My Second ₦1 Show

Welcome to 2013...and to the second one Naira show. I hope you all enjoyed the last one although I can't remember a thing I said.
To keep it simple I'm going to talk about definitions. I'll give my own definition of words using experiences. You might have come across certain definitions in previous posts. Repeating them was just to save cost, remember, it's a ₦1 show.

I'll start with the definition of "butty", a word associated with being brought up in wealth. Being butty is when you hear NYSC camp and you think of Camp Rock. In short, being butty is when you know Camp Rock.

Second definition, "Horny". This applies to the guys. Horny was when you are alone and pick up your phone to dial all the girls on your phone book from A to Z. One question you find yourself asking all of 'em was "So...where are you?"

The third definition, "A Good Sleep". You had a good sleep when you wake up a minute before your alarm goes off, you keep looking at it and just as it was about to ring you stop it & go back to sleep.

The fourth definition is short and simple. The word is "Broke", as in, low in cash. Broke is laughing as you are about to get robbed. The superlative of "Broke" is "Dead Broke". That's when you volunteer to help the robbers find money.

Another definition is "Bad luck". Bad luck was discovering a condom in your pocket a minute after unprotected sex.

Next is "Prudent with money". Being prudent is loaning out money but not just to anyone. Being prudent was loaning money to a roommate who was notorious for stealing.

"Disillusioned" this applies to certain females, few of 'em I've met. Being disillusioned was having sex multiple times and thinking you are a virgin because you didn't have an orgasm.

"Packaging" is taking a pix inside a public bus a.k.a danfo, only for a chic to see it and say "nice ride".

"High" is seeing a car approaching at night and thinking the headlights of the vehicle were that of two bikes. Since you are about to cross the road, decide to stay between the two "bikes".

"Insensitive" is when a guy with an arm laughs at you & you say "clap"

That should be all for me here, the show is over. A show is over when the MC walks off stage, the credit is rolling, the lights in the hall comes on, or you see... The End.

Issue with Public Role Models: Persona are Illusions

I was raised by TV. The media and I shared a wonderful relationship that put me into the lives of several people [probably the other way]. Notwithstanding, I get to develop a relationship and learn so much about people [real or fiction] with the absence of a direct contact. There were outcomes of such relationship between any individual with whom they relate with the most on TV. They could become a fan, make such individual a role model, a mentor, or get obsessed. My focus is with when such individuals you read/watch on media become your role model.

Having as a role model someone you read/watch on TV was choosing an illusion as a role model, a construct of an individual's persona. Take for instance a young girl that says "Nicki Minaj is my role model. I like how she dresses and talks". Now, Onika Tanya Maraj is the name of an artiste and her public persona is Nicki Minaj. Onika does not talk with a British accent and definitely does not dress sexy all the time. She projects 'Nicki Minaj' qualities well because that culminates what makes her a good artiste and sell records. She definitely doesn't call her friends "Barbz". My point remains saying Nicki Minaj was a role model meant adopting an illusion as a role model.

Celebrities were not the only role models from media. Some decide to follow the steps of public figures including pastors and motivational speakers. I'll TRY not to mention any names before people start pleading again I delete this post to save someone's career. The bitter truth was any individual that says a motivational speaker was a role model was not different from the girl that said Nicki Minaj was hers'. Just like Nicki Minaj, how they talked, what they say, and dressed was to enable them sell. What they project was a persona incongruence with their real self.

A guy admired a public figure to the mild obsessed point he talks and dress like him always. He would claim the guy was so "eloquent" and "carried himself well". You wouldn't believe this guy's reaction when he realized his role model preferred to speak confirm waffi English when the camera wasn't rolling. He realized the bitter truth. He was putting effort to live his life the way someone else's does for few minutes in front of the camera. The greatest shock was picking up a book where his role model had picked up several lines he felt he made up. Lines that motivated him was from someone else.

