Saturday 26 January 2019

An Ode To The One I Love


As the eerie sounds of gen gently occupy the empty nodes of air
And the beautiful birds make their way to heights above
Revelling in the birth of the beautiful new day with their melodious sounds
I lay on my bed with a darting eyeball,
My heart palpitating,
A wry smile on my face
I know this feeling
I'ts knocking again........

I remember your round face and your luscious hair,
Despite the buzz of the street, it's still beautiful to behold
Impeccable you make mentions, softly you air your views
Your gait is beautiful as that of an Haitian woman
woman covered in honey drop
I could have passed you for someone casted and formed from a place far from here
Alas you grew your first teeth here
I know this feeling
I'ts knocking again......

I'ts knocking again, yes its on my door
I got strucked, and it trailed me home
You occupy every bit of space
From the physical to my mind
I think I left you @ the door,
you make me dream again
I'ts knocking, yes its knocking,
sooner or later
We will say "I do"

An Ode to my drummer, an ode to the one I love. 

Friday 25 March 2016

10 Things Money Can't Buy.



Money has been with us for more than ten thousand years. It has become a vital element in our lives, to the point where without money, you can literally die.The list below is a compilation of wise quotes and statements on the top 10 things money can't buy. I wish the remaining part of the year brings you and your loved ones a lot of:

 Health

Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.” – Dalai Lama

Love

If you want to distinguish between those who love you unreservedly, and those who love your money, try losing all your money. – Jordi Alemany


Happiness

Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has, the more one wants. – Benjamin Franklin


Integrity

To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity. – Douglas Adams


Respect

Money is your means of survival. The verdict you pronounce upon the source of your livelihood is the verdict you pronounce upon your life. If the source is corrupt, you have damned your own existence. Did you get your money by fraud? By pandering to men's vices or men's stupidity? By catering to fools, in the hope of getting more than your ability deserves? By lowering your standards? By doing work you despise for purchasers you scorn? If so, then your money will not give you a moment's or a penny's worth of joy. Then all the things you buy will become, not a tribute to you, but a reproach; not an achievement, but a reminder of shame. Then you'll scream that money is evil. Evil, because it would not pinch-hit for your self-respect? Evil, because it would not let you enjoy your depravity? Is this the root of your hatred of money?" - Ayn Rand


Peace of Mind

Money cannot buy peace of mind. It cannot heal ruptured relationships, or build meaning into a life that has none. - Richard M. DeVos


Ethics

It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy. – George Lorimer


Education

Humans aren't as good as we should be in our capacity to empathize with feelings and thoughts of others, be they humans or other animals on Earth. So maybe part of our formal education should be training in empathy. Imagine how different the world would be if, in fact, that were 'reading, writing, arithmetic, empathy.' - Neil deGrasse Tyson


Intelligence

Bottom line is, I didn't return to Apple to make a fortune. I've been very lucky in my life and already have one. When I was 25, my net worth was $100 million or so. I decided then that I wasn't going to let it ruin my life. There's no way you could ever spend it all, and I don't view wealth as something that validates my intelligence. – Steve Jobs


Spiritual enlightenment

Money can buy a house, but not a home. It can buy a bed, but not sleep. It can buy a clock, but not time. It can buy a book, but not knowledge. It can buy blood, but not health, so you see; money is not everything in life. - UnknownI hope you enjoyed the reading. If so, don´t forget to click on "Like" and share it with others who may find it useful.

Monday 14 March 2016

Are Bankers really stingy??

"Bankers are stingy."  This is a misconception! It is an offshoot of the popular opinion that bankers are wealthy. My ears have grown dull from hearing this popular line.  It's like saying lawyers cannot be stingy or saying being a doctor automatically makes you a good person. This is an unfounded generalization. (Fallacy of hasty generalization).


This write-up is intended to correct this notion.  'Bankers are not stingy.'  I'd rather say most of them are  prudent.  They work with money and  have learnt to value it. Below are some of the reasons prudence is a necessary trait in a Banker.

The Industry is volatile
The volatility of the Nigerian banking Industry is well documented.  It is an annual  tsunami, with a stroke of its waves rendering many jobless and left with whatever has been saved for the rainy days. It's safe to say we earn through one of the hardest means; with the highest level of uncertainty and pressure. So, wouldn't you rather advise a banker dad, mum, friend or boo to save for the rainy days?


Shortages
Bankers are not machines, tellers in market branches go through a lot of stress, attending to countless number of customers, counting, bundling and 'unbundling' millions in a day. Well, listen up!  We make mistakes, which could sometimes be more than our monthly earnings. Sadly, we don't get to enjoy overages when they occur, but we pay from our earnings for shortages. How do you expect a dude in this position to be generous?


 It's yours, not ours!

You all need to understand that all that huge cash in a bank are accounted for, to the last kobo. It's not our money, it is your money, you and that woman out there who has a shop on your street, your manager who owns a Land-rover jeep, your friend with the Infiniti QX4. We don't have access to it.


