On being part of a World Record, missing items and other matters

Musings based on vibes and insha...

At some point in my childhood, I was fascinated with the Guiness World Records book. The shiny hardback book had a special corner in the library of my secondary school, FGC Lagos and it was a teenage delight to marvel at some of the records that people laid claim to - longest fingernails, longest body hair, etc - and were certified for. All of it seemed a distant thought, as per wetin concern my agbero with overload? That was to change a few days ago, as I worked with a team that helped a friend/partner fulfil his ambition of setting a world record for the largest photo-book in the world (details here). One thing that stood out for me, as we ticked off the boxes of requirements from the adjudication panel, was how little concerted efforts contribute into a very big picture. We had a team of architects, graphics designers, printers, welders, carpenters, photographers and videographers and even cleaners on ground to perform one role or the other and for weeks everyone put in concerted efforts to achieve that common goal.

Less than 24hours to adjudging our effort a record breaker, we had received an email that ordinarily should have dampened our morale. The Guiness World Record team had written back to us that our effort fell short of certain criteria. It was a long list and everyone just wondered where we would start again from. Our eventual resolve was to pick the list apart and tackle the issues raised one by one. It wasn’t until 2am that we were able to make another submission, this time, with bated breath. 12hours later, we got the email that made all of the sweat of previous weeks and months pale into insignificance - we had broken the record. I was at home when the call came in and as my team mates screamed in ecstasy, I looked on, rather bemused, it wasn’t until I had ended the call, that I let out some shouts of excitement, punching the air in solo jubilation.

As we floated through the euphoria of a world record, I didn’t realise that my AirPods were crawling through the grasps of my hold. In-between closing out preparations for a National event and shuttling between various locations, my AirPods had gotten missing and all attempts to use the FindMy option with my iPhone have proved abortive. I’m in pains, to be honest, because I’m aware of what the dollar is looking like now and I’m certain replacing it would come at a higher cost than I bought it last year. My consolation though, is that I’ve never really been a heavy user, as they’re most times nestled in my pockets than tucked in-ear where they ought to be. So, a part of me has taken solace in reverting to my Bose headphones, while I hope for the best (which includes waiting on the next iteration of the AirPods and buying that instead).

Recently, I’ve started to wonder to myself, how I’ve become a lazy reader. I’ve been stuck with Sefi Atta’s ‘a bit of difference’ for about 1.5months now. I’m in-between wondering if it’s the book that is not gripping enough, or it’s me losing my reading mojo. Sefi is my favourite African writer, her book ‘Everything Good Will Come’ ranked number 1 on my all-time list, before being displaced by Ayomide Adebayo’s ‘Stay With Me’.

Now, the problem with being stuck with a particular book is that, I’m unable to start new ones and as I look at the recent stash of books I bought from Roving Heights, the book-guilt starts to eat deep. Maybe I should try a different approach to reading, or create yet another reading corner at home. The next book on queue sha, whenever I decide to complete my current read is, ‘The Truths we Hold’ authored by America’s Vice-President Kamala Harris. I’m thinking pe the motivation to start the new book can ginger me to complete the current read.

In other news, I’ve resumed my bird watching life. Growing up as a child, I enjoyed the little pleasures of watching birds and trying to identify them by their colours or any dynamic patterns. While doing this, I would also pay attention to the sound they make. I’ve found myself doing this more often than not and just maybe I’ll fulfil that childhood dream of having a cage at home. I’m sha never getting a parrot.

As I exited the Banquet Hall of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa on Thursday September 30th, I caught some sort of reaffirmation that the only restrain to us achieving whatever we set out to do is our minds. Bayo Omoboriowo decided to break an existing world record, pulling a guest list of the country’s powerful men and women and promoting/showcasing the beauty of Nigeria’s lush landscapes and mercurial weather. There were too many hashtags from that event, but the two I remember are; #DiscoverNigeria and #36in36. So, the next time you sneak into Instagram (provided Mark doesn’t turn off the switch again), you can check out the backstory to this epoch-event. In the case you’re doubting that this record was even broken, I have helped you with a screen grab from their website.

source:https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-photo-book

If you’ve read this far, thank you. It’s been a while I’ve attempted to write and I can’t promise I’ll be consistent, but I promise that I would have completed my current read, before my next post. (Hopefully that wouldn’t take too long).