nine

Essays, Writers

A Good Opportunity Which I Lost by Precious Ushang.

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The age-old maxim that says ‘’A stitch in time saves nine’’ remains valid in all life situations. People who do not heed this advice will have only themselves to blame. Dealing with a problem at its initial stage requires planning, which is often taken for granted. As Benjamin Franklin first said in 1723, ‘’A stitch in time saves nine.’’ He was basically saying that if you sort out a problem immediately, it may save a lot of extra work later. I just can’t resist quoting the great man in this context. Little problems that can be solved easily develops into a huge one when we ignore it, thus, giving rise to confusion and loss of precious time and energy in untangling it. There is a small story to illustrate the point. The story I am about to tell is an extract from my autobiography. I want to narrate an experience I have had. I have chosen the extract from the bulk of the story because of its undeniable moral lesson to me and anyone who cares to give the story a glance, however casual. Before I start narrating my experience I have had about this saying, I would want us to know what we mean by the phrase ‘stitch in time.’ In fashion, if a piece of clothing is slightly torn from one side and if we ignore that for some time, that may result in a widened hole in that cloth and the cloth will not be of any use. By this explanation, I believe you must have had an idea of what a stitch in time mean. Well, let us go over to the story. It all happened on a Sunday evening in the month of August 2020 when the cmonionline essay topics for the first weekly essay competition were posted on Facebook and I was privileged enough to see it as soon as it was posted. I went through the write-up and the instructions to know how I would go about it. Then, I realised that the second topic which goes thus, ‘’Your Takeaway From The COVID-19 Pandemic.’’ I was wowed and i felt overconfident because I had already written about the topic for personal purposes and it was saved in my laptop. So, I thought there was nothing to worry about. Although, I knew my laptop was faulty but I did not bother to check it to know where exactly the fault was from. I felt that since the essay was something I already had an idea on, I did not care about that. All I cared about was how to go about other daily activities. On Thursday, when I was supposed to submit my essay on the website, my phone and laptop were low, due to the fact that there was blackout. I was hopeful for the next day being Friday, which was the last day of submission for the week. But there was power failure, as a result of the heavy downpour which occurred earlier that day. I had no choice than to wait till evening when the generator would be put on. At 8 o’clock in the evening, immediately the generator was on, i hurriedly started editing my essay—which became successful. After that I went to the website and carried out the necessary instructions. Then, I proceeded to paste and send the essay to my phone but to no avail because of its fault. I began to feel restless and I started running helter-skelter looking for who to help me but I couldn’t be helped. At the eleventh hour, I started praying to Mother Luck to turn back the hands of the clock, increase the hours of the day from 24 to 48 or, better still, cause the submission deadline to be postponed indefinitely .When it became so obvious that I could not help the situation, I resigned to fate consoling myself in the fact that what would be, would be inspite of all odds. I then thought that I should have taken action immediately. I regretted my nonchalance thereafter and did not know when I said in my mind ‘’It is true that a stitch in time saves nine.’’ But notwithstanding, I really learnt my lesson. Moral of the story: A Stitch In Time Saves Nine. The meaning of this age-old proverb is quite literal. It effectively warns us against our own neglect, laziness, ignorance, small faults, unseriousness and imperfections. It makes us realise that we must not ignore the warning signs of any kinds because someday the situation or condition may become unmanageable or may not be in a state to be remedied at all. This idiom is relevant even during this time. People should not become careless about the social distancing measures and face masks . Similarly, in life, it is better to tackle all problems at an early stage. Delay in finding a solution to a problem only complicates it further making it difficult to undo the knots. Precious Ushang wrote in via precyushang4@gmail.com

Essays, Writers

A Stitch In Time Saves Nine by Osanyinro Oluwaseun.

