Clumsy Feet

Posted on May 1, 2013 by De-Me-Stified
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Hi, there. Happy May Day. Trust you’ve been keeping well since the last post. I’m tempted to apologize for how long it’s been – but you may find the repetition a bit insulting. So, I’ll apologize instead for what you’re about to read. It may turn out to be my most selfish post yet. Some other time, God give grace, I may write something for you – but this one is primarily for me. I need to hear it. And since no one (I know) is saying it, maybe it’s time I said it to myself.
“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction” – J. F. Kennedy
“The danger in norm and routine is that we may one day wake to find ourselves victors in the wrong arena” – Imisi
Today, I watched a kid try to walk. Eyes wide with desire, he tried and tried to string together meaningful steps. The best his attempts could produce was similar to an alcoholic’s victory dance. If he had only looked up, he would have seen the fear in my eyes. I worried his over-insistence would cost him the only tooth he had managed to grow.

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Posted in Courage, Life, May Day, People, Porting, Purpose | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

Shoulder Ride

Posted on February 10, 2013 by De-Me-Stified
Hi. I’m sure it’s a bit late to wish you a happy new year now. Well, I’ll say it all the same. Happy New Year. Trust it’s been great so far? Have to apologize (again) for how long it’s been since the last post. I’ve never had it as crazy as it’s been since the year turned.
A lot’s been happening. Stuff to make one reconsider what’s really important. I’ve had to constantly remind myself that, eventually, who we are aligns with what we do. That’s about all the conviction that keeps me away from the seemingly lucrative allure of negativity.
Before we get on to business, lemme just give you some gist from the time I’ve been away *winx*.
*Finally got tired of Nokia’s clowning about; got myself a (low-budget) droid. Colleague slammed it on the desk two days after; said he was ‘stress-testing’ it. He’s (the colleague) still alive, tho.
*Started my most audacious project yet. Sadly, can’t say too much about it now. Expect details once I cross the point where I’m most tempted to quit.
*I’m back in the choir. Now, I get to rue all the effort I put into ruining my voice.
*Haven’t cut any hair on my head. Trying to remind myself how quickly time flies.
*I met a woman *wide grin*. #NuffSaid
*Quit the soccer team – in spite of how much playing means to me.
I’m really hoping today’s post would be very short. Here goes …
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“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants” ~ Isaac Newton
A lady once walked in after a game, as I was cleaning out my soccer cleats. She was a little shocked that I hadn’t put it off for later – seeing how tired I obviously was. She finally caught her breath and asked ‘why’ after a few seconds. It was scarcely the time for long speech; so I kept the answer short. ‘Good point’, she said, tapping me on the back.

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Posted in Giants, Gratitude, Laila Ali, Muhammad Ali, Negativity, Paolo Maldini, Super Eagles, TeamNigeria, Theo Walcott, Valentine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

LoopBack X

Posted on December 26, 2012 by De-Me-Stified
Hi. Thanks for being here again. Merry Christmas in arrears. Trust you had lots of fun, good company and food. Today, we talk about the invasion that is upon us.
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“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning” – Albert Einstein
Somewhere in space, a commander is preparing to take over the earth. If media reports are anything to go by, he draws closer with every passing second. We have been warned; General 2013 is almost here. We don’t know what or whom he will bring in his entourage – but we know ourselves and the least we can do is prepare.
They say today is already gone; “may luck smile on us tomorrow”. I say damn aged luck. Even in youth, its arms were too weak. Let’s look upon yesterday to teach today the language of tomorrow. Maybe it can learn to say ‘we pledge allegiance’. Fine if luck joins us. If not, we won’t miss her.
Only problem: nobody really knows where yesterday lives. Bloody bodies, eternally constrained. Let’s leave the worthless things and journey with the mind. Let’s look back on the past year and see if there’s anything we’ve learnt that can lighten tomorrow’s unseen burdens. The real list is actually endless – but we can start with these.
Be happy
When you’re as involved in contact sports as I am, you’ll have a vague idea of what hurt means. But then, you’d also know that it’s not about the cuss-words or funny faces. It’s about how much you can achieve in spite of those hurts. A striker will forever pray to be fouled in the box – even if he’ll be too battered to take the resulting spot-kick. A boxer will pray the opponent hits at the floating arm so he can land a head-shot.

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Posted in 2013, Decisions, Family, FIFA 13, LG, Life, Mayans | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Ms Onda Shtood

Posted on December 16, 2012 by De-Me-Stified
Hi. Welcome back. Trust the year’s rounding itself off nicely at your end? Today’s post is not what you’d call a ‘regular’. Hope you like, still.
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“Any man who knows all the answers most likely misunderstood the questions” – Frank Sinatra
Have you ever been in the eighth paradise? You and your crew hanging out and just ‘chilling’ like you’ve won a world coup and nothing else mattered but the moment? You exhaust the fun and then make some more? The world will swear you’re high – but what do you care? It’s the time of your life!
You revel in that and neighbouring moments. This time, your crew owns you; the rest of the world can roll over. But, then, just as you tell yourself nothing else matters, it happens. She walks right by.

