Archive for May, 2009

May200929

Solomon King

36

sadiq

This post is dedicated to everyone at the Blogger’s Happy Hour who said my blog is too inspirational. Ha, take that!

—

Sadiq was officially the scariest boy in school. No contest.

One good look at him and you knew something was massively wrong with this dude. Okay, calling him a dude was a bit far-fetched, however sophisticated your upbringing was. Actually, to be more honest, your first genuine, undeniable reaction when you saw Sadiq, was “holy sh…”

You’d never get the chance to properly articulate your thoughts if, Sadiq, in all his omnipresence, chose that very moment to look at you.

Little boys peed in their pants every time Sadiq looked at them. Frozen in place from sheer terror, their lips would start quivering, and a split second later, eyes, nose and lower appendage would start running.

The “big” boys ( they were only big when compared to the little boys ) stopped in their tracks for a full five seconds, then very slowly, they’d retreat, keeping a very close eye on Sadiq. It was, however, impossible to look Sadiq in the eyes, so they’d focus instead on that area just above the tip of his nose.
Read more

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

May200922

Solomon King

27

how much pain can you endure?

Non Matrix fans bear with me for a second.

One of my favourite movie lines comes from The Matrix – Reloaded, where the Architect is talking to Neo about the destruction of Zion. Neo tells the Architect that the machines cannot wipe out all humans, as they need them for power.

The Architect nonchalantly replies:

“There are levels of survival we are willing to accept.”

Every time I go through a particular hard situation, you know, the ones that make you want to quit, I remember that particular line, and I ask myself;

“How far down this road am I willing to go to achieve my dream or my goal?

What level of survival am I willing to accept before I call it quits?

What kind of beating can I endure before the pain breaks me?”

In more common terms, it’s called looking at worst-case scenarios, or the breaking point, beyond which you know you simply cannot endure whatever it is you are going through.

I’ve learned from experience, that most people give up way before their breaking point. Heck, most people give up before they even hit the halfway line to breaking point.

I’ve drawn up a “Situational Badness” graph to visually reflect my views on this. 
Read more

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

May200919

Solomon King

13

on making mistakes

The year is 2003. Month, June. Day, 6th. Time, 9:01.

I’m sitting at my desk. Staring at the computer.

I log on to True African, and send myself the following SMS. Yes, I sent myself an SMS. No, I wasn’t mad.

No, I wasn’t.

The SMS says:

“Over six months I have called this place home.
And so it ends.
The future beckons.
Shall we proceed?
After all, it is only Destiny“

I still have the SMS to this day.

That day was the last day of formal employment for me. I was stepping out into the brave new world of being self-employed. You know, doing my own thing.

I was 20. I had fulfilled my dream of of owning my own company by 21. And I had beaten it by a solid year.
Read more

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

May200918

Solomon King

28

and we’re back

Hi.

I’m back.

Yeah, it’s been a crazy time, lots of annoying things happening at Node Six (getting a laptop stolen can be more chaotic than you expect) but there are even more exciting things happening at Node Six. Kizito Katawonga (of The Master’s Apprentice fame) joined Node Six as Executive Director, which means my role is even more bureaucratically ambiguous than ever. We’re also going through a back-to-the-roots training session on everything we do, from coding to customer support. Another run at Kaizen on our part.

On a personal level, I’m dealing with a lot more stuff than usual, but thankfully, it’s beginning to make sense and all the issues are finally falling in place. So yeah, I’ve been taking a slow stroll in the shady back alleys of Life Boulevard, but despite all the drama, I’m very psyched up about it, because I finally realized how I got stuck in this rut in the first place.
Read more

Related items

May200903

Solomon King

7

it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish


Related items