Emmanuel Ofoma @emmanuelofoma

One day, on my way to school, I saw a little stray cat crying in a drainage ditch by the road. Even though I was running late, I couldn't ignore its cries. I looked closer and saw that it was a cute black kitten. It seemed to be calling for help.

I felt conflicted. I needed to get to school, and I knew my mom would not let me bring home a stray cat, especially a black one. People often talk about bad luck with black cats, and I didn’t want to deal with that.

I thought about leaving the kitten there, but I couldn’t. I decided to take the kitten out of the drainage. After I rescued it, I left it on the roadside, hoping someone would help it while I went to school.
When school ended, I rushed out as soon as the bell rang. I quickly went back to the spot where I had found the kitten. But when I got there, I didn’t see it anywhere. I waited around for a while, looking for it, but not too seriously. Just as I was feeling a little sad, I saw the kitten come out from some bushes nearby. It had been hiding in the tall grass!

I had some snacks left from school, so I dropped a few on the ground for the kitten to eat. After that, I decided to leave it alone and walked away. The kitten stayed around that area for three days, but then I didn’t see it anymore.

It hasn’t been long since I finished crying about the story section concerning how they deducted the amounts awarded to the winners. I’m still in agony over that incident. Then today, I noticed a drastic slash in the daily login bonus. The prize wasn’t even adjusted to a rounded figure like 1000 Naira or 1200; it plummeted from 1500 Naira to 900 Naira—somewhere in the 900s. I just can’t wrap my head around it, and it frustrates and irritates me because I keep thinking about it. I first saw it earlier this evening, around 8 PM, but I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I thought it was a bug because there’s no way I could just wake up to find the amount reduced from 1500 to 900 and something Naira.
This situation makes me wonder whether the website is moving forward or backward, or if they are forcing it to go backward on its own. With each passing moment, I find myself losing interest in logging in or even checking the site because nothing intrigues me anymore.

In the past, we had the story quizzes, but now they seem to have disappeared entirely. The daily activities have been cut down from numerous options to just about four games per day, which is quite disappointing. The story competitions we used to participate in, where we could win 5,000 Naira, have now been reduced to only two winners with minimal prizes compared to what we used to win.

All of this is very saddening,

Yesterday, something surprising happened. We were outside when it started to get dark, and it looked like it was going to rain. Even though it was Harmattan season, we didn’t expect the rain to come so suddenly. The clouds became very dark, and they looked like they were full of heavy rain.

We hurried to find a place to stay dry while we waited for the rain to stop. The wind was blowing hard, making dust fly everywhere. We didn’t want our clothes to get dirty, and the bus stop where we needed to catch our ride home was far away. If we went out, we might get very wet.

As we stood under the shelter, we noticed the first drops of rain—just a few drops at first. We were confused because it didn’t seem like real rain. We kept watching the sky, waiting for the storm to come. We could hear thunder in the distance and see flashes of lightning, which made us think the rain was coming soon.

Finally, the few drops turned into a big, heavy rain. We made sure to stay close under the shade and were happy we had found shelter. While we waited for the rain to slow down, we talked and laughed together while the sounds of the drops on the zinc shade kept us company.

I was up all night in "old schooling," going through the internet and equipping myself with knowledge and information. Actually, I was testing it, running this node and that node, trying to farm and all that.

It took me several hours. Some tasks were so engaging and stressful, and I knew about this particular testing that took me about three hours just to finish a single task. It was just a lot of load for me. But then I decided to get some rest. Later, at midnight, I tried to sleep, but it wasn't working.

I tried putting on some music and listening to it to summon the effect of the instrumental, but nothing seemed to be working. I kept the phone aside and turned off the sober music. I went to stretch myself also and walked myself just so I could be tired and sleep, but that didn't work until about an hour later. Then I dozed off and slept. When I woke up, I was just too weak to even walk.

Jude was a young man born in the heart of Benin, cherished by his community and admired because he came from a reputable family known for their integrity and hard work. As Jude grew older, he fell in with a group of friends who lead him down a bad and immoral path.
His new companions were involved in fraudulent activities, yet they cunningly presented their lifestyle as a result of inherited wealth. They insisted their actions were legitimate, playing on Jude’s mind and ambitions.