Growing up, I had role models from the media [I won't deny that]. I admired Michael Jackson; felt if I made my hair long enough it would be as long and flowing as his. I admired the cast and crew of Star Wars because of the belief the movie was shot in space. I admired Kevin Arnold in "The Wonder Years": I still admire Kevin Arnold in "The Wonder Years".

I began to question role models during my secondary school years and strongly admired Britney Spears. I could say she was my role model. It was the period she was "losing it"; getting married [the first time], going bald, dropping her kid… the period where her career was good as gone and how she bounced back. Prior to that, I never like her and her music because she was "perfect". My life wasn't perfect and definitely not all smiles but that was what she projected. When everything went downwards, I was able to relate with her as a human and not a pop princess. That opened my eyes to the struggle people faced when no one was looking. From that moment my favorite musicians were those who brought that life to their music, like the band Blue October.

Regardless, my opinion is do not let your role model come from TV and if your role model wasn't under your roof, then be yours.

Ade's Gallery of Screen Grabs: Jumoke's Response

I have a photo album on Facebook titled Ade's Gallery of Screengrabs. The gallery was composed of pictures of conversations I had with people and found interesting. This is one of them. I am about to share the experience that led to that particular message. Just so you know, all I requested for was her phone number and got an essay. In case you weren't able to read the words in the image, I copied it below.

"From: Jumoke
Hey, Friend request on FB,scary. I was actually searching for you because we still have an unfinished business. I was naïve Ade, you knew that and you exploited that fact. I thought I knew what I was doing when I didn't know anything, I thought I was smart but you were smarter. Its funny when I think about it because I still cannot understand why I let a scum like you walk into my life and turn it upside down. Did I like you, I did, that am ashamed of. Did I love you, maybe but it was lust and not the usual have sex with you lust, I was just too attracted to you. And I still remember the crap you told me, *laughing* that was a smooth move Ade, I almost or I fell for it. You were a pig Ade, Pigs are never clean,they are always dirty. You taught me a lot about Human Nature, how inhumane humans can be.

Nope, you cannot get my phone number.

30 October 2011 · Sent from Mobile"

It all started one evening at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos, sometime in 2009 [I think]. I remember hanging out with Kume that day. We were on the second floor when he noticed a girl walk pass, what caught his attention was her hair. Kume had a thing for the beauty of natural African hair. He waited till she walk pass again and made his approach. They were having a pleasant first conversation while I rested against the wall, withdrawing from their discussion. Her name was Jumoke.

While they talked, I noticed they had similar interest like reading great works of fiction and "Everybody's Free (To Wear Suncreen)" by Baz Luhrmann. They got comfortable and the conversation flowed while I maintained my position expect passing few side comments. Between laughs, which proved to be a great distraction, she handed me her phone unnoticed by Kume. On the screen was "080..." which she rightly assumed was the first three digits of my phone number. I typed in the rest and handed it over to her.
She called me after that with the discussion ending with a place/time to meet. From that moment, Jumoke made it clear she was interested in me. We both resided in hostels on campus and every night hung out till midnight. We would walk around the campus with my eye always looking for the best spot to make out. Once I "discovered" one for the evening we would kiss and exchange sweet words to maintain that romantic mood regardless where we were. Soon we were talking about sex.

Jumoke maintained she was a virgin and would wait till her wedding night to give it up. I was at the most sexually creative period in my life and knew she had no belief in what came out from her mouth. Probably it was naivety like she claimed years later but I would attribute it to virginity syndrome. During that period all we talked about was sex. As expected, she began to have a change of heart on the right time to have sex. She said there must be an engagement ring involved before sex. That changed to after 5 years of dating. That reduced to six months until she said, "What's the use of planning, I'm comfortable whenever it happens as long as I love the guy".

The next day, Saturday, we were alone in Kume's place that was 10 minutes away from school. I had it in mind to take it slow [like I hopefully always do] and switched to foreplay mood. Jumoke was a novice and her blow job skill level was close to zero. All she did was bite until I gave her tips. She was a fast learner and a good student.