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  He sat on the couch and sighed heavily. He was still wondering how the day got this bad. He could still hear her nagging despite the increased volume of the television. It was a marvel that a small woman like her could produce such loud sound.   He had woken up this morning to remember the tap he promised to fix the day before. He knew his wife would complain if he did not fix it when she woke up.  Still he was tempted to procrastinate and get ready for work. He looked at his beautiful wife who was still asleep, and wished she was this gentle when awake also. But he loved her nonetheless. If she was not a goal-getter, he would not be waking up to remember the tap in the kitchen. He had looked at the time and laughed out loud. It was 4 am for goodness sake. This woman had done a number on him.  He rose and walked into the kitchen with a torchlight as he hummed a song. He settled down and began his amateur plumbing work on the tap. At first, he was sure his work would wake the whole house up but as he continued, he concluded everyone must be dead tired. He hummed, worked and nodded at his work. It felt great to work in quietness and in the early hours of the morning. Too bad it was still quite dark but he had his torchlight. He shook his head as his thoughts navigated to the first day the leaking tap was discovered. His wife must have screamed her head off while he ran in milliseconds to her. He was sure he gave Usain Bolt a run for his money that day. His wife could be dramatic at times or all the time. On discovering the source of her dismay, he had quickly put a bucket and solved the great problem. He felt like a hero that day.   While he paused from yet another heroic work and listened for a moment, he had prayed she would still be asleep till he was through with his work. All he had wanted was to surprise his wife. He really loved to surprise his wife. One could not have a doll as a wife and not make surprises the order of the day. It was that or the cries which he felt were uncalled for. She was that fragile. He could vividly remember the day he had come home empty-handed. Having re-stocked the house some days earlier, he felt there was no need to buy anything while coming from work or so he thought. Her cries were shocking to him. She insisted that coming home with a thing or two is a sign of love. Well, he did not agree but he went with the flow.  The light in the kitchen flickered and he smiled. As a Nigerian, one should be used to the electrical company announcing their presence twice or more before making the light stable. He had looked at his almost completed job and tested the function of the tap. While he nodded at his brilliant job, he hurried to tighten the bolts and got up. The electricity had finally become stable as he walked back to the bedroom. His wife stretched a little on the bed making him smile. He could not wait for the hero hug he would receive when he arrived home later in the day.  Work was hectic but he did not mind. He had been tempted twice to call his wife just to hear her praises but decided to be patient. He would be patient to receive the heroic hug at home. Perhaps with his best food and a hot bath. All were worth the headache he was having now while he faced his workload.  Evening came too slow but he never did mind as he walked into his house. Yet what he met stopped him short. He should have been suspicious. His wife was sitting still, facing the television though it was switched off. Before he could utter a word, she had a river flow of words at his heroic job. In her defense, he forgot to fix the tap. His shock suddenly turned to laughter. He was sure he fixed the tap this morning while she was having her beauty sleep. She countered that he touched nothing which was gradually getting on his nerves. He argued back. They had continued back and forth till he noticed a flow in the direction of the sitting room where they were still arguing. Her gasp confirmed his worst thought. His beautiful wife had in anger forgotten to put the bucket under the tap in the bathroom. The little drops were now flowing. Then it occurred to him that he practically wasted his morning. It was not the kitchen tap that had fault but rather the bathroom. With argument dropped, both worked to drain and dry up the corridor and bathroom.  Still ruminating the activities of the day while his wife nagged and cooked, he shook his head. A stitch in time might save nine but in his case, he would prefer it is a right stitch at the right time. If only he had procrastinated his heroic work.    Osanyinro Oluwaseun, a graduate of Microbiology and currently a master student of Public Health at the University of Ibadan runs a blog on WordPress deejemima.wordpress.com

