Everyone have their experiences and what we do with it is totally up to us. Some store it secrets others share it with friends and turn it into laughs or life lessons. I've found what to with mine- write them as stories and give it to the world...these are my stories of the [year]
Year 2012 comes to an end in few hours, what a ride. There was no assurance I would be fortunate to see this day BUT I was blessed. There were people lost along the way, one I cannot forget is Fiyin. The shock still feels like the moment I felt you were gone. It's hard...real hard. I hope someone miss me when I'm gone like I miss you. There were people that walked out of my life and I was comfortable with that, a lot where better off. For few, I don't think I can stand to lose anyone like I miss YOU.
One decision I made at the end of the year [you might call it a resolution] was to avoid being in a committed relationship. Maybe it was because of the fear of losing anyone dear OR because I found myself experience the darker aspect of the female psyche in 2012. I'm sailing the sea where 'trust' was a luxury.
Do I have any regrets? Sure. One was definitely to have treated Fiyin better. Another was collecting the ₦ from Modupe (you don't have to understand)...because I feel I owe her and I hate being in debt. I also regret not furthering my education. I would have loved to start my MA programme this year, BUT people can be perfectly unreliable.
I have to recognise the presence of Smoke, Omochif, Prince J, and Charles in my life this year. If you had a brain like mine you need people around who could make sense of it.
2013 should be a great year. A new frame of mind, job, self-awareness... I think that's all. Let the others overwhelm me with surprises.
What? Why? How? about entering 2013 are unwritten as I do not intend to carry the baggage of this year to a new one.
God bless everyone that followed me on this journey. Let's do this again 2013.
Goodnight everybody [in Miley Cyrus voice].
I remember a period there wasn't an easy access to the internet. There wasn't even an easily accessible medium to communicate with someone in remote areas- no cell phones. Also, satellite TV was a luxury reserved for the super rich. The rest of us had to keep in touch by writing letters, reading books and magazines. Celebrity magazines was MTV, E!, and CNN combined as they tried to cover as much as possible.
During that period, I would gist with friends and our discussion would focus on what we read- sports, music, and gossips- and as usual someone comes up with a questionable "fact". It would be one of those hard to believe statements. For example, someone one said the music group, Soul 4 Real, died in a plane crash. He supported his claim by saying he read it in a magazine. I had to believe, I mean, did I even have a choice or resources to prove him wrong? All I could do was hope to stumble upon a magazine to verify his claim, but till then I had to take it as being true.
Years later, smartphones were now the definition of what a cell phone should be. A device that summarised the journey of technology. Today, everyone with a smartphone could have internet access. An individual can't get away with questionable "facts" because a simple online search was a click away for disprove the claim. By the way, I googled Soul 4 Real and realised the only thing that crashed was their careers.
One positive about phones was It made arguments easier and shorter...and probably a bit reasonable. All I had to do was "check it online". For instance, If a friend were to claim famous individual A was more successful than B, a Google search would give results as links to other websites. I could type, "Is individual A more successful than B"...and could get over one million links as results.
"Check it online" became a common phrase. Whenever a debate was becoming too heated all we had to do was "check it online" to get it sorted.
It was great to have a smartphone handy BUT I've noticed a new trend that isn't a bit cool. It was ok if I debate with a friend how many Oscars the movie Lords of the Ring Triology won and conclude by checking it online. It seems no one wants to use their brain any more OR rather depend on their "cloud memory". It felt like, what is the use of memorising name of countries with their capital when it could be easily accessed online? Why memorise the route to a destination when there was Google map a click away?
I read an article on the most searched topics in Nigeria on Google 2012 (www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#nigeria/searches). There was a category, "How to..." which claimed the tenth most search topic in that category was "How to concentrate?"
By the way the overall most searched word was "JAMB". Lol...JAMB even had more search inquiry than "NNPC Recruitment".
Back to "How to" category. Number 4 on the list was "How to toast?" Like seriously, there are people who consult Google to learn how to toast a.k.a pick up girls. It seems not only do people refuse to memorise, they've moved ahead to rely on Google to learn what should come naturally. The second on that list was "How to romance?" It would be deceptive to think Nigerians were romantic in 2012, maybe we were BUT who googled it to find answers.
The number one was "How to love?" I never searched that for (personal) obvious reasons and find it difficult to believe a whole lot of people googled "how to love". It would have been a tad acceptable if it were "how to love lyrics" because it's totally unacceptable people learning how to love.
My conclusion, like I implied earlier, was that not only do people use the internet as an auxilary support for their memory. The internet was also adopted to perform supposed brain functions of reasoning and coming up with ideas. If you don't concur with my opinion, feel free to check it online.
2012 was an eventful and dramatic year. Lots of bullshit happened but this won't focus on that but the soundtrack that made it bearable. Songs that moved me, songs that impressed me. Songs that made my day with a smile.
I have to admit it was difficult playing these songs I love so much because my ipod was faulty. An 80gb ipod that could only contain about 1500 songs out of my library of 10,000. I had to play most songs a laptop...I don't fancy playing songs from phones. I'm one of those that believe each object had its use. Even if my phone had 80gb memory space I won't drop an ipod for it. A phone is a phone.
Back to business...
Most Impressive Pop Song: "All These and Heaven" by Florence + the Machine. A song that attempts to explain the complex nature of emotions by focusing on how complex the nature of emotions was.
Most Impressive Pop Album: "Some Nights" by fun. This was also my most impressive album of the year. I got the album after the single "We Are Young" peaked on itunes chart. I gave the album a listen and it's still on repeat. I like the fact it wasn't one of the usual sound. It sounded "full" and "rich" with lots of experiment.