Jumoke was naked in bed and I couldn't do it. I felt good but it felt wrong. Her limbs were spread and all I had to do was put it in... The End. While in that state her phone rang, she answered to hear her dad's voice at the other end of the line. He was on his way to visit her in school. She wore her clothes to hurry back to school but gave me another blowjob on the way out.

Later that day, Jumoke's friend accused me of attempting to sleep with Jumoke. The confrontation was based on allegations Jumoke supposedly made that I was about to have sex with her and she stopped me. That all I wanted from Jumoke all along was to have sex with her and move ahead. I told Jumoke and her response was, "Is it a lie?"
That didn't stop Jumoke from calling me or hanging out. In fact, we made out more with blowjobs frequently on campus. She became an expert.

The last sexual encounter I had with Jumoke was during a BBQ Party behind Arts Block one night. The venue had a huge turnout. I spotted Jumoke's friend who told her she was around. Minutes later I was with Jumoke in a friend's car parked in the venue. I remember guys rested their backs against the car having a view of the dance floor. I was in the back seat with Jumoke on my laps, her face opposite mine. I asked, "So why did you tell your friend all I wanted from you was sex?" She kept quiet. I continued, "You know, if I wanted to have sex with you I will. All I have to do was first, remove your top". While I said that, my hands raised her top over her head and out through her arms. I dropped it on the car seat. "What I'll do next was undo your bra," which I did and she allowed with no resistance. "After that, I will get your jeans off you," which I also did with her assistance. Jumoke sat naked on my laps with her legs spread opposite to each other. I unzipped my jeans and brought out my dick. I asked one final question, "Tell me what's going to stop me from fucking you if I wanted to? Wear your clothes and get out".

I saw Jumoke few times after that event till I graduated. Two years later, during my service year in Lagos I remembered her and wanted to know how she was doing. I searched for her on Facebook to request for her phone number. Truth was I still had her number but wanted her to tell me. That gesture would have meant to me that we were now cool. Her response was the "essay" above.

Below was my response and subsequent conversation...

"Me: Wow! You really really spilled what you had in your mind. Let me start with I'm sorry. One thing you seem not to understand is it was a learning process for both of us. Yea I knew you were naïve but you seemed to think otherwise and I've to admit...I atimes got carried away exploiting that but never with the intention to hurt you. I made a personal decision never to sleep with you and I stood with that. You might call me a pig, whatever, but I had a conscience.
I still want your number to know you on a whole new level. If I had the intention to hurt you initially, I wouldn't have the courage to approach you. And if I thought you weren't a wonderful person, I wouldn't have the intention to care how you were doing. Pls give me your number..
30 October 2011"

"Jumoke: I am sorry is not enough Ade, I cannot give you mynumber.
30 October 2011 · Sent from Mobile"

"Me: Pls
30 October 2011"

"Me: How long are you going to give me silent treatment?
31 October 2011"

"Me: Hey....plssssssss, your number nau *sad face*
17 November 2011"

"Jumoke: Hi, I can't give you my number but I can give you my email, let's chat on Yahoo messenger, J*******@yahoo.com
23 November 2011 · Sent from Mobile"

"Me: When you are online buzz me
23 November 2011"

The END.

Is THIS Toyosi Akerele a Fraud?

Warning: I know certain people might read this piece and conclude I was jealous/envious of Toyosi Akerele. It only means one thing to me- you are new here. 



It all began one night as I was watching the Teju BabyFace show. For those who have no idea of the show, Teju BabyFace show was a Nigerian talk show that adopted the same format as Tonight Show with Jay Leno. If you don’t know Jay Leno ---> Google. 
Back to that night, he had a female guest on the show and her name was “Oluwamitoyosirise [of the most high]” or Toyosi Akerele. Before the interview, a short clip was aired to summarise her achievement. There was a clip with her in front of a podium and a banner behind her. I recognised the banner; in fact, I watched that event live on TV. It was the launch of “My Friend and I” infamous for a statement made by the Minister of Information, Labara Maku, where he thanked President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for “bringing Facebook to Nigeria”. That clip made me aware who she was but a vague idea of her speech. There was also a picture of her with Michelle Obama, the wife of the President of United States of America, and an edited clip where she made a statement about being inspired by Toyosi. That clip impressed the host, Teju Babyface, and his first question went like “Who are you to have your name mentioned by Michelle Obama?” The context of 
the question was for her to talk about achievement that earned such recognition. Toyosi’s response had religious element, something like “if you are blessed by the most high doors would open” [something like that]. 



