In my post on social media and revolution, I let on that I got on Twitter this year.

 

It has been a really mixed experience because it was literally, a new world. 

Twitter, I found, is a really fun place to be(especially when you’re at the laughing end).

 

Over the months, I bumped into accounts that I found very interesting and more than worthy of recommendation to tweeps(old or new). Accounts that offered even the oddest content but in very palatable ways, or as with the first on the list, simple motivation.

 

 

Without much ado, here are my four top twitter accounts for 2020.

 

 

 

 

STEVE HARVEY

 

I happened upon Mr. Harvey’s account much earlier than the rest on this list and it has taken the first spot in my heart ever since. Mr. Harvey shares in his tweets clips from many of his shows. All of which never fail to either crack you up or inspire you, even both at the same time.

 

He shares his story, (how he started from and with nothing), his relationship experiences and how he got to where he is today. What he does every morning, what people should get right about their perceptions, just about everything and in a way that doesn’t weigh you down with how much you’ve been going about it wrong, but rather gives hope.

 

His clips are just one you’d want to turn on notifications for.

 

He narrates how he handed his life and worries to God and how He has taken him through every phase of his life. How he still isn’t perfect but is, in his own words, an imperfect soldier for Christ.

 

It’s not really easy putting into words, what makes him my favourite Twitter ‘presence’ but I think you’ll see it for yourself.

 

 

 

ALHAJI BEARDLESS SMALLIE

 

The Honourable Minister of Violence Affairs. This guy is all for the heated parts of twitter. What makes me really like what he does is that it is so non-toxic and funny at the same time.

 

He  makes daily summaries of what happens on the bird app and is so apt that even if you were offline for a week, all you need are seven of his summaries.

 

 

What’s more, he holds ‘commercial breaks’ during summaries(laughs). Whether you’re on twitter for the violence or not, you’ll surely find this account very entertaining.

 

 

 

GENERAL ZEE

 

More on the peaceful side, this account gives you some of the widest range of entertaining information. Here, you get threads on just about anything and they are bound to give you something new that you can either share or brag about to your friends.

 

It is a really educative one, spanning history, animals, and a lot of other topics that never leave you bored on any thread.

 

This account will definitely give you knowledge about things you didn’t even know mattered.

 

 

 

VEREM MARTINS

Profile photo may vary

 

Puns never really meant much to me till I met this guy.

 

This account was the first one I encountered that made puns and wordplay content. The tweets are bound to make you ask ‘how did he think of that?’

The content here is really simple and at most is a few sentences but you won’t see it coming. Trust me, ‘he don’t miss’.

 

Puns are normally dry or lack the wow factor but this and some other accounts I have happened to meet on twitter streets, have changed everything I knew about it.

 

You’ll definitely want to check him out.

 

 

 Related:Sarcasm and savaging

 

 

I’m sure that I’m going to come across many more but as the year draws to a close, these are my personal favourites.

 

Feel free to check them out or leave your own recommendations, I’d love to get yours too.

 

‘You better watch out

 You better not cry

 You better not pout, I’m telling you why…

 Santa Claus is coming to town.’

 

 

It’s the jingle bell period and it’s okay even if we don’t have a winter. I personally don’t think many Nigerian kids are waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve. Reality tends to hit pretty early around here(laughs).

 

There’s so much talk about Santa and how Christmas is not about a guy in red coats. Plus many speculations on how easy it is to rearrange ‘Santa’ to ‘Satan’. Many seem quite sensible and can be reasoned with, but how did Santa Claus come to be and be so popular?

 

 

 

 

 THE STORY OF SANTA

 

The story of Santa, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nick or Kris Kringle, dates back many years. The fourth century precisely. Back to a monk, Saint Nicholas, born sometime around 280 A.D near a village called Myra in modern day Turkey.

 

Saint Nicholas was known for his piety, kindness and generosity especially towards children.

 

He became known as the protector of children and sailors and is celebrated during the Feast of Saint Nicholas on the 6^th of December, the anniversary of his death.

