Happy Birthday To Me!!!

Yaaaaaay! It’s my birthday again!!! *dancing azonto*

I’ve spent some time assessing the past one year, expressing gratitude to God for keeping me, and I must say I’m positively excited about my ‘todays’ and ‘tomorrows’. Please feel free to share in my joy!!!

In keeping with a tradition I instituted three years ago, I’m sharing a few random things about me today. Here goes:

1.     My favorite song ever is Immortality, by Celine Dion. Among other things, the song tells of the eternal struggle between what we feel like doing and what we should be doing. When I’m having a lazy day, all I need do is hear the opening bars of this song – and I’m immediately ‘gingered’!

2.    My most-read book till present is Winning, by Jack Welch. I chanced on it in 2006, and I’ve read it from back-back twelve times since then. Winning is a great book for understanding “how to win” at life and career, and I daresay Mr. Welch totally nailed it in this book. However, my favorite book at the moment is The Start-Up of You, by Reid Hoffman. I think every young person should read this one!

3.    My favorite food ever is Garri (Ijebu). No exaggerations, but I have probably taken enough garri for myself and two generations to come. Guys, garri isn’t just a snack to me – it is FOOD! Given that I’m not into booze and stuff, the picture below perfectly sums up how I celebrate after achieving a milestone.

Yep, I fried those myself - and yep, I ate them all!

4.    I can cry for the entire Universe. I perpetually oscillate between thinking my high level of emotional expressiveness is good or bad, but truth is – it’s the way I am. I discovered my ‘crying skills’ when I first saw Titanic in 2001, and I have long since perfected the art of “crying at the drop of a hat”. I once mentioned to Oggie that I should hold the trademark for ‘cry’ smileys, and we both agreed that I needed to install dams in my eyes. :) :)

5.    I have a thing for microphones.

Started from the bottom, now we're here ;) :)

6.    I am totally into children – except when their diapers need to be changed. I find it near impossible to say “no” to a child, and it is pretty clear my wife will need to do tons of work to provide balance when raising our kids. Shout out to Ayanfeoluwa Adebusoye – my favorite baby in the world. :)

This is not Ayanfe o, but this picture was taken at his naming ceremony :)

7.    I never wanted to study at the Obafemi Awolowo University. The University of Ibadan was my first choice to study Mechanical Engineering, and I wasn’t bothered in the least when OAU initially refused to admit me because they were my second choice. After my dad wrote a scathing letter to the Dean protesting the discrimination against ‘second choicers’, I was offered Food Science & Technology – which I turned down without much thought. The Dean reluctantly caved, and offered me Mechanical Engineering the morning of Matriculation. The rest is history.

Convocation things ;)

8.     This is a complicated one. My grandfather moved from Okemesi-Ekiti to Ibadan decades ago, and the Ladeles’ established new roots there. While I am technically from Ekiti, Ibadan is the only hometown I have ever known. I have more in common with (educated) Ibadan boys my age than with my Ekiti counterparts. Few people can understand the way I feel when I return to Ibadan after being out of town for a while, or the rush I get when I park at Bere and gaze at her famed brown roofs. The way I see it, I am from Ekiti – but I am Ibadan.

This view gives me the shakes...

9.    I am blessed with great friends! I am not going to mention any names, but God has surrounded me with some of the most awesome people on earth – and I feel very privileged to have them. To the ones who call me ‘boy’, ‘bro’, ‘friend’, ‘Koye’; the one who calls me ‘Smallie’, and the one who calls me ‘Bobo’ – know that you all color my world…

10.    Except I and my siblings are squabbling, our living-room is the funniest place I’ve ever known. And I must mention: when I am home, the living-room is whichever room I’m in – except I’m in the toilet. When I sit and reminisce, I always keel over with laughter! Father and Mother Ko, Simex, and The Law are totally awesome people… Together with a certain Kelby *wink wink*, these are my favorite people in the world – and I am blessed to have you.

Thanks for stopping by, and once again – happy birthday to me!

Koye.

PS: Please post a prayer for the families who lost relatives in the World Trade Center attacks on this day 12 years ago. May God comfort them all.