She talked briefly about her childhood, voice, and made a statement that made me change the channel to Bloomberg. The statement went like “if you are 25 years old and live with your parents, SHAME on you. If you are 18 and still go to uncles and aunties for pocket money/allowances, SHAME on you” [same idea but not exact words]. 
I heard that and thought ‘who is this Toyosi Akerele?’ that believed she was different from average Nigerians in such situation. What made her bold enough to make such statement? I devoted time from checking girls on Facebook to know more about her. 



I learnt she was the Founder/CEO or an organisation, RISE, which meant “Reputation + Impact + Style + Expression”. “She conceptualized and designed effective programs to deepen the links and learning opportunities for Young people in knowledge acquisition, Enterprise and Nation Building”. On her website ‘www.risenetwork.org’, you could read all about her personal achievement and those of the organisation. I also read transcript of interviews she had granted and all extolled her contribution into youth empowerment. I also accessed the full transcript of Michelle Obama’s televised address where are name was mentioned “http://whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/av_closedcaption/06162011_the_first_ladys_trip_to_africa.srt”. She said, “We’ll be looking to women like Toyosi, she’s a 28 year old from Nigeria, who every year, assembles 50,000 people for the largest youth conference in the country…” 



Something sounded false in that statement. If the General Manager of Nigeria Breweries had claimed the company assembled 50,000 youths during Star Trek I won’t object, but Toyosi Akerele? 50,000 annually? I know even organisers usually inflate the number of turn out for events and this was one of it. I assumed an online article would bring it to light but no. I read a 2009 article by Adeola Ojedokun about RISE Interactive Youth Forum in Lagos with the theme “Our Time Is Now”(http://debuzzviews.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/pictures-from-rise-networks-national.html?m=1 ). It had guest speakers including Prof. Dora Akinluyi and then Managing Director of First Bank, Dr. Lamido Sanusi. It was claimed the event hosted about 10,000 youths, which was believable considering high profiled speakers until you read the venue was the New Gymnasium Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere. How did they fit 10,000 people into that space and have in mind the University of 
Lagos Multipurpose Hall had a 5000-seat-capacity. 



I realised articles about Toyosi Akerele ONLY focused on the fact Michelle Obama recognised her existence and not the claim made. The claim that got the recognition. From what I gathered, the U.S Department of State, the U.S. Embassy in South Africa, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the White House organised a forum with female participants. 76 young African women leaders [45 from South Africa and 31 from 24 other African countries] were selected to explore the themes of leadership and community service during workshop sessions. Toyosi was the only Nigerian participant. Michelle Obama was scheduled to visit South Africa and Botswana during that period. She made an appearance at the forum and that was where Toyosi got her handshake. If I’m correct that was the first and only time they encountered. The video clip where Michelle claimed to be inspired by Toyosi was recorded a week before that handshake. In the full length video Toyosi 
name wasn't the only one mentioned. The other female was an 18-year-old South African, Annah Tseko. 


I wondered what would have made Michelle Obama think Toyosi Akerele did such, what made her feel Toyosi was selfless, until I saw Toyosi’s recorded video on ‘www.whitehouse.gov’.’http://whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2011/06/16/meet-toyosi-akerele’ and that explained it. 