 

 

He was a very popular saint and the patron saint of many European countries, though the most similar to the Santa of today were first seen in the Netherlands.

 

 

 

FROM SAINT NICHOLAS TO SANTA CLAUS

 

The story of Saint Nicholas (Sint Nikolaas - Dutch) spread to America as a result of the Dutch settling there.

 

Over quite a period of time, a group of Dutch intellectuals gathered under the name ‘Knickerbockers’ to preserve their culture and traditions.

 

 

Washington Irving, a prominent member of the group, published a book, THE KNICKERBOCKER’S HISTORY OF NEW YORK, that contained satirical renditions of Dutch stories.

 

In the book, there were several mentions of a “Sinter Klaas”(a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas) and details of him flying across the sky on a wagon and leaving presents for good children.

 

His descriptions in the book were quickly adopted by the British settlers who combined the St. Nicholas Day celebrations with their Christmas and New Year celebrations.

With a British New York-an accent, it's easy to see 'Sinter Klaas' and 'Santa Claus' sounding similar

 

 

 

SLEIGHS AND REINDEERS

 

In 1822, Clement Clark Moore a friend of Irving, wrote a poem, AN ACCOUNT OF A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS, later popularly known as TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

 

In the poem which he originally intended just for his family, he made alterations to parts of the legend e.g the wagon became a sleigh. This was to make it more relatable though. The reindeers were added instead of horses which were a common transport then, in order to give it some element of mystery.

 

Contrary to his intentions, the poem would end up in the NEW YORK SENTINEL on the 23^rd of December 1823.

 

 

 

SANTA TODAY

 

The earlier depictions of Sint Nikolaas were very different from what we have today. He used to be drawn on a donkey and with a tall, pointy bishop’s hat. Many countries have their own versions of a being that gives gifts on Christmas.

 

The Santa picture evolved over following years with further and currently evident touches from a cartoonist Thomas Nast. The popularization of his version can be attributed to your favourite soft drink company.

 

Yeah, Coca Cola made use of the character for advertising and marketing purposes and with good results.

 

These contributions all helped the Santa picture become the chubby, bearded, shiny-cheeked, red-coated, generous guy from the North pole that we all know today.

 

 

 

This is the story of how Father Christmas came to be part of our Christmas. It is imperative to know that he isn’t the reason behind the season. This season is one where we appreciate sacrifice, God’s gift of His son to us and the implications of that singular act of love.

 

It is also a season of giving. Giving of gifts, wishes, prayers. A season of love.

 

 

You may have your views on Santa sharing Christmas with us, but so long as the real reason of Christmas is known and kept at the fore, a little children’s tale never hurt anyone.

 

'I'm stuck here! Do y'all want me or no?'

 

What do you think?

Share in the comments.

Check out these 

Coca cola on Santa Claus 

A visit from St. Nicholas

Washington Irving's book

 

It’s December and this year has been full of a lot of things. Much so that I doubt the number ‘2020’ will be easily forgotten.

 

Despite the chaos and losses, we made it to the ending of the year. Gratitude to God is foremost in our hearts, that He carried us through and is still doing so.

 

 

It is also a festive period, with Christmas fast approaching, though both the harmattan and the Christmas songs in the streets are late to this year’s party.

 

 

As I mentioned in the launch interview with myself, this series is with and on brands that I found, amongst other things, intriguing.

 

 

I’m a cake person and that means that cakes and snacks as a whole, mean a lot to me personally.

So it is with great joy that I bring this month’s interview.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can we know you?

My name is Agu Favour and I am the CEO of Ohmaa Cakes.

 

 

What services/products do you offer?

We specialize in making beautiful cakes for all kinds of occasions and also making yummy pastries.

 

 

What birthed Ohmaa Cakes? What made you start?

My passion and drive for producing edibles.

 

 

How did you start and how was starting like?

I started by selling cupcakes door to door every Saturday in different lodges in school… it wasn’t really easy but with the assistance of my friends we pulled through.

 

 

How many active members-employee or not?

