundation to the super structure. All of this is able to happen because of the intensive labor that the bricklayer and the masons provide. They bring the bricks together, use concrete to join them and then build one on top the order in a particular pattern. Buildings are able to emerge from the drawings in the paper into reality because of them.
In conclusion, every form and type of job is important in the society and none of them should be looked down upon. They are all important in their own little way.
CHE 126 (Part 2)
This is the continuation of the two part series. If you haven't read the first part I urge you to go through my articles and check it out. It is necessary for you to understand the story and where I'm coming from. I stopped at where I wrote my second test, how I failed woefully and then slowly entering into depression. So I will continue from there.
I had just written my second test and I didn't perform well. In fact I had one of the worst C.A. in my class and I was beginning to question my intelligence. Whether I was smart enough to be in the University. Like how could I have failed chemistry of all courses. I was really disappointed in himself.
I had started second semester with the intention of getting an A in all my courses but with what I got in CHE 126 that was looking impossible. This whole situation caused me to spiral into depression and I even thought of giving up on school. How will I survive in the University of I could get a score like that.
I wasn't the only one going through this. There was mass failure among students in this course. Most if not all students did not do well and even had results worse than my one. A lot of us were shocked wondering which kind of devilish course is this. The results were generally bad and a lot of students were not happy. Some of them were angry even going as far as cursing the lecturer and his family. Saying that if they see him on the road they will harm him. Some of them were also not surprised or shocked. After they had heard past stories about the lecturer and his course it was only normal that history will repeat itself. They were like if he could fail his son in the previous set how much more us who are not related to him.
I spoke to a few family and friends and told them what I was going through. They told me not to give up but to work harder. They said that it wasn't the end of the world and that I wasn't the first person to have a bad score in a test.
After most of us had gone through the various stages of emotions and finally understood what had happened to us and accepted our fate, we resolved not to let this situation bring us down. We decided especially myself to take the bull by the horns and master this course in and out. I said to myself that I will understand, memorize and even cram this course into my head. I will know what is in the lecture slide word for word. Not a single word will escape my head. I will sit down with it day and night and will do nothing until I can say what's in the note word for word. I was not going to relent or give up until I had achieved my goals because it is only the weak that give up in the face of challenges.
We as a class consoled ourselves and told one another that it wasn't the end of the road. We still had our exams and we were going to prepare with all that we got. Nothing and nobody was going to stop us from passing the course not even the lecturer. We were going to come as a class to read together, solve questions together, test each other knowledge on the course, organize tutorials and pass together. Our resolve was strong and unbreakable.
The day of the exam came and we all wished each other well. It was going to be a very important day. All the preparations we had made, the sleepless night, the endless studies. All of it was for that day. The all important day. The day that was going to decide whether some of us will still be in the University.
My dad called me on the morning of the exam day telling me that there was no reason to be scared or apprehensive. That I should not allow fear cloud my judgement. That as long as I prepared well I was going to pass and there was nothing to be afraid of. He just called me to tell me to let my mind be at peace because if I didn't no amount of reading will make me pass.
I finally wrote the exam and I can say that it was better than the test. Not that the questions were easier (they were actually the same) but I was better prepared for it. I wasn't afraid and I answered the questions to the best of my ability. The results of the exam were released a few weeks later and I got a C, not bad. Even though I expected something better but half bread is better than none.
The whole experience taught me that you can never be fully prepared for anything. Life can hit you with so many surprises most of which are not pleasant. You just have to keep pushing and keep your head held up high. Life is going to push you down but that doesn't mean you should stay down.
School Break
This article is coming a bit late as I should have written it months ago. I wasn't able due to so many reasons one of which is my mental laziness towards writing it. I never really had the urge to write it but today I decided that whether I like it or not I must do it.
This article is about how I spent my break. I finished my first year in University last year December. It was a very long year for me. The session started in March and thank God we finished by December. According to the school calendar we were supposed to resume for the new session on the 30th of January but due to something we resumed on the 28th of February. So I was left with two months of Holiday.
I was happy that this happened during Christmas period so that I could be with my family and friends. There is no holiday like that. I would spend my break eating Christmas and New Year food and also having some wonderful parties. It was the perfect time to just let loose.
Before the break began I told myself that I will use the opportunity to be serious and read for the next session but I knew that I was just lying to myself. It was the serious me talking. But if we take a minute and think about it, how could I be serious about it. I had spent almost the entire year with my head buried in my books and with a hundred percent focus on my academics. So why will I now stress myself and continue reading during this break. Isn't that crazy? Now I am wondering how I could have said that. I cannot stress myself out so I was definitely going to let out some steam.