Essays, Writers

Present Pain As A Result Of Past Complacency by Olomu Oladipupo Michael

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  How I wish, how I wish I could travel through time to correct the ignorance of my past life. Harvey Mackay once said “Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once lost, you can never get it back”. Whenever I remembered how insensitive I was during my university days, it drives a chill of regret mixed with sadness within my heart. How I wish I added a little effort! How I wish I disciplined myself! How I wish I read like the student I was meant to be! My wish would have been a reality if only I was focus enough to actualize my aim.  My university days were indeed hilarious and exhilarating, no doubt. I had good friends; friends willing to help build my career, and I also had friends who were willing to waste my career. You have to take note, that no one is responsible to be blame for one’s failure or negligence in life. Fact is “we are the manifestations of the decision we once took”, either in a positive or negative manner. Jonathan Estrin once said, “The way we spend our time defines who we are”. We are the product of whatsoever decision we took yesterday and we are still taking till date.   Thinking back most times, and recalling how I once had the opportunity to make things right, and yet I squandered such opportunities over flimsy excuses leaves a hole in my heart that hurt a lot! Presently nothing can be done about it, isn’t it? The best answer have ever gotten is to move on with these scars thereby amending my ways as I proceed simultaneously into a new time frame of fate. During my university days as a result of complacency mixed with ignorance led to the academic carryover I experience, I took the advices of my seniors in higher level and EXCOS then ungranted. I could remember vividly their words “As a fresher in the university this is the only time and opportunity you have to build up and develop your Grade Point Average (GPA)”. The main reason such emphasis was emphasized on is to help fresher’s like us to study effectively in order to produce a very good GPA. The EXCOS then, of my Faculty (Engineering) organized all manners of tutorials during the day (noon) and at night hours just to encourage student to be proactive, studious and help break down complex topics into ways they can be easily assimilated (this are common trait EXCOS of different academic session usually engage in to help both the new and returning students). Yet with these entire put in place; I hardly even attend the tutorials, I just brush through my handout casually, I was so busy chasing after the clouds (going for unnecessary programs and events show). While other student and level mate of mine where busy studying so immensely. Unknowingly to me, I lost the equilibrium balance between my social and academic life and yet still hoping for a miracle to manifest on my test and exam day. Who does that? Nothing indeed beat the place of hard work and persistence. Dumb of me indeed, it never occurred to me that I was wasting my best time of productivity on irrelevant activities. Although; In my mind, I thought I was giving out my best. The picture seems clearer to me now “What I called my best was but a child’s play”.   Time flew rapidly, before anyone could tell, we wrote our first semester test and exams. Result were released six (6) weeks after completing 100 level first semester, I could only admire and congratulate my friends and those I knew who had a 4.0 – 4.99 GPA  out of the standard 5.0 maximum G.P. funny enough some had a 5.0 GPA. Indeed it pays to be focused and at the same time hardworking. An anonymous once said “Tiny problem that can be solved easily develops into a huge one when we ignore it, thus giving rise to confusion and loss of precious time and energy”. Staring at my 2.98 GPA with a two (2) unit carry over course in my result, burdened my heart with a traumatized pain beyond my comprehension and at the same time been motivated to boost my academic Grade point Average in the next semester (second) to come.   Like any other student with the zeal to excel excellently, striving with the burning passion towards accomplishing a mission to have nothing less than a 4.5 GPA in the second semester about to be embarked. Seems some people never learns, so unfortunate along the line I got distracted by friends, worst of all I relocated from the school hostel to off campus just to have the freedom most students so much desire to have. Jim Rohn once said “Discipline is the bridge between goal and accomplishment”. Filled with the zeal to strive forward yet lack the discipline to bring my visions into reality. What a pity isn’t it? I ended up repeating another circle of academic problem. Lacking the effort and discipline needed to bring my visions into reality, evidently is as a result of complacency which led to my indiscipline nature. A little effort was what I needed to avert these problems, yet I lacked that little ‘energy’ needed “The difference between a good grade and an excellent grade is just a little effort”.  However, grace and favour helped me throughout my academic days. During my academic journey; some colleagues of mine were sent away from engineering faculty, some were told to repeat a session. Somehow, I made it to the final lap with my course mate and academic set. But, the pile of carryover courses I had increased to nine (9) units. Graduating with my academic set seems impossible and under probability. The only solution according to the exam officer of my department then, is to study effectively to enable me clear the present level courses and carry over courses of nine (9) units.  The drive within me, to graduate with my set suddenly awakened. Thinking back to my 100 level days till date (500L), somehow I wish that such passion awakened during my days as a university fresher. Taking the cognizance that it is either “a man has a mission to accomplish, or perhaps burning with passion to excel or probably running with a vision, if as a human you don’t find yourself in these categories then life itself becomes a burden of continuous problems to such a man”. Realistically, I said to myself “To prevail over this circumstance I brought myself into, I need to work harder than my fellow course mate as a result of the carryovers. This simply implies that I had more work load compared to my fellow course mate, the much course load I had somehow affected my effectiveness and academic stability. No wonder an African proverb was said “The problem you refuse to deal with today as a result of ignorance will eventually grow up bigger as time proceed, if not taken care, such problem might grow beyond your handling and capacity”. A stitch in time they say saves nine.        The zeal to graduate with my academic set gave me the passion to read with purpose, my motto became “I must graduate with my set”. This alone was more than enough to keep me driving. I did graduate with my set; sadly I didn’t graduate with a good class of degree. Fact is “When the purpose of something is not known,

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