For now it’s just me and my P.A(laughs)

 

 

How do you advertise? Which means do you leverage most?

I make use of my online platforms-Instagram, WhatsApp etc…

I also invest in making flyers that help in the projection of the brand.

 

 

What drives you?

My love for baking and my vision.

 

 

Do school sessions affect your business and how, if yes?

Yesss it does….

It’s like you having divided attention…trying to balance the two sides.

 

 

Which areas do your services cover?

For now we cover just Lagos due to the lockdown and strike. But once school resumes, our location changes back to Anambra and anywhere within the east(smiles)

 

 

What is unique about your brand and what do you stand for?

The uniqueness of my brand is the passion and love we have towards bringing our customers happiness and maximum satisfaction.

 

 

How do you handle your responsibilities as the owner?

I face them head on…because you can’t run away from your responsibilities.

I am not a coward and neither is the brand.

 

 

Have you experienced customer dissatisfaction? How did you handle it if yes?

Lol definitely…. It wasn’t so nice but whenever things like that happen, you need to check and check to be sure the fault is actually on your part or if the person just wants to speak ill of you and the brand without passing any message.

There is room for criticism…but it’s not all you take in and digest.

I handled it to the best of my knowledge and with the direction of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

What was your most discouraging moment so far?

Omooo…the times the designs I plan in my head are not what I’m seeing real life(laughs)

Also when my baked goods didn’t come out as I anticipated…it was quite discouraging.

 

 

What has been your greatest motivation?

God…. Even when things don’t go as I plan, he always tells me to sit back, think and learn the lessons that need to be learnt. How I picture my brand years to come.

 

 

How has the lockdown and strike influenced your brand and strategy?

At first, it was quite discouraging because I wasn’t in a place I could continue with my business…but then it was able to open my eyes to learn a lot of things about the brand and where God is taking me.

 

 

Any advice for other starting entrepreneurs in your field or for those who want to start something?

As I always tell them…the beginning is always the hardest but with patience and consistency you will get there.

 

 

 

 

 

This was a really nice time-getting to know more about an enterprise than the products they made or offered. Did you enjoy the time too?

Are there any questions you wish had been asked?

 

 

Ohmaa Cakes recently celebrated a year in business, wish them well.

 

Red swollen, itchy and runny eyes are not so pleasant conditions that are seasonally common in African countries. This is locally known as ‘apollo’ and is a very contagious eye infection. There are many beliefs surrounding this very disease and here are just a few of them.

 

 

WHY IS IT CALLED APOLLO?

 

Sources have it that the original outbreak of the disease in Africa, Ghana precisely, coincided with the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. Hence locals believing that it had something to do with the event, referred to it as Apollo 11 disease, which is still a popular name for it now.

 

A source that attests to this

However, the name of the condition is conjunctivitis- which simply means inflammation or irritation of the conjunctiva(the protective, transparent membrane of the eyes). This is as a result of viral or bacterial infection which causes the blood vessels in the conjunctiva to become enlarged and leads to other signs and symptoms like pink/red eyes, itchiness, sensitivity to light and discharges from the eye. It can also have allergic causes.

 

In full, it is called Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, AHC.

 

 

Related: Staying healthy in the dry season

 

CAN APOLLO BE TRANSFERRED BY STARING?

 

This was a popular childhood belief, that Apollo could be transferred by looking into the eyes of someone suffering from the disease. I once tried to prove it wrong because for all I knew, Apollo doesn’t make you Superman or give you Apollo vision or something.

I ended up contracting it… but not because it was true.

 

 

Apollo is a very contagious infection, why? Because of its nature. It has either a viral/bacterial nature and thus is easily gotten through hand to eye contact with people, surfaces or objects contaminated with respiratory products, feces, and other body fluids of an infected person, or allergic, as a result of exposure to allergens like pollen, cosmetics and even contact lenses.

 Poor sanitation and sharing of towels also aid transmission of apollo.

 

Children (in schools especially) are the most susceptible.