I played it a whole lot on my way to work and was a great way to start my day.
Most Impressive Collaboration: "Beneath Your Beautiful" by Labrinth ft. Emeli Sande. From the day I watch the video on TV I knew this was a beautiful collaboration. I got Emeli's album "Our Version of Events" after. Another beautiful record.
Most Impressive Rock Album: "Ceremonials" by Florence + The Machine. The album had the same effect as her previous work, "Lungs", you appreciate it with subsequent listens. "Ceremonials" cut across different genres but what remains the same was that voice. For instance, I watched Florence on Youtube sing Drake's "Take Care" and Beyonce's "Halo", she delivered it in such a way that could only be classified as Florence.
Most Impressive Nigerian Song/ Artiste: "Dance for Me"/ Wiz Kid. This guy knows how to sing about what you've heard so many times in a way you've heard countless times, and still make it stand out. I have no idea how long his run would last but for now, Wiz Kid undoubtedly is the cream of the crop.
Artiste to Watch in 2013: EMINEM. I have no doubt 2013 would be the year of Marshall Matters. Eminem drops what will probably be his final LP and I have no doubt it's going to be the most successful album next year. This is Eminem and he does no wrong (maybe on "Relapse").
Last year I predicted Nicki Minaj would be the biggest act in 2012, I was wrong. But this time I'm more confident of my choice. The only thing that could stop Em is if he goes Dr. Dre and decide not to release an album.
Playlist of [2012]
"Stars" by fun.
"All These and Heaven" by Florence + the Machine
"No Regret" by Dappy
"Back Down South" by Kings of Leon
"Beneath Your Beautiful" by Labrinth ft. Emeli Sande
"No Light, No Light" by Florence + the Machine
"Lucky Ones" by Lana Del Rey
"Thinking About You" by Frank Ocean
"Taken for a Fool" by The Strokes
"The Worry List" by Blue October
"Sometime Around Midnight" by The Airborne Toxic Event
Back then there were 21 states in Nigeria. Ibrahim Babangida was the head of state. Oyo witnessed a Yellow Fever epidemic (April/May) Obafemi Awolowo died (May 9). Crisis in Kaduna between involving Christians and Muslims.
On a lighter note, ‘Juju Music’ a documentary about the historic all-night Juju concert in Lagos featuring King Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey by Jacques Holender was released. A unique performance documentary, Juju Music features the urban popular tribe music of Nigeria. The film includes a historic all-night Juju concert in Lagos featuring King Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey.
World Music…
George Michael released his debut album “Faith” which sold millions of copies. Bruce Willis also released his debut album “The Return of Bruno”, lucky he stuck to acting. Future music stars born in 1987 include Ke$ha (March 1), Bow Wow (March 9), Joss Stone (April 11).
Movies...
Fatal Attraction (Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, & Anne Archer) was the top grossing movie of the year. Other top movies that year include ‘Three Men and A Baby’, ‘Moonstruck’, Lethal Weapon, & Beverly Hills Cop 2. Michael Douglas was no doubt the biggest Hollywood Star that era. He also picked up the Oscar for best actor for his role in ‘Wall Street’. 1987 was also the birth of a movie that ended up becoming a pop culture phenomenon, ‘Dirty Dancing’.
Fashion…
Smiley faces adorned jeans, T-shirts, caps, badges and everything else! Smiley was borrowed from the psychedelia of the 60s underground music scene. Air soles in the heel of Nike Air trainers contained a revolutionary plastic bubble filled with gas. The trainers became such a fashion accessory that wearers were regularly mugged.
Back in ’87, the order of the day, at least when it came to shoes and bags, was the busier, the brighter—and apparently, the more bedecked in multi-colored buttons—the better. The pink suede pump on the left is Gianfranco Ferré, the other two are Miss Maud, a now defunct line designed by former Nina Ricci and Jean Patou model, Maud Frizon de Marco.
Shifting from the shocking, often layered blue shadows of the early to mid-‘80s, one of the beauty trends toward the latter part of the decade was a bronzer, more terra cotta-toned eye. The fuchsia lip, however, had some real staying power and was represented, page after page, issue after issue, well into the early-‘90s.
Swatch watches were on everyone’s wrists in the ‘80s. Though the Swiss watch line offered neutral, muted timepieces, the true Swatch watch was bright, covered in geometric shapes or cartoonish prints and was a personal statement all the kids could afford to make. One of the few ultra-popular accessories from that period that has maintained its popularity, Swatch still has stores all over the world today and from time to time even re-releases some of its most celebrated models from the ‘80s.
Tommy Hilfiger fashioned himself a “bad, bad boy” back in ’87. Who knew?
Football…
Born in different parts of the world but united by a common sport, football. Mikel Obi (April 22), Lionel Messi (June 24), Cesc Fàbregas (May 4), and Samir Nasri (June 26) were born. Only one of them had won the FIFA Player of the Year so far.
Everton won the Premier League. Napoili won the Serie A. Real Madrid won La Liga. Porto won Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League final.
One of the pop cultural highlights of 1987 was an advert by Coca-cola, “Tomorrow’s People”
I am the future of the world I am the hope of my nation I am tomorrows people I am the new inspiration And we've got a song to sing to you We've got a message to bring to you Please let there be, for you and for me, a tomorrow (tomorrow) If we all can agree there'll be sweet harmony tomorrow (tomorrow) And we all will be there, Coca-Cola to share Feeling so real and so true Promise us tomorrow And we'll build a better world for you
The most important event of 1987 was on the 16th of December, Adeshina Omotayo Babatunde Lateef was born. Just call me Ade.