I read more interviews Toyosi granted and noticed inconsistencies about her past OR probably lies. One image consistent was she tried to portray a strong willed woman that made it from scratch- from nothing to something. Take for instance an interview onhttp://soarnaija.com/?p=455 (2011) 



The interviewer, Olatoye Adekoya, asked “Tell us about transforming RISE from a magazine to a group?” There was a line in her response that got my attention, “On Saturday, I hired the Sales Executive Manager of Globacom, and he is resuming with me next week. If you want to grow to be at the level of Mobil or MTN, you’ve got to know the things they do...”. 
I checked if Globacom lost any staff to RISE and couldn’t find any. I checked the RISE website and no member of the team had previous work experience with Globacom. In fact, I felt stupid for checking. Why would anyone resign from Globacom to work for RISE considering the state they were/are? If I was right, why did she say it? 


When asked “what inspired [her] to go into business at a tender age?”, the following statement was included in her response: “I made my first one million naira in 2006 when I was 23; first ten million naira at 24, and first forty million naira 25. I got a job in Oando and I resigned after three weeks when I realized that a job brings you comfort and convenience. The other one brings you real significance, and I love the joy of being the one providing the service” (Federal Inland Revenue Service please take note for tax fraud). I checked Toyosi’s account onLinkedin.com where she claimed to have worked at Oando from July to August 2007 as a Communications Executive which was consistent with her claim. 


Her income claim seems impressive on paper but are they true? 
Toyosi graduated from the University of Jos in 2007 (linkedin.com) at age 24 but made her first million in 2006 when she was 23. That means she graduated a millionaire. So at age 24 in 2007, the same year she became a law graduate, made her first ten million Naira, organised first RISE youth conference, and worked with Oando for 3 months as a Communications Executive. The year 2007 must have been fulfilling for her BUT how did she pull it off? NOTE: Numbers based on her claim. 



I urge you to correct me if I’m wrong, that job title “Communications Executive” doesn’t exist in Oando. So what was her position there if she did work there? Also, why would Oando employ an (under)graduate without NYSC certificate as a full staff? 


Toyosi also claimed to have made ₦40,000,000 by age 25 and that made me ask, did she not participate in the mandatory NYSC programme? She was supposed to be serving during that period instead she was raking millions, there was also no RISE youth forum on record that year to rake in the millions. Probably her NYSC allowance was different because she was special. I wonder where she served. Come to think of it, she never talked about her youth service during any of her interviews. For someone who claimed to be into youth empowerment, she must have had remarkable contributions during her service year but she’s hiding that information. Unless she was yet to serve. 


If she didn’t serve there were two reasons I thought of. One, she lied about her age to the public and was over 30 years when she graduated so was not eligible to participate. Two, she attended University of Jos but did not graduate. I believe it was the first though. 


On Teju Babyface show she talked about shame on whoever over 18 begged for money/allowances from family/relatives. On Linkedin she stated her university admission was in 2002, she must have been 18. Another question, did she sponsor herself? 


I decided not to focus on who she was but what she did or claimed to by checking RISE website once more. I realised anyone could become a volunteer. I read paragraphs on the importance of volunteerism with the last being “Please support RISE in every way you can by:” 

• Becoming a Pilot Volunteer in different Cities of the Country where our Youth Programs hold. 

• Referring at least one youth to use the RISE Library a day. 

• Tell as many people as you know to purchase and benefit from the new RISE book; STRATETRICKS. 

• Donate Business, Leadership and Management Books to the RISE Study Library. 

• Sponsor any of our training programs. 

• Assist or support our Youth Volunteers. 


I assumed the content site developer put this in error because it read more like a marketing job than volunteering. Take for instance, “referring at least on youth to use the RISE library a day and donating books”. The RISE library isn’t free to use. In 2010, 3 hours access cost ₦500 [I don’t know the present cost]. Why should I donate books to a study library that the less privileged cannot access free and the CEO was a multi-millionaire? Toyosi said it several times, RISE was a business venture and her dream was to make it a public quoted company by year 2020. So it’s quite stupid and manipulative to encourage people volunteer. The manipulative idea was worst than insurance companies, making new recruits work their ass off free. By the way, the STATETRICKS book cost ₦1000 and to attend a RISE youth forum was not free. I saw the poster of the one held in 2010, despite having MTN, Verve, NBC, and Redbull as sponsors, ₦500 was still 
charged as gate fee for 'regular'. 