 

Wash your hands with soap frequently, avoid sharing personal belongings, avoid touching your face, avoid crowded places. These are the major preventive measures.

 

 

 

DO LOCAL REMEDIES WORK?

 

Bacterial conjunctivitis is treated with antibiotic eye drops or ointments. Like with other viral diseases, viral conjunctivitis symptoms are managed, they tend to clear up on their own over a period of days.

 

Some so-called remedies do more harm than good. Urine, breast milk and others have no business with conjunctivitis.

There are other plant-based remedies that have many attesting to their potency, but it is best to see your doctor.

 

 

 

 

Apollo or rather conjunctivitis, is a very discomforting condition. You literally feel that you have the world on/in your eyes. 

Have you had your own fair share of Apollo experiences? What have you heard of it?

Did this post enlighten you?

Comment and share.

 

This is the dry season, and as opposed to conditions brought by the harmattan winds, which is basically the African winter, this season is characterized by hot days and nights. Almost no precipitations are observed during this season.

 

 

The dry season is my least favorite of all the seasons in Nigeria. And I usually find it odd that people disagree with that when you basically have to do more to be comfortable this period.

 

There’s no need to give you a geography class but here are a few things to note if you want the most from this season.

 

 

 

Avoid exposure to the sun

 

The days are generally hotter this season and sun burns are going to get even more frequent if you carelessly expose yourself. UV rays are not really best of friends with your skin and continuous exposure can prove dangerous with increased risk of skin cancers and other issues that tell with time.

 

When outside, leverage shades, wear light and protective clothing, use hats, sunshades, and sunscreen lotions when possible. Note colours in your choice of clothing as darker colours absorb light, so if you’re all black then you’re really asking for it.

 

 

Related: Taking care in the rainy season

 

 

Bathe as often as possible

 

This is as necessary for your comfort as it is for your personal hygiene.

Bathing will help make you cooler and also get rid of the sweat and dirt that will be prevalent this season. Accumulation of both on your skin can cause skin problems and body odour.

 

 

 

Use moisturizing lotion

 

The effects of the heat and dryness on your skin can be mitigated with moisturizing lotions and oils.

They leave your skin refreshed and moist enough to handle the heat and make it look so, instead of looking parched.

 

 

 

Use facemasks or handkerchiefs

 

It is normally advised to breathe through the nose and not the mouth because the nose is equipped with hairs to filter the air, but no matter how equipped your nose is, it probably won’t be enough to handle the dust this season.

 

Use facemasks and handkerchiefs. While you may be tired of using the former because of this year’s events, now you’ll have a reason you can see(bad joke right?)

 

If you have allergies, they’ll be very helpful in keeping the brown particles away.

 

 

 

Be wary of mosquitoes

 

It’s the dry season so why should you be bothered about them?

 

Well, some species of mosquitoes still breed in the dry season and they may not come in the same numbers as the rainy season but they definitely don’t need to.

Mosquitoes do not transmit only malaria. If you noticed the somewhat nationwide yellow fever vaccination, it’ll be good to know that mosquitoes are also behind it. Watch out for them.

 

 

Related: Sleeping positions and your health

 

 

Drink a lot of water

 

‘Stay hydrated’ is the mantra for the season. It is actually the most important on this list.

At least four litres of water a day is recommended and much more than that will be needed this season. Dehydration can lead to a wide range of problems; headaches, fatigue, constipation et cetera. In fact many symptoms that are mistaken for health issues can be resolved with some glasses of water.

 

Water makes up about 70% of a living person and is vital for homeostasis, proper organ functioning, replenishing of fluids lost by the skin, blood flow and almost every other activity in the body.

 

Just drink a lot of water.

 

 

Drink water oh...

 

 

All these also apply to the harmattan except for the clothes. You’ll need thicker clothes: sweaters/cardigans. And in addition to the lotion, you’ll also need protection for your lips(lip balms or lip glosses) because the cold tends to dry and then chap or crack unprotected lips.

 

 

Let us know if you already do all these in the comments and don’t forget to share this post with someone.