Coming up for air.

Hey y'all! I know, I know. It's been quite a while since I wrote something (4 months actually), and I don't have any excuse, smart or otherwise for my absence. Oh, wait...work! Not good enough? I know.

Today, I'm putting up a poem I wrote some time ago - a little over one year, actually. It's a poem that with the challenges I've had to face over time. It is a poem that makes a statement of defiance, as well as a poem of encouragement. I hope you like it. I hope it speaks to you. Above all, I hope it makes you see a glimmer of hope in a darkened sky.

Enjoy.


Untitled.
Just before the dawn of night,
Show me again that ray of light;
The wishing star, the wondrous sight
Of silver lining in the night.

Of hope, near broke, but standing still;
Of will more firm than bars of steel,
Of a life though gone will never kneel
To death, but soars in liberty.

Sing once more of a heart made sure
By faith, though sense may ask for more
Sing again of faith and how she bore
The saviour we all adore

Sing of life, sing more of death
To flesh and all that is this earth
Sing of God and how His breath
Is more than gold, is true life’s wealth!

22/10/2010

WAKApedia

So, on one of those days when my mind went a-straying - as it normally does - it stumbled upon the idea that perhaps, providing en-route entertainment for commuters on the BRT system wouldn't be so bad after all. This got me thinking about the many possibilities this opportunity could spawn. How do you do something that is at once engaging and relevant, 'revolutionalising' the way people travel? How do you get people to buy in? How do you start? How do you sustain such an idea, especially with very limited resources?

A couple of months later, and after many discussions and informal brain-storming sessions, I am proud and pleased to announce that WAKApedia, a collection of blogs from Bloggers like you and I is now available on select BRT routes in Lagos.


A lot of work, thoughts and eotions have gone into this work, and I want to say a special thanks - this is by no means an exhaustive list - to those who have made this possible: Nonye for being there through the ups and the downs, Mage for being one heck of an editor, Mazi for being the best go-to-guy and Business Director ever, Ahmed for his hustle, Fred for his belief in us, Myne Whitman for her Naija Stories contribution (waiting on you for more), Incoherent for her contagious enthusiasm, Freaksho for always being there for a chat and a post and a host of others too numerous to mention.

Now please go to www.wakapedianaija.com where you can read some of the articles from the three editions out so far. Also leave a comment or two if you may. There's also the Facebook page for you to like and leave comments on as well. You can also follow us on Twitter . Most of all, however, you can send us an article or ten for the Blogpaper. You never can tell who might be reading!

Okay, so that's me and what we've been up to this past couple of months. Like I've been praying this year, may God bless our hustle, each and every one!

Muse.

Random thoughts on a Monday morning.

A colleague of mine's in some sort of dilemma. Although we've spent a better part of the morning laughing about it, it is in no way funny. I should know, I have been there. The matter at hand? His wife, a staff of one of those 'New Generation' banks, has been mandated along with her other colleagues to meet a target of opening at least 8,000 accounts by December 2011. Now who's laughing? Not me. Not you, I hope.

But it's crazy. How in God's name did we get to this sorry state where banks have become more of a slave master and less of a professional, respectable financial institution? Methinks that if you want to have a better understanding of the 'almajiri' system in Northern Nigeria, all you have to do is work in a bank for a few months as a 'Relationship Manager' a.k.a marketer. #justsayin

This week, I pray that God will grant us all the desire of our heart, and that He'll give us the sort of job we all can enjoy. I pray that above all else, He'll give us peace in our different places of work. Lord knows we need it. With all the news of people dying right, left and centre, the least we can do is enjoy our work, nay, life before we go.

Have a great week people. May God grant us our heart' desires. And for the love of our friendship, visit www.facebook.com/wakapedianaija and lemme know what you think!


PS: Yes, I had to put a poem....or two. Enjoy.

Untitled.
Night has come
As quick as morn
But there’s no need to mourn.
For the evening sun
Is a shining star
To him who’s life’s begun.

So dry your eyes
Tis all but lies
That which this life denies.
These gloomy skies
Shall shine as day
A blessing in disguise.
27/01/2010.


Untitled.
Just before the dawn of night,
Show me again that ray of light;
The wishing star, the wondrous sight
Of silver lining in the night.

Of hope, near broke, but standing still;
Of will more firm than bars of steel,
Of a life though gone will never kneel
To death, but soars in liberty.

Sing once more of a heart made sure
By faith, though sense may ask for more
Sing again of faith and how she bore
The saviour we all adore

Sing of life, sing more of death
To flesh and all that is this earth
Sing of God and how His breath
Is more than gold, is true life’s wealth!

22/10/2010.

Be warned; this is a lazy post...

I'm sitting at my desk, brain-drained and experiencing a writer's block. Add to that a bad case of 'nigerities', money-making schemes and just where I would rather be right now, then you'll understand why I've resorted to one of my favourite tricks when I can't concentrate enough to put up a proper post: poems.

Relax if yo may, as I dish out to you two poems written some tie ago for such a time as this. One of the poems is about death, but do not worry...I'm not suicidal. I just wonder at times how prepared we all are for that most certain of destinations.

I hope the poems inspire you; I hope they make you think. But most of all, I hope you like them enough to forgive me for putting up this lazy post.

Until I put up a proper post, enjoy...


UNTITLED
Just before the dawn of night,
Show me again that ray of light;
The wishing star, the wondrous sight
Of silver lining in the night.

Of hope, near broke, but standing still;
Of will more firm than bars of steel,
Of a life though gone will never kneel
To death, but soars in liberty.

