A Light at the End of the Tunnel
| This is the 445th story of Our Life Logs | I was born in 1998, in Lagos, Nigeria, a sparsely over-populated city with a mix of lifestyles and cultures. It was like the America of Nigeria, hence the popular saying, “No one in Lagos is from Lagos.” In my early childhood, we lived in a ghetto in Lagos called Okokomaiko, full of rain-washed fading walls and … Continue reading A Light at the End of the Tunnel
You Can Fly If You Want To
| This is the 444th story of Our Life Logs | I guess it all started when my father got his big break. During his rookie years, the law firm he was working for had been given the chance to represent a business tycoon. My father was entrusted to be a part of the team leading the case. It was supposed to serve as a learning experience … Continue reading You Can Fly If You Want To
Broken Shackles
| This is the 443rd story of Our Life Logs | It often feels like an unbearable privilege to write and make a simple living from taking all those wonderful and horrible patterns of my past by turning them into something new and strong. Sometimes I want to hang up writing stories about me because I can’t bear the idea that it may one day run or … Continue reading Broken Shackles
Yes, I Do
| This is the 442nd story of Our Life Logs | My dear, If you are set free, Then I’ll grab the moon And we’ll split it. But if the earth continues its grand pirouette And the stars do not align, I will smile and know that in those letters I was the center of your universe. -C.W. I was born in 1981 in Southwest France. I … Continue reading Yes, I Do
It’s Not the End Yet
| This is the 441st story of Our Life Logs | You see, I was born to be a free bird. Starting from a very young age, I was fond of traveling, socializing with others, and exploring my surroundings. I basically thought of myself as some sort of daredevil. But to my parents, I was to be a “good” obedient son who would fulfill the dreams they … Continue reading It’s Not the End Yet
The Traveler from Southeast Asia
| This is the 440th story of Our Life Logs | I come from a country in Southeast Asia. No, not the rich, everything-is-in-order Singapore; and no, not the land of Crazy Rich Asians. I come from the beautiful—yet struggling—country of Indonesia. I was born into a lower-middle class family in the late 1980s in a small town in West Java. Yes, like the coffee. In fact, … Continue reading The Traveler from Southeast Asia
Standing Up
| This is the 439th story of Our Life Logs | “We don’t need you anymore.” The words slipped out of my supervisors’ mouth and fell onto the desk in front of me. There were no emotions behind them, no guilt, no sympathy—just a hollow phrase passively tossed my way as they multi-tasked behind their over-sized desk. I received no further explanation, just a request to pack … Continue reading Standing Up
I Fought Myself
| This is the 438th story of Our Life Logs | If I close my eyes right now, I can still recall my worst suffering. If I sit there long enough, I begin to almost tremble. I know I would never be that person again—that person that put her own self through that suffering—but I can so easily flashback to how it felt, in those days, to … Continue reading I Fought Myself
You’ll Understand When You’re Older
| This is the 437th story of Our Life Logs | “You’ll understand when you’re older.” It’s a phrase that we have all heard growing up. Sometimes that was true. We would grow up, and things from our childhood would start making sense. But some things are always going to be beyond our comprehension; there will be some memories that we will look back on in 10, … Continue reading You’ll Understand When You’re Older
Life Is Precious
| This is the 436th story of Our Life Logs | Behind every proverb, there is experience and reflection. Now, I don’t claim to know it all, but I know what I’ve lived, for life was my teacher. Here are the lessons I’ve learned. 1 | Even in heartbreak, one must continue living. I was born the third of six children during the long depression in Norfolk, … Continue reading Life Is Precious
I Feel My Roots
| This is the 435th story of Our Life Logs | There was a time when I scraped the dirt of the valley with my bare feet to make a home for a small hopeless seed. That was then, and then was long ago. Now—I water a tree as tall as a mountain. -C.W. My city, Karachi, is simply magical. It’s one of the largest, most populated … Continue reading I Feel My Roots
Where Do I Belong?
| This is the 434th story of Our Life Logs | I grew up in the 1980s in Lagos State, Nigeria with my three brothers. My father was an engineer and my mother, a teacher. They both were unrelentingly strict with us when it came to our studies. My father insisted on quality education for all his children and expected the best performance from us since he … Continue reading Where Do I Belong?