My opinion of Toyosi Akerele, based on what I’ve learnt was an individual riding high on cheap publicity. This wasn’t to diss her, it was a talent. She could talk her way into making things happen even if they were lies. It works well because an average Nigerian is gullible judging from false broadcast messages the spread without verification.


I was certain people close to her were very much aware. If you were to ask any one that read about Toyosi or paid to attend the conference would probably associate her with the youth BUT get this. On the website, linkedin.com, users could write about their skills and expertise while people linked to the individual (Facebook version of friends) could endorse the skill most associated to the user. Below is a list of her skills and expertise ranked from most endorsed. The number in the bracket represents the number of people that endorsed such skill in her. 

Public Speaking (35) 

Strategic Planning (17) 

Business Strategy (13) 

Marketing Communications (9) 

Project Planning (6) 

Product Development (6) 

Digital Marketing, Project Portfolio Management (4) 

Non-profits (3) 

Youth Engagement, Youth Empowerment, Innovation Management, 

Entrepreneurship (2) 
Coaching, Social Media, Creative 

Direction, Business Intelligence, 

Leadership (1) 

Educational Technology, Instructor-led Training, Public Sector (0) 


A quick look at the hierarchy, isn’t it ironic the relationship what she claims to do with what people close to her associate with her. She claims to be enterprising and convener of the “largest youth conference in Nigeria” with youth development as it’s core. Yet, see where they were on the list. At the top was “public speaking” which supports my claim she just talks. In fact, what she talked about the most was what people least endorsed her for. Imagine the CEO of www.passnownow.comwas not endorsed for ‘Educational Technology’. Aunty Toyosi, please shut down the website. 



Regardless, I’ll say Toyosi Akerele was like anyone. Look at her Twitter handle (@toyosirise) and you’ll see. Sure, she tweets positivity but that was only to support her persona, which projects to the public. 

However, check what she follows to have an idea of her interest. You’ll find Olamide (@Olamide_YBNL) which shows first of all...she likes to go down low. @theMarriageBed and @GoodWivesGuide, which shows she wants to get married, clock is ticking. @sheCravesTheD, if you don’t know what that handle tweets here’s the bio 
“*OFFICIAL D PAGE* She’s following this page because she wants the D”. 
In case you are too slow to grab, ‘D’ means ‘Dick’ as in penis. Their tweets goes like, 
“If she text you saying ‘I’m home alone’ she wants the D”. 
Unmarried Toyosi wants the D, how “more normal” could she be? She also follows @RailaOdinga [not the computer virus]. @HHShkMohd ß-- OIL MONEY. Toyosi quotes bible verses to make points so I surprised to discover she followed the handle @Anti_Church which...I mean, the handle name is self explanatory. 
You know, it’s quite possible I was wrong about Toyosi Akerele BUT I did my homework. If anyone knows or opportuned to interview her, get answers to the following questions: 

• Real age? 

• Name and location of her secondary school? 

• Did she graduate (or finished school) and where did she perform her NYSC programme? 

• What’s her real financial worth? 

• How badly does she want the D? 



Conclusion 
No doubt Toyosi Akerele might have influenced and motivatied people BUT was it by her actions or words. Remember, we can only lie with words. Sure she had won few awards and recognition BUT what's the value if they were "earned" through deception and lies. 



READ: What They Won't Tell You: "Logical Truth"http://introducingade.blogspot.com/2012/10/what-they-wont-tell-you-logical-truth.html?m=1

Twitter: @adebsrk

December 2012: Year End What? Why? How?

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].

Cloud Memory/ Check it Online/ Google Zeitgeist 2012

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.

Ade Soundtrack of [2012]

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

"The Funeral" by Band of Horses

"Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" by Coldplay

"The Show" by Lenka

"I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz