The Journey- very shitty *

The sour taste in my mouth as I write my first post of the year is definitely not as a result of the cherry fruit (agbalumo) I didn’t suck on. It is with all certainty the bouts of bad or almost terrible movies I have subjected myself to within the last 2 weeks. ‘Common don’t take life too seriously its just a freaking movie’- I hear you say- hell NO! it is more than a freaking movie to me…

It is about the only semblance of a social life I have these days. Its never about the money but the principle…lol (#wash). Someone please explain to me why I should be forcefully subjected to 94-120 mins of paid  torture at the cinema when I could easily sit in my house hit download and endure a terrible movie at my own convenience. I really love movies, I am also a collector of good ones. But as it turns out it may seem like 2012 is setting itself up to be a shitty year in movies. Case in point: ‘The Journey 2’.

Starring Dwayne Johnson, and a bunch of terrible actors, the movie is about the story of a young boy who goes on an adventure with his step dad to find his long lost grandfather who went  missing while in search of a mysterious island years ago after receiving a weak satellite transmission from him. Everything about this movie sucked, from the crappy sound effects (probably the cinema’s fault in all fairness), to the lame CGI effects, the costumes (precisely the weird pants worn by Vanessa Hudgens), the shallow details (like jelly fish that refused to sting or the peaceful great white sharks) and stupid dialogue. This movie has to be the shittiest movie I have seen in a long while. Some movies are not worth watching at the cinemas and the journey 2 directed by Brad Peyton should have been a straight to DVD release.

I will give this movie a miserable 1-G stamp. I must mention also that ‘the Descendants’ though generally a good movie isn’t also worth watching at the cinemas seemed to me more like a film for the family living room.

the reactive mafia called the Presidency

This has to be my first critical post directed at the GEJ administration. I realize that blogging about my thoughts would make very little or no difference to the status quo.

In my opinion foresight or vision is one of the major requirements of leadership, its no longer news that majority of Nigerians voted for the current administration 'cos they wanted a departure from the recycling of the political mafia that existed, and at that point GEJ seemed to be a safe alternative.

"But you see the problem with forcing a person into power especially when it is apparent that the individual is not ready equates to walking on a broken ankle before it is fully healed".

The government of President Goodluck Jonathan has been a largely reactive one. The caliber of advisers he has also chosen to surround himself with makes me ashamed of being literate. Well as the saying goes any organization is a reflection of its leader, more often than not quality leadership has very little to do with the quality of education a leader has, its either you've got it or you aint got it. Almost every major issue since the re-election of the present administration has been reacted to from the terrorism, to gay rights, to the rape toll free helplines, to fuel subsidy removal, the economy, it is quite apparent that POLITICS is a major priority above every thing else.

These people in my opinion all have too much power, time and money on their hands that pressing social issues have never been a priority. Having foresight has alot to do with seeing potential challenges and having a backup plan to fix them.

But then again what do i know, all we ever do in this country is talk, talk and talk. from the government officials and their elaborate but empty speeches, to the youths and their blackberries, to the very loud but weak youth advocacy groups to the noisy bloggers online, all we do is talk.

For as long as everybody's business remains nobody's business, my patriotism will keep hanging by a thread.

~gd

the expert manifesto

(via The Expert Enough Manifesto | Expert Enough)

Love is not enough...

Remember that popular definition of Love that says: " Love is a feeling you feel you never felt before" ok now FORGET THAT! Yeah! you read that right. As far as the concept of marriage and relationships go, Love is never enough. It may sound like I'm about to put out a collage of psychotic ramblings but the plain truth is: genuine Love as we should know it cannot exist without a clear recognition of weaknesses in our partners- which as far as I'm concerned is the starting point of Love. 

Love alone is never enough to guarantee a happy marriage or relationship, for the sake of being crucified before i rest my 'keys', When i say Love i do not in any way refer to the God kind of Love (Agape) which is a whole new level of perfection which also only God can give, I refer to the form we share as humans & which has evolved into a diverse mix of dilution. In its purest form Love can only inspire a healthy level of patience and tolerance & affection that becomes happiness over a period and subsequently bliss. As far as i can tell any one who writes about Love being the only requirement for bliss is a scam artist.

I rarely write about subjects like this but from my experience in relationships it all starts with certain attributes, or characteristics which can be experienced at face value, and then moves on to who we are essentially, it is by understanding what our strengths and weaknesses are we can then embark on that journey called Love which by the way is not a destination. There is no such thing as Love at first sight. The former concept is at best a heightened sense of attraction which could evolve into the real form of Love. I can only love you if I can live with and be happy with helping you over come your weaknesses. Its not just about the good looks, the fabulous boobs and ass its a lot more of the internal mixed with a little of the external.

Patience, Wisdom, Strengths, Weaknesses, Tolerance, Affection and loads of other factors are compulsory ingredients of relationship Bliss, but above all God's Grace. It is that grace that makes a man do dishes with his spouse, that makes a woman nag less, that makes a woman turn her spouse away with wisdom while he stays faithful despite.. so when i say Love is not enough, this is what i mean.

~gd 

@gozzim

Osinachi: The Nigerian Born Production Genius (Joe, ciara, pitbull, wale prod. credits)

so last night while trying to fall asleep i decided to listen to the new Joe album 'The good, The Bad, and The Sexy'-great album by the way, and while i was at it i made a very interesting discovery..

Meet Osinachi Nwaneri, the Nigerian born super producer one of the many Nigerians in the diapora doing big things. With production credits for the likes of ciara,wale, joe, pitbull,pussycat dolls, Dawkins&Dawkins among others, this versatile production genius seems all in a class by himself.

Osinachi produced two tracks on the new Joe album ('Losing' & 'slow Kisses') and has proven beyond reasonable doubt that he is definately a force to reckon with. As further proof of his genius, he currently works with one of the world's best when it comes to music production: Darkchild. Word on the wire is Osinachi was signed back in the day within 24 hours after Rodney Jenkins CEO of Darkchild listened to his samples. So I realise technically being born in the US he may not count as one of ours as the industry bias goes but hey that Ibo name still screams Green white Green. 

cheers to green greatness!

~GD- @gozzim

License to Rob

I haven't made a blog entry since my last meeting with the Russian Billionaire friend. Unfortunately i would have to narrate the concluding part of my previous post in the near future, this minute i am saddled with the burden of how impossible it seems to reduce the 'legal thieves' that pose a huge danger to us which is the Nigerian Police. Like they say Karma's a bitch, its such a hard thing to find successful policemen that have accomplished extraordinary feats in life. The billions of curses heaped on them collectively in their day to day robbery of helpless citizens is probably the cause. 

I don't believe in stereotyping, but i do make exceptions to this principle every once in a while for example, its no news that a majority of Nigerians are quite STUBBORN, and as a result its hard to fix certain things like corruption, and indiscipline. In my honest opinion the easiest language a majority of us understand  is FEAR. when all logical and intellectual options have been fully explored and we are still faced with the demoralizing sight of uniformed men killing, and oppressing the masses they are supposed to protect, it becomes wise to adopt a more viable solution which is fear.

I would never subscribe to violence or terrorism in any form or shape but what do you do when faced with the choice of killing or be killed? Fear and cowardice is an integral part of the Nigerian Police training if we use this it just might yield the much desired solution to this problem of legalized bribery and extortion.

If i were a 'lunatic' i would issue a public statement, with an ultimatum to the NP to desist from the indirect encouragement of corruption after which i would initiate a maiming/killing campaign of every police officer caught in the act. But I'm not..

Lessons from my Russian Billionaire Friend - I

Last night i met a Russian billionaire, and don't even ask me how...lol apparently after spending about 25mins with him i also became a billionaire.- don't believe me? then read on.. As i have learned true wealth is measured in time and not in currency as riches. that said when you picture the so called 'billionaires' in our beautiful country and take to heart that earlier definition we then come to the conclusion that there is a huge scarcity of wealthy men within our shores.

'In reality the amount of time a man can can consistently maintain his current standard of living if he stops earning, is a clear indication of how wealthy he is. The term wealth is therefore relative.'

According to my Russian billionaire friend, "being wealthy is indeed a state of the mind, it all starts in the mind. it is the very reason a wealthy man can afford to get into his Jaguar XJ or gulf stream jet in the morning without actual cash in his pocket, cause within him there is a subtle confidence that he can never get stranded. After taking years of calculated risks you soon get into the realization that the fastest way to make financial progress is to be untethered to material things. luxuries are mostly a means to an end, they provide comfort and were made for man's use and not the other way round."

these were words from my new friend shortly after we met, after he was introduced to me by a young Nigerian CEO, we kind of got into a discussion about Kasparov- on time world chess grand master, and then to Russian politics and finally I asked him why it is that Russia has too many young billionaires, this is what brought about the lesson i will be sharing in these series. For the next two days of his stay in Lagos, we had interactions that blew my mind. I will go into more details in my next post but be prepared to live dangerously.

finally

I finally found a way around mobile blogging guess i stopped being a cave man. :-)

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wisdom according to drake!

pay attention to his  wristwatches. he definately buys what he will use... :0)

Get Paid to shoot your Videos & Quit Robbing Yourself!

as far as i'm concerned the most paid entertainer/celebrity in this country aint worth sh*& in comparison to their counterparts in the developed world. It might be worthy of note that the expensive cars, houses and bling flaunted in videos and movies don't neccesary come from album sales. So if you as an artiste intend to be able to afford a bentley from money paid to you by alaba or the likes of notjust ok then you must be high on some cheap battery water.Have you ever wondered why a very tall Travie McCoy would ride in a mini cooper in the Billionaire video featuring Bruno Mars? Ching! Ching!!

Clearly while the likes of Jayz and Kanye get paid by Daimler to destroy a Maybach in a music video, our indigenous artists have to 'pay' to drive a Mustang or use bottles in their own videos. That my friends is the difference between our psyches.