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Posted in Being Misunderstood, Friends, Hanging Out, Karen | 10 Comments

Fistbump To Friendship

Posted on November 20, 2012 by De-Me-Stified
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Hi. Trust you’ve been good and in charge since your last visit here. First, my apologies for some wrong statistics on the last post; blogger misled me x_x The actual number of published posts on here is 46 – but we’re close to the starting line. This is the #47 after #49 – and today’s post is about friendship.

 

 “Friendship is not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything” – Muhammad Ali

 

It was that time of the day when sugar levels took a dive. Virtually everything had to be said twice to register in my head. While I tried to focus on work, my five senses indulged in a game of hide and seek. I could swear my screen was dancing to its own rendition of ‘gangnam style’ too. Whatever the case, it was a well-documented malady. There was only one antidote: lunch – urgent, heavy, lunch!
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Posted in Food, Friends, Friendship, Gangnam style, Sharing | 25 Comments

The Perfect Stranger

Posted on October 27, 2012 by De-Me-Stified
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Hi. Welcome to Entry #49. This is one that takes us back to the very beginning. The year was 2010 – and a lot had been happening. Sort of felt it was time for another quest of self-discovery; so, I left home. Destination: Port Harcourt City! It was during my stay there that I started this blog – against popular advice (that’s a story for another day, tho).
26.06.10: Wrote this entry on the 8-hour trip back from the city. Personal fastest time on ANY post X_X. Still wondering why it never got published all that time. Random? Maybe not! A lot has changed between then and now, So, I’ve adapted it a bit. Please don’t notice.
 
“There’s no telling a good man on a bad day from a bad one on a good day” – Imisi
“A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us. To live is to be slowly born” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
It’s almost a general consensus that there may never be total world peace. That life may never play out exactly as we’ve imagined it. So, dear as it may be, the concept of perfection is fast fading to myth. The closer we get, the faster it seems to run. Still, we chase; the allure is irresistible and the thoughts compelling.  Some of us find excellence and renewed hunger on that chase. Some others find a comfortable spot for a good view.
Whatever the class, we all come close a few times. Whether it’s the chased losing steam – or the tracks running too close to the audience, everyone gets a rush every now and again.
Imagine, for a second, that the world was perfect. That everyone saw things from your exact standpoint; that there was nothing like conflict. Imagine that all bus-conductors were well-mannered; that no one had to raise his voice to get a point across. Picture a world where the ‘outdoors’ were just as safe as being indoors; where no one had to steal anything for any reason! Picture that raindrops would apologize and make amends on days when they breached your umbrella!

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Posted in #ALUU4, Choices, Perfection, Strangers | 10 Comments

The Veto Vote

Posted on September 23, 2012 by De-Me-Stified
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Hi. Can’t say how excited I am to be back here. Trust you’ve been good and in charge since the last post. Wanna say a huge thank you to @som1twisted @mFoluwa and @adekunleGold for all the nudging and prodding. Now, to today’s business.
It should have been a Saturday like any other – but nature had run out of duplicates. By the end of that day, I had suffered two massive muscle-pulls, come incredibly close to breaking a local record and bungled it horribly.
“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him” – David Brinkley
“We cannot tell what may happen to you in the strange medley of life. But we can decide how we take it, what we do with it—and that is what really counts in the end” — Joseph F. Newton
Later that evening, I was dragged before the grand assembly to answer for my crimes. The hall, massive beyond words, reeked of brewing death from every inch. It was truly the last stop en route to the underworld. Life’s ‘failures’ were brought in to have their cases reviewed and punished as appropriate. No one walked down those paths who didn’t deserve a harsh fate. The verdict was usually well documented before proceedings even commenced. So, the ‘fair hearing’ was merely a routine to whet the appetite of the underworld; everyone knew the drill.
Battered and bruised, I fell to the ground as the hangman announced my case. My crimes were as numerous as they were heinous. There was to be no debate; even I knew that. And, with no one to plead my case, it was hopeless before it even began. I would be hung by the neck with the rope of self-pity and drowned in a lake of depression till there was nothing left of me.