Pay structure

The pay structure and take home of  average Bankers are not what it seems to be. It is made up of several other benefits we don't get to take home monthly such as, leave allowance and medicals, not leaving out deductions such as taxes, pension contribution, NHF contribution, and other statutory contributions. An average salary of say N134,000 might just leave a take home of N95, 000 monthly after butchering and deductions. This might seem a good take home pay for anyone, when you consider his accommodation of about 200k per annum,  ~16.5k a month, he get to spend on his wardrobe ( y'all love the smart, crisp bankers dress right?), several other dependants, transportation, fun (considering their high taste), and education for those running masters programs and other professional courses, "mehn you have to cut us some slack"


Fake life

Unfortunately, some bankers genuinely don't have the money, they practically live beyond their means and spend their salary before being paid. They live a life of pretense and lies.


 The Banker is not a bank

Oh, you really have that great business idea or plan, you have something reasonable to do with the fund you want, why not approach a micro-finance bank?

The profession is completely overrated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Friday 11 March 2016

Keeping cool in this Fiery hot weather.


OK people, this is my first blog post, please show some love. #Hugs#



Today I will be writing on a very important issue, bordering on the geometric increase in environmental temperature.

Nigeria is a tropical environment naturally warm, but the recent increase in environmental temperature suggest the warmness might be approaching a level high enough to fry an egg. #lol


Since the advent of this ungodly hike in temperature, I basically lock myself inside the house and only leave home or office on important or special occasions. Because 31°C is not a joke. And 31°C in the boiling sun is more like an insult to your sanity. Trust me, when you become dependent on the air conditioner, life does take on a different perspective under the fiery boiling sun blazing from the sky these days.


The out of book solution to this problem is probably to fit an air conditioner, but not all of us have access to air-con. And when you turn on an air-conditioner, it is expensive, it releases climate-changing greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. This  led me to do some research on how to survive these hot times, the Northern part of Nigeria has been equally hot and probably hotter these days and people have survived the onslaught, well I did, but then the heat is out of this world for someone domiciled in the West all his life.


 Are you in Nigeria or any part of the world, undergoing excruciating pain from the prevalent weather condition there are plenty things you should be aware of to survive this heat-alien invasion. Here are some tips for survival.


1   Don't exercise when it is hot;

I basically do my drills any time of the day, jogging around 8-9am in the morning on Saturdays, pushing  dumbbell  under the angry eye of the boiling sun. Recently I tried same, I was dizzy during the whole workout and even had headaches after it. So either don’t exercise outside when it’s too hot or work out somewhere inside where the air conditioners are on.


2    If you have an apartment positioned in a way that allows the direct passage of sunlight into the room. It is advisable to Keep curtains and blinds down to block the heat and direct sunlight.


3    Drink lot of water:

My doctor recommends I drink about three liters of water every day even if I am just staying home. You all will agree with me that this desperately-hot period requires a lot of life-saving cool water. you need water to survive! If you don’t drink enough water, you put yourself at risk of getting bad skin, migraines, low stamina and horrible weakness. On top of that, lack of water leaves you open to various infections because your body doesn’t protect you like it should. So drink water, three liters, no more no less every day.


4     Invest in Solar Energy, Solar Fans, Solar Panels etc;

As uncomfortable as the increase in temperature is, there is probably one positive to take from it, the energy from the sun can be harnessed and use to generate power, OK fine, I know that is expensive I can sense the feeling in you, the feeling is mutual, but let me point out that there are portable, affordable solar fans all around Nigeria, the pack comes with a solar panel, the fan itself and probably a charging port for your mobile devices, it's been sold at prices way below what you will get an air-con for. I use one, "bro it is a life saver go invest in one".


5    Take more Showers;

This is probably the easiest and obvious way out. funnily, people don't follow this simple ritual "shower often". Taking cold showers whenever you feel that your system is getting too hot will help you maintain healthy body temperature. In addition, showers will save you from getting any type of fungal infections on your skin or heat rash, which are very common these days, and can be very unpleasant.


6     The most energy efficient way to stay cool is to live in a well-designed home. If you're building or renovating, aim for a house that keeps cool without air-conditioning. Remember that there are often power outages on days of extreme heat, when the electricity grid struggles to cope. Efficient Eco-houses are the ones sitting cool and pretty when the power is out.


Others include but not limited to;

- Don't eat large, protein-rich meals that can increase metabolic heat and warm the body. My ewa goyin peeps take note.

-  Avoid alcoholic beverages and caffeine as much as you can. Coffee gang and the ever-increasing   17:59 club members, y'all should note that.

-   Eliminate extra sources of heat. I try to do my cooking around 5 - 7 pm, so I don't heat up the room before bed. Power saving light bulbs should be used, they don't generate unnecessary heat, appliances and computers, not in use should not be left running, they generate heat.

-   Open car windows to purge the hot air when you first get in, before turning on air-con.

-    Plant a tree or put up exterior shade sails or grow deciduous vines, particularly on the western side of your house.

Finally, watch out for signs of heat stroke which are; rapid panting, wide eyes, lots of drooling, hot skin, twitching muscles, vomiting and a dazed look.

 Comments, opinions, bashings, criticisms, additions, will be gladly received.


  Thank you for your time.