Sing once more of a heart made sure
By faith, though sense may ask for more
Sing again of faith and how she bore
The saviour we all adore

Sing of life, sing more of death
To flesh and all that is this earth
Sing of God and how His breath
Is more than gold, is true life’s wealth!


The traveller.
When the reaper comes
When his cold feet clop
On the rough, stony floor
Which I lay upon
And demands I follow
Though he grin at me
Let your heart not fear
Be not in sorrow
When his fingers slide
In a cold caress
Around this limp canvas
Below my watery eyes
Be not dismayed
For I have been ready
When they reaper comes
Tell him I’ve been waiting.

One of those posts...

I promise I'll put up an intelligent post one of these days. You know, a post with all the right punctuations and grammar; a post that will make you laugh or maybe cry; maybe a post that will make you think deep. Or maybe I'll just put up another poem - which really is one way to know that I've been to lazy to write.

But I'll put up an intelligent post. Okay, let's not get too excited...let me just put up a post. Skip the intelligent part. As fagged out as I am, a post will do. Someday we'll do intelligent. But not just yet.

Work. That's what gotten to me. I remember in '07 when I got into advertising, I thought "wow! This is cool...I get to wear jeans to work all week, I get to call my boss by his name, and I get to pretend the reason I turned in work late is because I'm extra smart!" Four years down the line, I'm thinking "dammit! Where the hell are my co-workers from? Why does everything have a timeline of yesterday? Why is there not much information on this brief? What lost-in-time planet do these clients come from? Bastards!" But in the end, right now, if you were to offer me a white-collar job with more pay and or asked me to continue in advertising, I'll take advertising any day!

Why? Well, when you think of the opportunities, no other industry permits you to 'think' on the job in your sleep - at the office - or have loud arguments about the human physique while your boss looks on, bring in brews of a certain kind all in the name of getting acquainted with a client's product (if you drink, that is), create a make-believe world and present them at review meetings as actual insights, play loud music all day long, or just refuse to do any work because your dog's step mom just died.

Forget it...I'll take this industry cos I doubt any other one will take me and give me the unrealistic freedom I'll demand.

On the flip side....you'll most likely sleep more in the office than in that new apartment you took a loan to pay for; you'll most likely call your partner a colleagues name in those intimate moments, because the last thing you remembered was said colleague shrieking about stabbing you in the eye for saving the wrong work on the server just an hour to the presentation; your neighbours will most likely call the police to arrest you as you sneak in to the house by 1am; your mom will tell your uncles she suspects you live under the bridge cos you're never at 'home' whenever she comes visiting; and, your boss will most definitely drive a much better car than you, leaves way earlier, and seems generally happier.

So, why am I still here? Someone told me in '08 that advertising was like a drug that sucks you in and never lets you go. I kind of agree with her. Kinda. I also think I'm here because well...me and advertising are doing just fine. I love her, and in her own twisted way, she loves me back. Let's see how this relationship goes...but for now, we're still cruising.

And yes, I'll put up that intelligent post one day.

yin, yang

I haven't lived that long, but I have lived long enough. Long enough to know that that which is hot will soon get cold, or that that which goes up will come down; I have learnt that the night heralds the morn, and that every death is life reborn.

I haven't lived that long, but I have lived long enough. I have learnt, and I have forgotten. For that I am grateful. For that I rejoice. I may not have lived enough to die, but everyday I die enough that I may live. I haven't lived that long, but I have lived long enough.



Such is yin, such is yang.

Every rise gives way to a fall
As a push becomes a pull
Mountain top, valley low
A dead seed, a sprouting tree
And so the circle of life is complete
In dark and light
In flight and fight
In peace and strife
In death and life.

Such is living
Such is death
Such is yang
Such is yin
Such is the summary of all we are
That we push and we pull
We break and we mend
For there is no dark without light
No enemy without a friend

And on this lies the balance of life
We live that we may die
We stand that we may fall
We gather that we may lose
We are full that we may hunger

Such is the balance of life
Such is the summary of who we are

So when you weep little one, empty yourself
That laughter may find room enough in your belly
When you dance to the drums reserve strength
For the day comes when you will be dragged against your will

Such is our fate
Such is life
Such is yang
Such is yin

Such is heaven and earth
Such is demise
Such is birth

Every rise gives way to a fall
Every push becomes a pull
A dead seed becomes a tree
Such is life for you and me.

It’s all GOOD.

It's been a while since I last wrote. I don't know why. It's not like I've not been wanting to, or that the world somehow decided to start coming to an end all around me. But for some inexplicable reason, I've just not written. For a long while. And it saddens me.

 

Last year was eventful. From coming back to advertising (actually at the end of the previous year) to moving agencies and then houses and getting married, it was rather lively. Sitting now to think about it, I believe I should be more grateful than I have been for the year now laid to rest. Though it had its ups and downs, it was a defining year in my life, and like the good book says, we go through fire that we may be refined as gold. If anything, 2010 was the refiner's fire.

 

In 2010 I made new friends, lost contact with some; I lost a very dear cousin and gained a new brother; I had issues with family, then realised that there are friends who stick closer than brothers; I reached a dead end and a way was made out of no way; old wounds were torn open, but I found solace in love; there was turmoil but I found peace. 2010 was eventful indeed, and I am sure now that it could have been no other way, for, like the Spoken Word Poet, Amir Suleiman said, 'even the beauty of birth leaves its own scars'. 2010 was eventful, but 2011 is GOOD. Very good.

 

And so I survived. And, if you're reading this, you did as well. For that we should be grateful to God. This may be coming late, but from the bottom of my heart, I want to wish everyone who has made it this far a very happy new year. Remember, even in some pain, there is great gain.

 

Welcome to the GOOD year.