"with CD sales plunging as downloading (both legal and illegal) soars, more music artists and record labels should use their videos to make money rather than to simply promote an album" 

#goodnews

as TV producers blur the lines between the commercial breaks and entertainment content and as more of our entertainment content is exported to the world via MTV, Channel O and the likes it makes even more sense now to cash in on the windfall of 'advertainment'. So the next time you have to shoot a music video as an artist or a Movie as a director and you ever consider using anything from a V.S.O.P bottle, to a blackberry smartphone do it with the consciousness that you are ripping yourself off and YOU OUGHT TO BE GETTING PAID FOR IT! especially if you have attained a certain level of success as an artist.

* we can help you get paid MORE  for doing what you love.

-gd

twitter: @gozzim

cold fire!

i recall a few years ago while back at school, i made a trip every month to attend a very popular inspiration session in V.I hosted by a foremost motivational speaker. a friend of mine and I would come all the way and head back to school all 'fired up' 'cos we had supposedly heard and rubbed shoulders with the wealthiest & most influential motivators within and outside Nigeria.

In my honest opinion if i had to do it all over again i would probably have been satisfied with just one of those sessions, subsequently i would go on to read volumes of inspirational books all 'cos i thought i would hit it big along the line.

"what good is getting all fired up, if you cannot transfer that fire or passion to a meaningful project?"

If you are in the habit of networking you would agree with me that sometimes its not worth meeting people especially if they won't remember you the next time you meet. The best way to keep you networking memorable is to be known for a form of unique project/feat. It doesn't matter how many seminars you attend, or how many books you have read or will read, to attain a certain level of relevance you must apply your self positively to whatever passions you nurse.There will never be a perfect time to do anything meaningful. 

START SOMETHING NOW!

~gd

expensive experiments

we all nurse dreams and aspirations but what good is a dream when it stays in your head. every dream that has ever been fulfilled took some level of perspiration on the path of the dreamer. waiting for the perfect situations is usually the biggest hindrance to  making dreams a reality. any wise man will tell you to be open minded and dream big but also be humble enough to start small. In reality not all dreams are meant for every season, someone once gave me a very smart advice when i tried to go into a certain kind of business to:

"weigh my options as far as my dreams and business plans were and be sure to choose if i was going to start a viable business venture or an expensive experiment". 

in summary be open minded enough to dream big without bothering about financial or social constraints, and be humble enough to start small in accordance with your social reality without second guessing yourself. Its the only way any meaningful progress is made.

Have a fab week ahead!

~gd

the Nigerian brand of terror!

a few years ago i recall telling a friend that it will be quite a while before Nigerians ever attempt to blow themselves up, apparently i couldn't be more wrong. yet again for the wrong reasons the international media from NYtimes, BBC, AP, down to the the gossip rag Bossip has its spotlight on us. for some weird reason Mutallab triggered the down trend of terror in Nigeria. the incident at the U.N building now means that in addition to our huge and shameful challenge of underdevelopment we now have to deal with terrorism too. unfortunately our brand of terror is even more senseless.

The Corporate SCAM called Sponsorship!

sometimes i wish there was a more effective way to enforce sponsorship contracts in Nigeria asides from the courts. Its a huge baffle why corporate entities consciously sign sponsorship contracts  with the intention to default on payment. a popular electronics giant out of Korea is especially making it a habit. the general misconception in our country that sponsoring an event is doing the promoter a huge favor is absolute B.S. If concerts where particularly easy and cheap to put together, every fool with a few bucks would be an event promoter.

All this 30% before event and 70% after business is the new SCAM from corporate entities. My advise to anyone planning an event that requires sponsorship: " get as much of your money as you can from the sponsor before the event, preferably at least 80%". I will leave it here for now.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes- Lessons in Leadership.

 

Last night, i had the unique privilege of seeing this exceptional movie. I did go out of my way for this only because critics rated the movie  82% on the tomato meter. During experiments to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease, a genetically-enhanced chimpanzee uses its greater intelligence to lead other apes to freedom. What this synopsis doesn't mention is how there exists unique twists that make the overall story line a must watch. Directed by Rupert Wyatt and starring James Franco, this movie indeed details how true leaders come to life. It also further exposes the striking similarities between humans and lower primates. This movie gets 4-G stamps from me. some of the leadership lesson i learnt from this movie are outlined below:

1. Any one passionate about his grievances could make a good leader
2. Leadership has very little to do with size or stamina its all in the mind.
3. 2 key ingredients of effective leadership are charisma & Patience
4. people don't really care how much you know until they know how much you care.
5. Loyalty of followers must be earned through genuine concern and the meeting of the needs of potential followers.

The Wrestling Fiasco

In my entire life i have never witnessed the colossal waste of money like i did last Friday night. The UPWF wrestling championship was a total waste of money by the organizers especially after  98% of the seats where empty. Once again we learnt how failing to plan automatically implies planning to fail. The event which featured 18 wrestlers from the U.S to include:

shelton Benjamin, Meringue Warrior, Ray Mysterio, Bobby Lashley, among others was scheduled to start by 4pm but did not start until almost 10pm especially after the wrestling ring from the US only arrived at 8pm. word of advise to event organisers NEVER EVER base your planning & funding of your event on TICKET SALES, and if by any chance you do at least sell tickets 2months in advance.