I spent a little part of my break in school but not for academic reasons. There were some end of the year dinners and parties going on in school and I wanted to attend. They were actually fun and I really enjoyed myself. I met new people and was able to get some important connections. I also used the little time I stayed in school to collect a lot of movies. I planned to watch all of them before the end of the break. Looking now in retrospect, there was no way I could have done that. Some of the movies are still on my phone waiting for me to watch them.
I still managed to watch a few of them. I watched Deep House, Night Raiders, Shang Chi, Overboard, P.K and a series titled Off My Block. I particularly enjoyed that series as it was relatable. It is about a group of 4 teenagers who live in a neighborhood rife with gang violence. The series follows their journey through this neighborhood as they pass through adolescence. It's a really interesting, funny and thought provoking movie and I recommend it for anyone especially if you're a teenager.
Another important part of my break was the Christmas and New Year celebration. It was really fun as there was a lot to celebrate. Also there was plenty food and drinks. I got to see family members that I haven't seen in a long while and it was really good to see them. The highlight of the period though was when a family friend came visiting and he gave me $15. I was so happy. That's a lot of money for me to take myself out on a treat.
During the break I also tried to revive my noise cash account but that did not turn out so well. I think I have given up on it.
This doesn't mean the break was always full of fun and lively. I also had some very boring moments that I didn't know what to do. Everywhere was just dry but thankfully those moments were shortlived as I quickly found things that I was interested in.
In Conclusion
A part of my break was fun, interesting and lively while the other was boring and uneventful probably because I miss my friends and maybe the school environment. All in all I am happy that I got the break that I full deserved and was able to rest well. Another academic session is upon us and it is time to be serious again.
Till next time guys and I can't wait to tell you about my next school break experience.
Two More Months
That's how long I will be staying at home. This morning it was announced that the strike will continue for an extra two months after the one month warning strike. Isn't that just wonderful? I'm just frustrated right now.
In one of my most recent article, I talked about learning a skill during this period. Now I am wondering which one it is going to be. I have different options. Cryptocurrency, forex, affiliate marketing, graphics designing, web development, programming, AutoCAD and so much more. I haven't decided which one to choose yet but I've narrowed it down to crypto, forex and programming.
Programming is there because my brother literally wants me to learn it by force and I am not really interested in it. It seems like too much stress and work even though I know that nothing good comes cheap, it comes with persistence and hardwork. He came back home today and the first thing he asked me was what I was going to do with the extra time the strike handed me. I jokingly told him that I was going to continue reading my books and preparing ahead of time. He said I should shut up and I was going to do no such thing. He said that now that he is back, I was going to learn programming whether I liked it or not.
Even though this sounds a bit threatening, I know that he is only doing it for my good. Out there it is really competitive and one has to have a skill or something to offer that no one else has. So maybe after his threat I might consider learning programming particularly Python since that seems like what everyone is using now.
Now, my main plan was to increase my knowledge in crypto and start making investments and also trading. The main a was to make money. I attended a class recently and I want to use the knowledge I gained to start trading. I am thinking of starting with Binance particularly spot trading and then go to futures. Once I have made enough profit I will venture into DeFi. It seems that's where a lot of money in crypto is made from.
I was supposed to have started last week but somethings happened and I couldn't. One of the main reasons I haven't started is because of the fluctuating value of BCH. The price of BCH has not been good enough and has been discouraging me from starting my journey. I plan to use the money that I have made and some of my investment to start trading but until the price of BCH goes up I don't think I can.
Regardless, I know it isn't going to be a smooth journey and there will be a lot of ups and downs but the richest men in the world didn't have it easy. They work hard to get to where they currently are and I am no different. In other to achieve great success I need to put in my all and never look back never give up because one day I know that it will pay.
I hope my investment journey turns out well and I won't come back here crying and in severe pains. I want to use this period well for my benefit so that when the strike is called off I can pull up to school in a Benz looking all fresh and cool.
The Resurgence Of FC Barcelona
I am very happy and delighted to be writing this article. My darling and boyhood club Barcelona has finally experienced a sudden resurgence in form and we are firing from all cylinders. Isn't this good news. The season didn't start out well for us as we drop a lot of points and lost many important points. It was really a terrible time. Nonetheless we picked ourselves up and got back up once again.
This resurgence in form only happened due to some specific reasons. For one we got a new coach. This really changed a lot of things as we got someone who is already used to the system and knows more about it than anyone one. I am talking about no one but Xavi Hernandez. He is a legend of the club coming second in the rankings of the person that has played the most games for Barcelona. During his time, he was one of the best midfielders. Linking the defense and the attack in ways you can only start to imagine. He was a midfield maestro.
