I Will Always Remember Dipo As A Smile (Tribute)

I logged onto Twitter and saw Kofo tweet, ‘RIP Niggydip’. I remembered a friend who shared same name but I knew he could not be the one, he was too alive to die.
Then I saw someone describe the deceased as a humorous person. This was looking too much like Niggydip so I checked a mutual friend’s BBM update and it was confirmed.

When friends go, you remember moments in vivid detail. My remembrance of Dipo is distilled to three experiences.

Dipo Samson Egbedeyi

On Friday, I noticed Dipo doing pushups. He was a funny soul and I knew he had a funny reason to explain his new physical fitness quest. The next day, he was off to contest at the Gulder Ultimate Search trials. Now, he was recounting his experience: The guy who drank the entire contents of his six cans before contesting, the person who almost drowned, the one who was already planning how to spend his winnings before even getting into the jungle. It was a funny account of the reality show’s entry competition. A story of his own trial and failure was being presented as humour.

Niggydip stayed in a lecturer’s boysquarters. The area was called ‘Computer’, because it was close to the computer laboratory built by Zenith Bank. I came around the BQ at night and Dipo was outside with clothes. He called me and said he had some clothes he had and wasn’t wearing, pointed to a bunch of clothes, some not worn and told me I could have any (or everything). It was a wonderful assortment – a Man U jersey, some denims – it was really exciting for me, the unexpectedness of it all. I tried to thank him but he was more concerned explaining to me how he had never worn most of them.

Niggydip always had something funny to say about anything. I’m not talking about conditional humour. I am talking about self-deprecatory humour, which is the best kind. So say something bad happened to him, expect him to joke about it.

He is gone now and I don’t remember things like his oil company job, the cool car he had as an undergrad or that he was one of the first people I saw with the iPod Touch. What I remember are scanty conversations in the night, chance conversations at the doorway, random run-ins.

I don’t remember the things we spend our life living for, but the moments. It makes me fear; if I go now, do people have any swear word free moments of me?
Out beyond ideas of right and wrong, there is a field, one filled with moments. What are yours and mine made of? When you lay in the earth and vain accomplishments do not mean a thing, what will people remember?

I will always remember Dipo as a smile, a laugh, a streak of light, an easy soul. Keep making beautiful moments up there bro!

R.I.P NiggyDip.

Parting Shot

You’re invited to my event next month

The Unsaid

I have had a rethink

Nothing should waste. Even bad things. If bad things shouldn’t waste, that means nothing is truly bad ba? Let’s leave philosophy for another day.

Last week, my heart was heavy. It sunk to the bottom like water under oil.  I made a post and couldn’t bring myself to respond to comments on it. Blog faithfuls, I hope you understand?

In the wake of those events, I have had a rethink on so many things. Let me share them with you.

If I was there, I would have used not a few swear words at the airport. I do that when confronted with bureaucratic procedures and a little delay. I would have grunted grudgingly at the hostesses and stared down at the loud person making a call just before take-off. I would have been human.

In the wake of it, my family members who haven’t seen me in a year would mourn a memory. My friends (few) would write notes about me. Most of these notes would contain information I already have in my CV and not memories.

I have had a rethink on so many things.

I really should go and see my people. It’s been a while. Technology is a thief. She rips us of what is important and gives us the chaff. You get so comfortable with listening to metallic voices on the phone and watching BBM updates, that a physical presence become secondary-a vestigial organ that can be done away with.

I have toyed with the idea of having my younger brother over. You know, have a weekend with him, take him to the mall-pick up a few stuffs that catch his eye. Go to the cinemas, play ‘monkey post’’ at the beach as we used to when younger-that kinda thing. The plan has always remained in my head. Well, I have finally fixed a date for it-July 27th. It’s gonna gulp a fifth of my salary, but what-the-hell?

I really should tolerate my friends some more. I can’t count how many people I have deleted off my list for simply having ‘wrong updates’. ‘This girl only knows how to snap her boobs’, ‘This boy is always misspelling stolen lyrics’ and pam-pam! I have deleted them. I really should take a Chill Pill.

And yeah, my job. There should be more to life than waking up at 5 a.m every morning and hoping I get to work before my supervisor. There should be more than thinking of the electronic gadget I am going to get at month’s end. The world out there to conquer is bigger than my air-conditioned cubicle. This one is still a thought in formation sha. I will think about it tomorrow.