One fateful afternoon, as he was already influenced by the feeling of quick success and the influence of his friends, Jude approached his father, seeking his birthright. He wanted to establish himself, just like his friends. After a long and challenging discussion with him, Jude's father reluctantly agreed. He decided to share a portion of the family’s property, which included a house and five plots of land to take and set himself up

With his inheritance in hand, he was so filled with ego and instead of investing or building a future, he chose to sell the properties. The money flowed in, and Jude, high on a sense of newfound wealth, lavished it all away through parties, extravagant outings, and fast cars lending.

But as the weeks passed, the reality of his choices began to set in. The lifestyle he had dreamed of was fleeting, and soon, Jude found himself staring at empty bank accounts and dwindling resources.
The lavish parties turned into lonely nights
He would call his friends for help but all he received was mockery.
His father kept in contact with him and employed him in one of his business structures just so he could sustain himself but not to expect any share of the family assets or properties.

I have this female friend in my department who’s quite fond of me. We are really good friends just platonic, nothing more. Recently, she mentioned she’d be visiting me, but she didn’t give me a heads-up.

We had a conversation, and as I was about to leave for home, she casually mentioned that she would come over the next week. Well, the next week rolled around, and yesterday she told me to wait a bit so she could grab her bag and come to my place.

I wasn’t really on board with that. I felt uncomfortable because we usually discuss these things beforehand. It shouldn’t have been presented as a surprise; it felt unexpected and a bit like an emergency. I didn’t plan for her visit, and I wasn’t prepared at all.

After much pleading and trying to find the right words, I finally told her that I wouldn’t appreciate her coming over that particular day. To my surprise, she took offense. I felt pretty annoyed; instead of understanding where I was coming from, it seemed my words had hurt her.

When we saw each other at school today, she wouldn’t speak to me. Not a single word. I could see the disappointment in her eyes, and I knew that I had let her down. But the truth was, I simply wasn’t willing to have visitors that day. It didn’t feel right to invite her over when I hadn’t planned for it, I just knew it wasn’t the best idea.

I was thinking this evening, and I thought about how I performed academically when I was still with my parents until I moved out independently to study in my 300 level. I noticed a significant difference in my academic performance, and now I could understand why. Back then, while I was living with my parents and siblings, I usually turned off the light at night before sleep. Most times, I drank coffee in the morning. However, after I moved out, I cut down on my coffee intake, and there was usually light—my light was on 24/7. I hadn’t known that this was affecting me, particularly my memory consolidation and retention, until I read an article recently about how these little things can impact memory retention and cognitive functions.

In addition to the insights I gained from the article, I realized that exposure to blue screens also significantly impacted cognitive function. I became increasingly aware of how much time I used to spend on my phone and other screens, prompting me to dive deeper into this topic. I wanted to enlighten others about the myriad of ways these small factors can affect memory and overall physiological functions.

First and foremost, exposure to blue light interferes with our sleep patterns. This disruption not only hampers our ability to fall asleep but also disturbs our circadian rhythms during the night. As a result, this affects memory retention. Interestingly, while coffee can enhance brain retention to some extent, it is also crucial to recognize the importance of quality sleep and the darkness we experience during that rest.

Understanding these connections has been enlightening, and I think it’s vital for everyone to learn this and keep it in mind.

I was in my bedroom when I started smelling something burning coming from the living room. I rushed out to see what was happening and found my charger, the brand new one I had just bought in flames. It was burning, not just smoking.

I quickly moved to the fuse to switch it off, but my sister rushed in to unplug the charger. I shouted at her because I was worried she might get electrocuted by touching the charger, even though only part of it was on fire. I managed to turn off the fuse before carefully removing the charger.

As I stood there, I couldn’t help but think about how much I had spent on that charger. It wasn’t just a regular one, it was a high-quality model that cost more. But I was relieved that no one was hurt and that it didn’t affect anyone. At least I was safe, satisfied, and I knew I could get another one.