This was why when the club was looking for a new coach people within and outside the club were clamouring for Xavi. He had some coaching experience in Saudi Arabia and it was time for him to use his little experience here in Spain. There were a lot of obstacles ahead of him as he met the club in a mess. They were nowhere on the league table and out of the champions league. The future for the club was definitely not looking bright.
It took him some time but he definitely turned the fortunes of the club around. Now we are third on the league table and actively competing in the Europa League. What a massive turnaround for the club. He has really proved himself and shown that it wasn't a mistake bringing a former club legend back to coach the club like it was for our previous manager.
The other reason is the effect of the signings that we made in the January Transfer window. The club was busy during that period re-enforcing the forward line. We brought in some of the best forwards around such as; Ferran Torres, Adama Traore and Aubamayang. We also brought Dani Alves back in the club where he has been an important players specifically in the right back position.
These players have made a massive impact in the club and have already hit the ground running. They are scoring goals right, left and center. It has been an absolutely amazing show. The most recent examples are our matches with Napoli, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia and the game we played tonight against Osasuna thrashing them 4-nil. Ferran had a brace in that game and Aubamayang scored a goal. They are already making immense contributions to the team. This is really amazing as the club hasn't been lucky when buying forwards. We've had flops like Coutinho, Dembele, Malcolm and Greizmann who haven't performed well but this ones have been different.
All in all I am really happy about the turn in form of the club and I will be expecting so much more from them. All clubs should beware, we are coming next season with a bang. We will be a force to be reckoned with.
Learning A Skill; Making Bastard Money
So after yesterday's article I decided that instead of me wasting my time at home, I will use it to learn a useful skill. I don't know how long the strike is going to be but I am going to use it to my full advantage. I will use the opportunity to build myself and learn ways of how to make money and create a change in my society. I just want to be productive.
During this period I have decided that I must learn at least one money making activity and also be involved in a productive business. I have decided to be more serious here on readcash and engage articles like never before. So I guess that you will be seeing more of me.
I have also decided that I will venture deep into the world of crypto. I don't know much about it that's why earlier this month I joined a crypto class where I learnt the basics from the definition of cryptocurrency to fundamental and technical analysis. I am still in the class but my knowledge on crypto expands each day.
I am planning on using the things I gain from the class to venture into the world of crypto and make bastard money from it so that when they finally call of the strike I will pull in school in a black Mercedes Benz wearing dark shades with a Richard Mille watch on my wrist and ice on my neck. Looking like a modern day *Yoruba demon*. By the time I get down all the girls will be falling head over heels for me and blushing from cheek to cheek.
Okay, that's just me being imaginative and silly but wouldn't that be awesome. The freshest guy on campus. All the ladies will want a piece of me or should I say of my money.
That's where the problem lies. I don't know whether they like me for me or my money but most times the answer is obvious. When a man has suddenly acquired a huge amount of wealth and ladies start following him like ants follow sugar, they just want his wealth. They are only following him for what they can get from him and this is happens a lot in universities. Most of them aren't matured to be in a relationship and are only after the sweet things in life.
So, I have decided to take this unexpected break seriously and focus on myself and my life. Particularly how I can move my finances forward and not solely depend on what I get from my parents. Time to be financially independent. I know that it isn't going to be easy but I am definitely ready for the troubles that may come and the challenges that I will face. Working hard is not for the fainthearted and making it is not for the week. It is only meant for the people that will preserve through it all.
So guys wish me all the best as I go to learn a skill.
Today while I was going through my account I realized that I have written up to 50 articles! I am really amazed by the progress I have made so far and I know it's no mean feat. 50 is a large number especially when it pertains to the number of articles that you have written.
My journey didn't start out easy as I got low engagements on my first six articles and I felt like giving up but thanks to my friends @Oluwa_damilare and @Abhay that encouraged me to continue. I couldn't have gotten here without their support. Thank you very much guys.
So this is my 51st article, cheers to a hundred.
Why Did I Chose A Federal University?
I keep asking myself this question. What made me make such a grave mistake? What was I thinking? I do not know the answers to these questions but I'm sure I will soon find out. I am probably going to rant in this article because I am boiling right now. I am like a volcano about to erupt. I am really angry at the moment. Let me explain why.
I woke up this morning to the news that the Non Academic Staff Union of University (NASUU) has gone on a strike. It isn't all over the nation but only in my University chapter of the union. They didn't say for how long it is going to be but anytime they strike it isn't for a short period of time. They decided to strike the same time ASUU is on strike coincidence? I think not.