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Posted in Attitude, Choices, Determination, Life, Mistakes, Resolve, Starting Over, Veto | 10 Comments

Time Changes Yesterday

Posted on June 25, 2012 by De-Me-Stified
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I should apologize for the long layoff – but it’s fast becoming a norm. I’m sure you’re tired of all the excuses. So, instead, have my gratitude for always coming back.
Today’s post gets its title from a school book – one I never read. You may already know how slow I am at reading. Roll that back to JSS2 and imagine how bad it once was. Yet, in spite of never getting past the cover page, the book left an impression. 14 years down – and I’m praying not to get sued for copyright violation….
“The biggest problem in the world could have been solved when it was small” – Lao Tzu Tao
“Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are” – Arnold Bennett
“Soon”, he said “we’ll organize for us to play against you”. There was obviously something to mull over in that line – but this brain was just too fatigued. A long week and some soccer usually leave you craving only one thing: sleep.
In a short while, though, it all became clear. “Soon, we (non-staff) would organize to play you (staff)”!  The alarms went off as I shot the man a stern (but disguised) look. Though it all seemed the same, everything had changed!
Many months ago, on a delightful Friday morning, I had met the man for the very first time. Sleep wasn’t of the usual dose going into that encounter – but, somehow, it didn’t matter. Everything conspired to look good on the day. Even the usually rowdy Lagos traffic was at peace. The bright sky chuckled with sunshine as a gentle breeze blew me into the building. It was the lad’s first day on the job.

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Posted in Change, Choices, Concorde, Martin Luther King, Obama, Perception, Racism, Soccer, Time | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

My Beautiful Assassin

Posted on March 18, 2012 by De-Me-Stified
 
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“A reputation for a thousand years may depend upon the conduct of a single moment” – Ernest Bramah
“I am today. Yesterday is my father – and tomorrow, my son” – Imisi
There are many things I will yet forget in life – but not how I came up. Every tree has its roots; every hero, his legend. It’s been many years since that defining moment; yet, every second of it remains distinct on my mind. Like the most enchanting of tales, one just never knows where reality tangles with imagination. It’s been many seasons, but the taste lingers.
I had applied – out of sheer curiosity – for a project, to add a sense of adventure to my otherwise routine life. There was absolutely no reason to dream of ever being picked, but I was – and what a privilege it was to work with the world-renowned George Gray!
I remember thinking “work with this guy for a while – and you’d soon have grown some roots of your own”. Still, nothing is ever what it seems; hardly had the project kicked off when king-sized challenges surfaced. We required first-hand information from a war-torn region – some facts the government had been very careful in pruning out. One of us had to be smuggled in – but the question was who. Who in his right mind would undertake a journey from which he may never return? And, for the promise of what? Success at a project that may never be reckoned with? Everyone had already been forced to make unspeakable sacrifices. This new phase, however, bordered on the irrational; it seemed impossible from every angle.

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Posted in Decisions, Legend, Pride, Reputation, Resolve, Success, Tomorrow | 14 Comments

Three Sides To A Coin

Posted on January 10, 2012 by De-Me-Stified
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Hi. Trust you had a fun Christmas/New Year break. I really wish I could have been here sooner. Can’t bore you with excuses, though. I intend to keep today’s post short and straight to the point [think I failed again!!!]. Since we almost always end on the central point, let’s try something new and start there today.
By the end of this post, I would have said that there is always a ‘hidden’ dimension which makes it hard to prejudge any situation. That dimension, I call ‘context’. In the build-up, I will hint that a changing context is precisely what makes it difficult for us to know what we really want. Somewhere, between here and the final stop, we’re going to have a bet – and it’ll take a real revelation for you not to win. So, if you’re with the night shift for #OccupyNigeria, that’s the summary.
 “The choices that really matter in life lie outside the classifications of left and right” – imisi
“Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context – a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan” – Eliel Saarinen
Growing up, I was fascinated by a long list of things – music, food, movies, gadgets, mannerisms, comedy, sleep, etc. It was a truly long list. I had seen the signatory Mohammed Ali “butterfly-bee” dance a few times but, by the time I saw Mike Tyson in action, I was convinced I wanted to be a boxer. It didn’t matter what my parents thought; I just wanted to be able to knock anybody out. Pa and Ma were, however, quick to point it out when Ali came down with Parkinson’s [lord bless him] – and that was it for me; no more boxing career. Next came the idea of becoming a pilot – getting to travel world. It was pretty strong too; in fact, I got a few toys and simulation games to help prepare. I’m not sure how becoming an engineer knocked that off the charts – but it did!
By SSS 3, I wanted to be an engineer so badly I let my love for biology starve. My teachers went on and on about my having the makings of a doctor. It didn’t matter; I just wanted to be an engineer – or, so I thought. By my third year in the university, though, things had taken a big turn; I wasn’t quite so sure anymore. In think I even wanted out. I wonder if I would still havechosen enginering (above boxing, piloting and medicine), given everything I now know. Somewhere along the way, my ‘context’ had changed from fantasies and dream-ware to gritty reality. Or maybe silly old me just had issues making up his mind; never mind.

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Posted in #OccupyNigeria, Choices, Context, Decisions, Subsidy | 16 Comments