Everyone knows that anytime they embark on a strike they make sure everyone knows. They disrupt any movement or activities going on in the campus whether it relates to them or not. They make sure their presence is felt and their absence from their workplace also felt. Nobody regardless of who you are will know peace until there demands are met. It is always a total, complete and comprehensive strike.
That was why I was concerned when I heard about it. ASUU going on strike is not a good thing but NASUU also doing likewise is worse. The University will be in a total lockdown. What then is left for the average student if not to go back home to their family. There are no lectures and no staffs to make sure there are. It is a terrible situation.
What do they want exactly? More money as always. Not like they are not paying their salary but they want more bonuses, allowances and incentives even though they have more than enough already. All of them are just looking for their own selfish interest not caring about the betterment of Tertiary education in the country.
So this is what got me angry. The industrial action of both unions. Of all the time they decided to go on a strike they just had to do it the same time, totally grounding academic activities on campus. I have already spent 4 months at home because of ASUU strike and God knows how many more I will spend now. Everything is just going in the wrong direction. What will happen to my academics? What will happen to my life? What am I supposed to be doing?
There are many questions that I am asking but with no answers. I am really angry at the government and the union. Why can't they resolve their difference for once and for all. The reason why an industrial action was declared was because the government hadn't honoured an agreement that was made back in 2009. That's over 12 years. The issue keeps getting dragged and I am starting to get angry.
The fact that this issue hasn't been resolved is what I can't wrap my head around. This is why strikes have been declared over and over again. Just two years ago, a whole year was spent on strike. So much time was wasted that a whole year was 'struck off' so as to fix the academic calendar.
It's at times like this I wonder why I chose to go to a federal university. It is not worth it. It might have a lot of history and very cheap school fees but the amount of time wasted due to strikes just isn't worth it. I think it is better to go to a private university where you will finish at the due date and continue with your life. The only downside which I think is starting to look better is the high tution fees.
In the end it is all about chosing between two devil's. One with low tution fees but lots of strikes to one with high tution fees but no strike. I just think it is better to go to private universities. Pubic universities aren't just worth it again.
What Is Life Without Freedom
So today while walking from home after a class in school. A friend of mine engaged in a conversation or argument with me. She talked about how terrible the situations of things are currently in the country and how we need a military leader. I was a bit shocked and surprised by her opinion that I had no chose but to respond to her. I totally disagreed with her and explained my reasons.
In my opinion, no matter how bad or corrupted a country is I believe that the military should never intervene. Democracy should be the system of any government in the society. It is the government from the people, by the people and for the people. Once the military takes over immediately becomes an authoritarian government.
When the military takes over it is not a clean affair as most of the time a coup takes place and the military installs themselves as the new government. As we all know there is hardly any peaceful coup, most if not all of the time unnecessary blood is shed. We can find examples all over Africa and in South America where the military has forcefully taken over. Overthrowing an elected government.
They state different reasons for doing this but none of it is justified. They have no right to overthrow a democratically elected government and none of their reasons is good enough.
Where a military government exist there is hardly any freedom. No right of speech freedom and expression. Your rights are trampled upon and you don't get to voice out your opinion or protest. You do as you are told no questions ask. You live in perpetual bondage and fear knowing that you can be arrested anytime for any reason whatsoever. Is that truly life?
The beauty of life is in the choices that we make. The fact that we get to do the things we want when we want to. This let's us have experiences and memories that we will cherish forever. Life is something that we should all enjoy as we have it only for a while so why should we allow someone to ruin it for us. We should not live like caged birds but set free ready to soar high like an eagle. Life is nothing with freedom.
When I was explaining my reasons to her of how a military government is never a good thing and I stated my reasons one of which was lack of fundamental human right, I started to think of this. Is it really worth it to have a working government but your rights and freedom to make choices taken away from you. What will you tell your children? That you allowed this to happen.
The main point of my argument was that the military almost always take the right of the citizens once they are in power. Their rights are trampled upon and no one gets to talk out anymore especially if they are doing something against the constitution or worse the Rule of Law.
Most times they are just as bad as the government that was ousted if not worse. There are many disadvantages too many to list but like I will always say no matter how bad a democratically elected government is, I will always take it over a military government. In some cases the frying pan is far better than the fire.
To my amazing sponsors, you guys are the best. Thanks for sticking with me all through this time. You are really one in a million.
I don't think I was able to convince her with my point as she was stuck with her opinion of the country needing a firm hand. Someone who doesn't take rubbish and is disciplined. She went to a military school and this made and strengthened her opinion. She has a point but most of the time things like that don't work out well and the leader goes to far thus becoming power drunk.
I will probably write another article on the effects of military rule using my country as a case study but that's an article for another day.
Till next time.
@Mofif
